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Sewing clothes for dogs is an easy business with good profits. How to open a pet clothing store

Many people from time to time think about how to open a profitable and interesting business. There are a lot of ideas around, but not everything can be put into practice due to too large initial investments or lack of professional knowledge. The idea of starting a business selling clothes for pets is one of the most promising, because modern society this type of product is used in great demand.

Many people from time to time think about how to open a profitable and interesting business. There are a lot of ideas around, but not everything can be implemented in practice due to too large initial investments or lack of professional knowledge. The idea of starting a business selling clothes for pets is one of the most promising, since in modern society this type of product is in great demand. People who have beloved pets tend to pamper them with any accessible ways. So why not offer them high-quality clothing for animals, thus increasing the status of the owner and providing his beloved animal with comfort and interesting appearance?

Currently, clothing for dogs is in particular demand. After all, they need to be walked constantly, including in winter. Some dog breeds are simply not adapted to being outside for long periods of time without additional protection from weather conditions. It is in such a situation that it is necessary to acquire special clothing for your pet. On at the moment This niche is still practically unoccupied by anyone, so organizing a business selling clothes for pets is an excellent profitable idea.

Any business is created for the purpose of making a profit. To create a stable source of income, you need to know how and where exactly to implement the idea. In order for your store to stand out from competitors' stores, it must offer customers interesting and high-quality products, and there must also be a well-established customer service system. As an additional service, we can offer custom tailoring for animals. Then people will come back to you again and again, providing you with a stable income and a good reputation.

Where can I get the goods?

Goods for sale can be purchased from wholesale manufacturers, since there are a lot of them now. Due to high competition, you can find companies offering quality product at reasonable prices. However, there is a drawback here - mass participation. Wholesale products very rarely offer anything exclusive. In this case, you can learn how to sew clothes for animals yourself or hire a person who knows how and wants to do it. Patterns for sewing clothes for animals are available on the Internet. If you yourself do not have the necessary skills and equipment, then it is better not to take on this work. After all, even one poorly made item can ruin your reputation.

If you make clothes yourself, you need to consider the additional costs of a small sewing workshop.

Stages of starting a business selling clothing for animals

Resume

Let's take a pet clothing store as an example. Teddy bear", which sells clothing and some accessories for dogs and cats. The goods are purchased from wholesale companies, and exclusive models are also made to order. The company is registered as OJSC.

Rent of premises and purchase of necessary equipment

Purchase and registration of a cash register;
Searching and signing a rental agreement for premises;

It is necessary to choose a premises located in a busy place, preferably near shoe and clothing stores. The size of the room can be

modest on initial stage, you can think about expansion when the business begins to generate stable income. As an example, we can give a small outlet V shopping center or supermarket.

Purchase commercial equipment(shelves, display cases, mannequins);
Purchase of sewing equipment and materials and accessories forfulfillment of individual orders

It is very important to choose a good, high-quality sewing machine that will save time and serve for many years. When it comes to fabric, it should match the type of clothing you plan to offer. For example, for walks in winter you should choose warm, waterproof material, and for flight trips into nature something lightweight. The material must be of high quality and natural.

If you have knitting skills, you can also offer winter knitted items for animals to your clients;

Purchase of finishing materials (if you are planning to repair a rented property) premises)

It is important to come up with an interesting design and logo for your store so that it is easy to remember and distinguishes itself from competitors’ stores.

Note: If you know how to sew yourself, you can organize a sewing workshop at home and sell products via the Internet or receive clients at home. In this case, you can save a lot on renting premises and purchasing commercial equipment. You will only need to buy a sewing machine, materials and accessories.

Definition of assortment and services

The Teddy Bear pet clothing store offers a wide range of interesting clothing models for dogs and cats:

Clothes for walking (jackets, down jackets, overalls, trousers, scarves, hats);
Clothes for home (pajamas, dressing gowns, shorts, dresses);
Clothes for going out (beautiful dresses, trouser suits, wedding dresses, tuxedos);
Masquerade costumes (cloaks, masks, collars, skirts, dresses);
Beds and sleeping places;
Houses, complexes for crawling, jumping, nail sharpening;
Sewing and knitting clothes for animals according to individual orders;
Delivery of goods to your home (within the city at the initial stage).

Victoria, an architect by training, recalls how in the recent past she decided to buy clothes for her beloved pet. However, after visiting various pet stores, she discovered that the assortment consisted of Chinese overalls made from cheap, low-quality material. There is no need to talk about the availability of styles at all - clothes for a dog to walk around the city are practically impossible to find.

As a certified clothing technologist, Victoria could not ignore such a problem, and decided, despite the riskiness of the event, to start a business sewing high-quality clothing for animals. Bravehound - this is the name she assigned to her company, is engaged in custom tailoring, and in the future plans to move on to mass production of clothes for pets, and sell them even in regular stores.

Business history

Since childhood, I believed that I had two main callings in my life - construction (architecture) and sewing. I received my two in the same order higher education. As an architect, over twelve years of experience, which took place in a large construction company in various positions, I was able to realize my own ambitions. But, even while in a leadership position, there remained a feeling of something unfinished, and in the subconscious it suggested the idea of launching own business. Perhaps my character made some contribution in this regard - despite the impeccability of the assignments I carried out, I always strived for independent work, where no one could limit my flight of fantasy.

Moving from Omsk to Novorossiysk became a turning point in my life, which pushed me towards the idea I had in mind, and my husband also stimulated it. Along with the change of place of residence, our family decided to get a dog; previously, due to work, we did not have enough time for grooming and walking. Since the question arose about what we would dress the pet in, we had to search online for pet stores where we could find something suitable. There was no decent quality among Russian retailers, and I had to order through an American online auction directly from Scotland.

Having received the parcel, we discovered that the overalls did not fit in size, and the material left much to be desired - after the first fitting, a piece of fluff remained in my hand. To put the product on our puppy, we had to spend at least an hour at the sewing machine, adjusting the dimensions. It was at that moment that the idea of creating my own clothing brand struck me.

Without delaying her plans, she began to actively analyze the market: she monitored all the available offers from stores, reviewed the dialogues on the forums of dog breeders and owners. As it turned out, in such a huge country as Russia, this niche is practically empty. Animal owners are forced to make do, in best case scenario, Chinese “consumer goods”, which lasts for a maximum of two seasons, not to mention the appearance of such things. There are even counterfeit products that retailers pass off as certified goods.

Birth of Bravehound

The first model on which I began to hone my skills was our dog Jack Russell. I designed a layout on it, made sketches of various variations, and sewed several trial items. Before getting down to business, I had to work hard to collect information. It was necessary to find out which styles are in trend today, the most common sizes and current colors of future clothes. They came to the rescue social media, in whose public pages we were able to contact numerous dog owners, find out demand and even get initial pre-orders.

When the first mini-collection was ready, my husband and I did a short photo shoot in order to get high-quality advertising photographs. They then posted the photo on their VKontakte page and in some public pages dedicated to dog breeding. Almost no money was spent on advertising, except for services professional photographer. Initially, up to 70 thousand rubles were invested, which covered the costs of material, renting a studio for filming and transport.

From the first days of launching the atelier, I decided to entrust the sewing to a professional seamstress. First of all, because for many years working in the construction industry, I got used to dynamic activity, constant change of scenery and communications with different people. Sewing requires perseverance and a predisposition to monotonous work. Secondly, the trend pointed to a rapid increase in the volume of orders, which means that in any case I would not be able to cope on my own.

But in such a business there is enough organizational tasks, which were assigned to me. During my work, I was involved in coordinating sketches, preparing and conducting photo sessions, and building relationships with clients and material suppliers. Our sewing workshop employs two seamstresses, and in the near future we plan to hire a knitwear master, who will take the quality of our collections to a new stylistic level. Wages is formed based on the quantity of goods sold, but since the flow of orders is expanding, over time we plan to switch to a fixed monthly salary.

We started by simply collecting orders and sewing finished products, without any designation trademark. Five months after the start of sales, it was decided to found a company in order to give recognition to our products. This is how Bravehound was born. On the other hand, as time has shown, we did the right thing by taking our time with the name: while creating the first models, we gained practice, conducted experiments, and gained invaluable experience. When the line was set up, and we specifically understood in which direction we would move, the issue of branding and popularization arose.

Now we have a clearly developed style of the product line, which involves sewing walking clothing with a hunting touch for dogs. No offense intended to any dog owners, but what Bravehound definitely won’t do is sew tasteless overalls from the pinkish fur that is awash in domestic market. This is our position and, in our opinion, it serves as an indisputable advantage over our competitors.

Do dogs need clothes?

The main problem for smooth-haired dogs is the winter cold. Owners of the corresponding breeds make up the core of regular customers for whom our brand produces sweaters, overalls, and all-season jackets. There are breeds guard dogs, the owners of which do not perceive as such, which are susceptible to the effects of cold. It's about about Dobermans and Rottweilers, traditionally kept outside. These dogs actually get very cold in winter, no matter how insulated their kennel is.

It should be understood that each breed has its own specifics when it comes to clothing. Animals with long hair you need to buy a raincoat instead of a jacket, because after finishing the walk, the dog will have to wash its paws for a long time, and then spend even longer fiddling with drying its fur. Such overlays can significantly confuse the owner and neutralize the pleasure received from walking your beloved pet in the yard.

Each dog's breed is unique, but there are generally accepted standards of care. As for clothing, authoritative dog handlers recommend that the style include open belly and paws, on which special receptors are located that are responsible for thermoregulation in the animal’s body. Clothing material should consist of at least half of natural ingredients, which could serve as “extra fur” for the dog. By dressing the dog in products made from low-grade fabric, the owner gets the deceptive impression that his pet is completely protected from the vicissitudes of the weather.

Almost absent among dogs standard size. Therefore, when working with individual orders, we constantly consult with clients about the choice of material and accessories. Fittings, and even alterations, happen several times, and clients have to bring their dog to our studio to ensure that the product fits optimally. For each pet we develop a new layout and select suitable material. It is extremely important to take into account such nuances as the dog’s living environment and walking environment. For example, some pets are walked in urban areas, where there are mainly parks with droshky rides and sidewalks. Others may live outside the city, and frolic through fields and forests. Accessories like Velcro fasteners are clearly not suitable for rural dwellers; they need to choose something stronger and more reliable.
In order to take measurements of a dog, it is necessary to take into account 5-6 basic parameters. Our work begins with the owner taking these measurements at home and then coming to us to discuss all the nuances. In three months we plan to launch a mass tailoring, which will be produced in four sizes for most existing breeds.

Thus, owners of four-legged friends will be able to purchase high-quality clothes for them earlier and much cheaper. We will sell products through offline stores, as well as through a network of online retailers. Some branded items will be placed on the showcase of our website. We will continue to work with private orders, but, most likely, the cost will rise, and such an exclusive will not be affordable for everyone.

Realities of the domestic market.

Russian consumers, unfortunately, have little choice: either go shopping for clothes at local pet stores, or search on foreign Internet platforms like eBay and Alibaba. You can find cheaper ones in English-language online stores, but there, to place an order, an advance payment is required, and it is not always possible to distinguish a normal resource from scammers. There is also a category of entrepreneurs who periodically travel abroad and bring goods for animals, including clothing. You can buy good quality items from them, but the range is very limited and it is extremely difficult to choose the right size.

Local pet stores seem to have a sufficient selection, but their clothes are more suitable for rural areas. A client with a certain level of income needs his pet to look stylish while walking around the city and emphasize the owner’s image. In this regard, our market serious problems, and for enterprising people there is a mountain of opportunities.

Based on the size of the dog, the quality of the material and the country of origin, the price of dog clothing in Russian pet stores can vary from 200 rubles to 4 thousand rubles. IN overseas store the cost is between 20-250 euros. As with clothing for people, it is recommended to buy products for pets during the discount season, so you can spend an adequate amount.

Not only the price, but also the quality of the product produced depends greatly on the country of origin. Chinese products can withstand a maximum of two seasons, after which the paint peels off and the seams come apart, not to mention damage during walking.

Our studio positions itself as a supplier of goods for the middle and upper middle class, the cost of one product is within 4-5 thousand rubles. Although this price is considered higher than the market average, there is a premium class studio where tailoring is much more expensive than ours. In a month, the studio receives up to forty orders, where one client spends an average of five thousand rubles.

Who is our client?

After a small online advertising campaign, which boiled down to posting posts with photos on thematic groups, the geography of sales expanded significantly. Clients from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and even Germany come to us with orders. The community of dog lovers is constantly expanding and consists of people united by one passion. Thanks to this, information about our work is quickly replicated among potential clients, and orders begin to arrive. Despite the low quality of services of the Russian Post company, we carry out mailings through it, fortunately, no incidents have occurred to this day.

In case the client expects to receive our parcel much faster than the state-owned company delivers, and is willing to overpay, we can offer express delivery.

Our caring client usually has five or six items in his wardrobe for his pet - things that can be worn in different weather conditions, from a light raincoat to a warm winter jacket. A person who contacts us for the first time orders one set. Having received the parcel, tried the item on the dog and seen that everything is in order, he places an order for three or four more items.

Ideas and plans.

When founding Bravehound, I was guided by very ambitious goals, which included reaching federal level. Along with the sales volume, we plan to expand the range as much as possible, which would include collars and leashes, as well as products for cats.

To expand distribution channels, we are constantly negotiating with pet store owners. Now they are ready to purchase batches of 20-30 pieces from us, and if our brand is in demand at their level, the flow of orders will increase. However, in terms of implementation, I am inspired by the European style of doing this business: for example, in Germany or France, clothes for dogs are sold in the same stores as clothes for people. A person goes into a store or boutique to make a purchase, chooses something for himself and at the same time looks for a product for his pet.

In Russia, such a culture is still in its infancy, but trends point to progress, and we will contribute to this as much as possible with our quality and level of service.

Believes that money is not a goal, but a result. If you do everything right on the way to your goal, then right moment money will come to you. This is confirmed by Alexandra Vakarova, who first dressed her pets, and then put her passion and skill into practice. Today Sasha has a clothing and accessories store for four-legged friends. How the profitable hobby began, read in the material.

At 20 years old I dreamed of working in my specialty, namely: working as a designer in a fashion glossy magazine. I graduated from the Academy of Printing with a degree in advertising graphics and strived hard to make my dream come true. I worked in advertising agencies, publishing houses and, in the end, became a designer for a glossy magazine.

Desire to start a business arose completely by accident. I adore dogs, I have two of them - Stasik (toy terrier) and Leta (Petit Brabançon). These are my main ideological inspirers! Without them nothing would have started! She loved dressing them and buying them clothes in pet stores and online. I was a little fed up with the assortment, and the prices were a bit steep).

At first I made collars and bandanas for my dogs. We walk in parks a lot - people began to notice bright accessories and wonder where I bought them. So, at first I sewed a few for my friends and acquaintances, then posted a small collection on social networks— AND IT SPIN!

I swore I wouldn’t make anything other than collars, butterflies and bandanas, but it didn’t last long for me :) After two months, the first vests appeared :). Later, jackets, overalls, trousers, dresses and even embroidered shirts :) Probably now there are no clothes that I haven’t sewed, I even made panties for dogs :).

Starting capital there was no such thing :). I simply invested the money I earned from my main job in fabrics, accessories and other necessities. Sewing machine I had it for a long time. Over time, of course, I had to fork out for larger purchases - a button press, an overlocker and other necessary equipment.

Plus rented an office as a workshop, but when the flow of clients increased, I had to abandon it, since the landlords were not happy with the cute creatures wandering back and forth. I don’t understand why:) It’s very difficult to find a dog-friendly office. I’m still searching, but I’m sure that soon this item in my business plan will be crossed out! Now I'm working at home.

First time had to work at a disadvantage, only a year later it slowly began to gain momentum and earnings began.

I've been doing this for a little over a year, and this entire period has not been easy. But the most difficult It was for me to find more time! TIME is the main thing I lack. Plus, combining 2 “jobs” is both mentally and physically difficult :)

Participation in various exhibitions and fairs was very exhausting. In order for people to know that I exist, I first had to freeze in Lviv at autumn and winter fairs - they sold it right on the street. Then we went to exhibitions in Kyiv, we were terribly tired (we went with the whole family - my daughter, me, my husband and dogs). They sold little, but it had to be done, to popularize our product. Many people are still very critical of the concept of clothing for dogs.

I only recently found out that I've been doing this for a year: we sat in the evening and remembered when it all started, scoured social networks and found the date of my first post about Best Friend - September 2, 2014. So it turns out that I’ve been dressing dogs for over a year :)

The business has become profitable in about a year. Regular customers appeared, things began to be sold in pet stores and grooming salons in the city (ours and not only).

My personal motto: “Never give up!” Even if I don’t succeed at all, or I made mistakes in sewing, I redo it, sometimes several times, to achieve the perfect result :)

Slogan of my business: “Don’t WOOP!”

The most important in working with my clients- so as not to get bitten :))). But seriously, the main thing is that the dog is comfortable in clothes, and the owner likes the appearance of the item. Finding this compromise is what you have to work on every day :)

Of the global companies, I really like Puppy Angel, but now I’m increasingly looking at various Japanese brands of clothing for dogs. They have come a long way and make clothes better than their American and European counterpart brands.

I would also like to add that this work helped me communicate with people. I’m generally not a very sociable person, but here, whatever one may say, I have to communicate with clients. And this special type people - dog lovers - we are all strange and very cool people :)). Now many of my clients have become my friends, I love my job!

It’s simply amazing how quickly people’s views on various things change simultaneously with the development of technological progress, aimed mainly at improving living conditions, increasing comfort, etc. But everything would be fine if it concerned only the people themselves. Having taken care of ourselves, it is time to take care of our little brothers (and sisters), first of all those who live in close proximity to a person.

Who would have thought, for example, 30-40 years ago, that in the future beauty salons for animals would become popular, where, in addition to providing hygiene services for pets, they would paint their claws or tie bows? Moreover, 40% of clients of such establishments, as it turns out, are people with average incomes, who, in fact, have other, more useful options for using their income. Although, from a business point of view: since there is demand, it means that the market needs to be filled with supply. And when developing a theme for animals, pay attention not only to their appearance, but also to their health. Probably, it was precisely after such a thought that crept into someone’s “bright” head that the first clothing stores for animals appeared, which have now become a common occurrence.

Brief business analysis:
Costs of setting up a business: 700 000-1 500 000
Relevant for cities with the population: 200 000-12 000 000
Industry situation:the market is not saturated
Difficulty of organizing a business: 2/5
Payback: 1-2 years

Of course, about two-thirds of all pet owners truly care about their pets. Others thus emphasize their social status, caring little about the fact that a Great Dane weighing 80 kg looks ridiculous in a striped vest or a hat with earflaps. But it is these people who bring most of the income into this business.

I want to open a clothing store for animals

Who do you think these words might belong to? Women, of course. It is the fair sex who own most of these outlets. And this business idea is addressed primarily to women, although there are no obstacles for a man to open a pet clothing store.

Where to start?

In terms of subject matter, and also in terms of the steps that need to be taken to open a store, this project is practically no different from organizing a pet store. We recently talked about this business idea in one of our previous publications. First of all, of course, you will need to register as individual entrepreneur(this form is most convenient for trading) or open a limited liability company (an LLC is more acceptable if you organize additional services, which we will discuss below).

However, there is one small nuance. If, when registering an individual entrepreneur, the entrepreneur indicates his registration address (i.e. home), then when opening an LLC, the trading premises should already be your property, it does not matter - in full, or on a lease or sublease basis. It is better if it is a point in a large shopping center, or a small store in residential area. If you happen to be nearby veterinary clinic, this will only contribute to the influx of buyers.

If you have a business and have problems with accounting, register with the MyBusiness service right now, this is truly the best solution.
I am an individual entrepreneur, and I am just transferring my personal accounting to MoeDelo right now.

Having decided on the premises, it’s time to purchase the necessary equipment:

racks, display cases, shelves.
racks with clothes hangers.
animal mannequins.
cash register equipment.

Be sure to read the material about which taxation system to choose for your business, as well as how you can combine several types of tax payments. This information will be useful to you in your further actions.

We determine the range of products

When we talk about clothes for pets, of course, first of all, we mean those who have lived next to humans for thousands of years - cats and dogs. Moreover, as for dogs, the “lion’s” share of all purchases falls on “pocket-sized” clothes for small dogs. The fact is that cats are extremely freedom-loving animals; not every one of them will allow you to wear a suit or dress. And clothing for hamsters, rats, and other rodents is in very little demand.

But your store’s assortment should include goods for any animal, even minimum quantity. Especially in the first few months after opening, when buyers are just evaluating your outlet. But at the same time, the range of clothing models offered should be sufficient to satisfy the most demanding buyer:

streetwear and shoes : winter - warm overalls, down jackets, jackets with zippers and buttons, trousers, hats, scarves, knitted booties, boots; and summer - dresses, T-shirts, T-shirts, sandals.
home clothes - robes, pajamas, shorts.
formal and festive clothes – formal suits, tuxedos, “evening” dresses, “wedding” outfits.
clothing for masquerade and entertainment – masks, raincoats, clothes for specific holidays – New Year, Halloween, etc.

In addition, you can expand the range by adding:

sleeping complexes, houses, beds for animals.
bags for carrying and transporting animals.
scratching posts, gaming complexes, and toys for animals.

We are looking for suppliers

As always, the search for suppliers is the most “sick”, but quite solvable issue. For beginning businessmen, perhaps the best solution would be to buy pet clothes for sale. During negotiations with suppliers, you can agree on significant discounts, deferred payment, or payment for goods after they are sold - it depends on how convincing you are with your offer and what benefits you will show to your partners.

You can try to conclude an agreement with a sewing studio to sew clothes for animals, guaranteeing the purchase of finished products. But the most profitable solution would still be to open your own sewing workshop at a clothing store. In this case, the problem with suppliers will disappear by itself. Having your own atelier at a pet clothing store will allow you to work in 3 directions:

sew clothes using ready-made patterns in small batches.
sew clothes "to order" according to the standards taken from the “client”.
sew exclusive models , taking into account all the wishes of the animal owner.

Setting up a studio will require additional area and costs for the purchase of equipment and consumables. By the way, if you have an atelier, your competitors will turn into your buyers.

As additional services Can you offer delivery of your purchase to specified place within settlement.

How to make interesting advertising?

Although the supply of goods on the pet clothing market is not saturated, the business will have competitors in almost any city. And it is interesting exclusive advertising that will set you apart from other sellers. Come up with a bright slogan for your business and make an attractive sign. Periodically carry out various promotions, for example: “When buying overalls, a hat for a dog as a gift,” or “When purchasing goods worth over 3,000 rubles, a bonus is shampoo for animals,” etc.

“Second line” of online sales

Be sure to create a store website and make it possible to order clothes online. You will not only expand the circle of your customers, but also make shopping more comfortable for customers in your city. You can also arrange for a technician to come to your home to take measurements. You can find out how to create an online store at this link, and how to promote it and increase sales here -