Up Close: Wylie Wagg Co-Owner Laura Clark

By Ryan Lytle

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

After years in the corporate world, Laura Clark and her husband, Larry, decided to make a change in their careers and lives. That change was opening their own pet boutique, Wylie Wagg.

When deciding on an area in which to live and open their first pet store, Middleburg became an easy decision for them.

In an interview with LoudounExtra.com, Clark talks about her reasons for opening a pet boutique, the joys of animal charities and why her husband is a great business partner.

Q: Talk about the founding of Wylie Wagg, and why you decided to open shop in Loudoun County.

A: Well, we [her and her husband, Larry] started in 2003. We were actually incorporated in 2002 and then opened the doors in 2003. When we started, we were in completely different areas. We were both corporate. We were in New York, and we came out to Loudoun County and it's just beautiful. Around that time, we felt like we needed a real change in our lives. And we thought there was a need in the area for a place like ours. There weren't really any other places that were strictly pet boutiques. The market was right and the timing was right. It just felt like the right fit. We're animal lovers, always have been and this was a good second life, if you will.

Q: Why did you choose to open the first Wylie Wagg in Middleburg?

A: Middleburg, very specifically has, and I'm not saying other places don't, one of the greatest appreciations for animals of any community that I have ever been in. Everyone is just kind of an animal fanatic. And, really, in other places it's just not quite the same. Animals are just such a high priority with everybody here, be it horses or dogs or cats or anything else for that matter. So it made it very easy on our lives because everybody loved what we were doing.

Q: How has the community embraced the store?

A: Oh my gosh, it has been so unbelievable. We are so grateful. From day one, we have been embraced and we really didn't expect that. We really expected that people would be wary at first and it would take a long time to establish a face here. On the contrary, I've felt 100 percent welcome from day one and it's just continued that way ever since.

Q Wylie Wagg has expanded to three stores in the area. What made you want to expand the business?

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Wylie Wagg in Middleburg

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Laura Clark in her store, Wylie Wagg, in Middleburg. (Sesha Evans )

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Laura Clark and her husband, Larry, own the Wylie Wagg pet boutique, which has locations in Middleburg, Tysons Corner and Fairfax. (Sesha Evans )

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Laura Clark and her husband, Larry, inside their store, Wylie Wagg, in Middleburg. (Sesha Evans )

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Laura Clark at her store, Wylie Wagg, in Middleburg. (Sesha Evans )

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The exterior of the pet boutique, Wylie Wagg, in Middleburg. (Sesha Evans )

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A: Well, I think we loved what we were doing and we saw a need for it. And we saw the potential growth within the business. Initially, when we started, I think that our goal was that I would run the store and Larry would go back to the corporate world. After awhile, we realized that we just loved doing it so much that we would prefer to continue doing this and stay out of the corporate world for awhile, which is what we've done. One store isn't quite enough for the both of us so it made sense to expand.

Q: What were you doing before Wylie Wagg?

A: I was in marketing with a global technology company. My life was very, very different. It was pretty crazy, but I got to apply a lot of the marketing background that I have to this business, which has been good. So I just took what I knew and applied it to a different field which has been a lot more fun.

Did you have any ties to Loudoun County before the opening of Wylie Wagg?

A: I had lived in D.C. previously when I had been in my early 20s. I had lived in Reston and D.C. but never Loudoun. But I had always come out to Loudoun because I loved it here. Sometimes when the city would get to be a little too much I would get in the car and come to Middleburg, specifically, and that was a memory I've held all these years. So, when we first moved back here the first place I thought of was Middleburg. This was always the place I'd come to in order to escape the fray so, naturally, living here seemed like an amazing idea.

Q: What separates Wylie Wagg from the large pet store chains?

A: I think it's basically three things. First is customer service, because we actually have a unique approach to our service. We absolutely bend over backwards for each customer. I know everyone says that but we do make sure to go above and beyond. It's kind of like a Nordstrom approach in a tiny store. The second reason is, and I know this is surprising, but price is why we see a lot of people come back. Our prices are actually lower than a lot of the big pet stores, which a lot of people are shocked by. And the third is product selection because what we do is we're so careful with each thing that comes in. So even though our store is much smaller than a big warehouse, everything is picked so intentionally and carefully that the customer doesn't have to worry about whether a product is healthy. They can just come in and know that everything is healthy. So I think it makes for a much easier shopping experience and they can find things here they can't find at the warehouses.

Q: What did you have to do to learn to make a pet boutique business work?

A: That's an interesting question, because it did work from the start. There are two proponents to this. One being timing. We came into the market at a wonderful time, when people were becoming much more interested in nutrition for their animals. The timing was just fantastic. I think I was very fortunate to go into business with a partner that can bring to the table what I don't have. He [Larry] has the financial background that I don't have. I think so much of this business is product selection and another part of it is managing finances. So, I got really lucky that I had that built in. I think a lot of businesses come into it with great creativity or a great model, but if they don't have that strong financial management it still fails.

Q: What type of charities and organizations do you run?

A: This is actually one of my favorite parts of what we do, because we have been able to make a difference in so many animals' and people's lives. Because when you get to rescue, it's great to give the animals homes and that's the point. The other proponent, which has completely blown me away, has been what we have done for the people that rescue the animals, what it does to their lives. In keeping with that, we decided to start this program called the “Give Program." We have boxes in each store that people can give away unwanted pet items to the store and drop them off just like how people do with items at Goodwill, except for pets. And then we make sure that all of these items go to area shelters and foundations. It has been so successful. Every single week the boxes are stuffed full of items. Sometimes people will just walk in the store, buy something and drop it in the box as they walk out the door, which is just amazing. And, you know, because of the recession and foreclosures there are more animals in shelters than ever. So, we were just hearing this need and are trying to help out. Of course, we do the adoptions each week at one of our stores. I think, culturally, as a company it's a really wonderful thing to have each and every employee backing us. Everyone gets excited about the adoptions and they all really try to promote it.

Q: Away from the store, what kind of dogs do you own?

A: Most of our dogs look like the breed they are supposed to be but not entirely because they are all rescued dogs. So I'm going to say, loosely, two Jack Russell Terriers, a Weimaraner and a Whippet. Albert, who is one of our Jack Russells, writes a column for the Middleburg Eccentric. He has done that now for five years. We test all our products on our dogs, too, so by the time we get the products on the shelf, we know whether it is going to work or not.

Q: What are the goals for the future?

A: We would love to expand, but we don't have any plans for expansion right now. Because of the recession, we are extremely grateful at this point to still be growing. I don't want to push it. We quickly saw, looking at this economy, that it was probably better to hold tight. After it's over, we'll reassess.

Q: What do you like to do in Loudoun?

A: All we do is work! It really feels like that. We love Loudoun, specifically, because it is such a historic environment and beautiful scenery. You can travel all over the world to see places like this and it's in our backyard so we're very fortunate for that. But I am only kind of kidding. We really do work seven days a week. It's the most work for the least money you will ever do in the retail business. This kind of retail is a lot of work, very rewarding, but it doesn't leave a lot of time for outside stuff, honestly. We do it because we love it. I wouldn't do it for another minute if I didn't.

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