TAKE FIVE WITH BARKLEY & PIPS
suburban pup's stockists are some of the most awesome humans in the business. We're asking each of them five questions, and sharing their answers across our platforms.
Anna: Why did you start Barkley & Pips?
Lisa: Bernie’s work contract had finished and there was a worry that he would be made redundant. We thought about ways to support ourselves and as Bernie had worked on market stalls in London when he was younger, we decided to turn our hand to that. We had just gotten Pippa at the time and we struggled to find places to buy dog apparel. There were lots online but none we could try on. We started out with dog clothing and treats then moved into collars, harness and leashes. We still struggled to get patterns that we liked as a lot of them were quite childish designs, so we set about designing an edgier range that we now sell in our boutique, online and wholesale. Bernie wasn’t made redundant in the end and worked 7 days a week for almost 3 years before we could afford for him to take the reins of Barkley and Pips full time.
Anna: Tell us about your suburb, Bundamba
Lisa: We spent a long time trying to find the perfect location for our Café, Groomers and Boutique. Lots of things came into play financially of course but we had to be mindful of noise (barking dogs), outdoor space and parking. We came across the unit we are in now after a trip to Costco Bundamba. We often get asked why we didn’t open in Brisbane. We live Ipswich and we really wanted to immerse ourselves in our own community. Ipswich and Bundamba are very up and coming so it’s a great place to open for the long term.
Anna: Why do you stock suburban pup?
Lisa: We stock only what we feed or use ourselves. All four of ours are on SP and thrive on it. Because we feed it to our pups, we are able to whole heartedly recommend it to our customers. We get asked a lot of questions about raw diet and also our thoughts on home-cooked meals. We always guide people to SP because it’s a proper nutritionist-approved diet that has everything a pup needs and is quick and easy! We have had customers with dogs that have allergies, need to lose weight, have sensitive tummies etc and because of the relationship we have with Anna, we are able to get the right advice for the customer often while they are in the store. That’s the beauty of supporting a small locally owned business like SP.
Anna: Tell us about your pups!
Lisa: We are the proud owners of four Dachshunds - Barkley 5, Pippa 4, Pete 3 and our rehome Maggie Mae who is the eldest at 6. Our home is hectic, the dogs definitely rule the roost and have all the typical Dachshund traits... loud, funny, in your face and generally running amuck! Barkley is the sensitive one, Pippa is the jealous one, Pete is the Joker and Maggie is the cuddly one. Barkley and Pippa gravitate towards Bernie, and Maggie and Pete towards me.
Barkley & Pips is located at 1 Hawken Crescent, Bundamba and it's open 7am-3pm Tuesday-Friday, 8am-4pm Saturday AND 8am-3pm Sunday.
Photo: Gayle Marie Photography courtesy Barkley & Pips
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