![]() With more than 10,000 attendees from all over the world, we’re sure to get some great ideas for new products, marketing strategies and new ways to give back. And it’s a sign of just how far we’ve come. We’re going to head to Sin City to see all the great new innovations in the world of pets, see the crazy grooming styles and generally learn ways to make our businesses better suited to the needs of you, the pet owner. Along with our friends from Slik Hound, another Kansas City-based company that supplies the world’s coolest dog collars and accessories, we’re going out to make some contacts.īut really we’re going to have fun. It’s a chance to get together with other people who love dogs, cats and iguanas, shake some hands, hand out some samples and build relationships.įrom a business sense, that’s why we’re going - to make contacts and learn. SuperZoo, if you didn’t know, is the biggest trade show in the world of pet products. For Beer Paws, one of those moments is when we decided to showcase our products at SuperZoo later this month in Las Vegas. “We’re going to be actually doing matching bracelets to the dog collars,” said Nick.Do you ever look around and wonder how you got to be so lucky? How you got to have so many great things in your life like beer and dogs? Every once in a while, something great comes along and makes you stop and realize just how fortunate you are. The Lukes are already thinking about their next product, though this one will be something that dog owners can wear. (The business had grown to the point that it occupied pretty much the entire second floor of their house.)Īn open house for SLiK Hound’s new place is planned for May 7, with a ribbon- cutting at noon, Nick said. Orders have grown to the point that Nick and Amy have hired a full-time employee, her younger brother, and are moving SLiK Hound into a new space at 500 Delaware in River Market. Today, you can find SLiK Hound collars in 35 stores, primarily in Kansas City, Chicago, Des Moines and other Midwestern cities. Every show they attended, they brought home enough money to pay that week’s bills. The quality of their goods improved, too-each piece had the exact same finish and quality as the next. They emptied out Amy’s retirement account and bought a tent and other equipment so they could start traveling to trade shows. ![]() In 2014, the couple decided to make another big push into their business. Over the next three years, the Lukes burned through their startup money as they slowly got better at making the collars. That’s the problem with a niche product like theirs: “There’s no book out there on how to make dog collars.” The only problem? “They just felt like something that somebody made at home,” Nick said. They invested in machinery and material, and they started making dog collars. ![]() Nick and Amy raised startup money, the bulk of it coming from an $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit. ![]() She mentioned that her supplier for fashion dog collars was getting out of the business-and that there might be an opportunity in the market. The Lukes got into the dog-collar business in 2011, after they made friends with Gretchen Miller, the owner of Westport’s Doggie Style Bowtique and Pet Salon. Their company’s collars come in a range of lengths, widths and styles, including more than 260 different fabrics. The Jackson County natives, who’ve been married four years, started dating when they were students at Fort Osage High. SLiK Hound is the brainchild of Nick and wife Amy, a local couple who happen to own four dogs of their own: a whippet, an Afghan hound, a Saluki and an Italian greyhound. “We’re the only dog-collar company that I know of that stitches with Kevlar thread,” co-owner Nick Luke said. The collars are lined with satin for the dogs’ comfort, and Kevlar thread-the same kind of material used in bullet-resistant vests-is used to stitch everything together. It’s best known for its Pop Fashion line of dog collars that feature bright colors and designs, combined with extremely durable construction. ![]() That’s the idea behind SLiK Hound, a young Kansas City company. So don’t they deserve a collar that looks and functions better than the $8 special at PetSmart? It took time for SLiK Hound to perfect its high-fashion dog collars, but now the business is thriving.ĭogs are man’s best friend. ![]()
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