Market Spotlight: San Diego

The greater San Diego metro area is a hub of activity for pet focused businesses. Whether it’s pet specialty retailers, groomers or rescue organizations, entrepreneurs are committed to the safety and well-being of animals.

At a Glance

The pet market in the greater San Diego market is a compilation of 62 companies operating 123 pet specialty brick-and-mortar locations. Within San Diego, there are 48 pet stores, with each store serving more than 11,000 households with a median income of more than $100,000.

Petco, PetSmart and Kahoots Feed & Pet Stores represent 37 percent of the market with a combined total of 46 stores. Single-store and multi-unit retailers represent 33 and 29 percent of the market, respectively.

Notable retailers in the market proving that it makes business sense to expand at a steady and mindful clip are Dirty Dogs which operates five stores; EarthWise Pet and IB Pet each have three stores and Barkhouse, Decker’s Dog & Cat and Pet Power Studio/Pupologie each operate two store fronts.

The second largest market, Chula Vista, is home to eight stores, with each store serving more than 10,900 households with a median income of more than $101,000. In Escondido, there are seven stores serving more than 7,200 households per store with a median household income of more than $87,000.

Changing Course to Pet

Loren Ellis, Founder and President of GlamourMutt, a pet specialty and online retailer based out of San Diego, spent about a decade working on the technical side for several e-commerce companies before entering the pet industry.

“I also adopted a little Yorkshire Terrier who became my constant companion at work and home,” Ellis said. “One day, I decided to put those two passions together and launched Glamour Mutt.”

For Lisa Vella, Co-Owner of South Bark Dog Wash, a grooming, pet specialty and training facility headquartered in San Diego, she and her business partner, Donna Walker spent time rescuing German Shepherds.

“We thought it would be fun to one day have a dog and cat business, and then we discovered the location and went for it,” Vella said.

Gabriel Feitosa, Owner of Gabriel Feitosa Grooming Salon, a grooming and pet specialty operation in San Diego, started grooming when he was 12 years old in a small town in the outskirts of São Paulo Brazil.

“Throughout my career, I pursued working with show dogs and eventually that brought me to the US – I came here to learn from a show handler that I admired,” he explained. “Eventually I moved to San Diego and purchased the grooming section of an existing pet store. I called it Gabriel Feitosa Grooming Salon because it was just me working in the back room. I had no idea how much we would grow in six years.”

“I’m a cat mom,” said Lynn Mulhern, owner of Community Cat Foundation, a nonprofit rescue organization supporting the health and welfare of feral and stray cats in San Diego. “Years ago I attended a professional meeting at a vendor warehouse. I learned about 10 feral cats who constantly had kittens. Many perished because they had no resources for feeding or care. I began humane capture to bring unfriendly cats for vet care and found homes for the kittens born. That is only one small location where this happens every day. The amount of work required takes a village so I and a group of dedicated cat lovers established a 501c3 rescue to address the problem. As I connected with people I discovered that nothing is ever enough since every day presents a new set of challenges. We are always uncertain as to whether we can be successful or not so always need supporters and donors.” 

“For as long as I can remember I have had a connection to animals and have been drawn to them,” said Amanda Bytof, Owner of Diego Dogs, a grooming and self-wash destination. “Throughout the years my family and myself have owned several pets from dogs, cats, chickens, to guinea pigs, chinchillas and iguanas. Each one has had their individual personality, basic needs, training requirements and quirks. I have found it so fascinating to learn how to properly care for and provide for each animal that has crossed my path. When I was in grade school, I never really was super interested in my school work. Then my next-door neighbor founded an animal rescue in the St. Louis after that I was hooked. I spent as much free time as I could volunteering with the rescue group. I wanted to learn, observe and be a part of everything I could.”

Bytof’s love for pets carried on into college when she took a job as a part time kennel attendant in a vet office. While working at the vet office, Bytof studied to become a vet tech.

“Moving from animal rescue into the medical side of animal care allowed me to learn the importance of good nutrition, grooming, exercise and preventive care of all species including large mammal,” she explained. “Since college I continued my education into the shelter community and worked for a non-kill shelter in the Inland Empire. It was there I realized my passion was to create a place where pet parents could go for all their needs. A one stop location that provides education on maintaining a pet’s needs. I have partnered with several other animal care business to ensure that our clients receive the best vet care, nutritional and grooming needs for their individual lifestyles.”

Offering Solutions

When Ellis, of GlamourMutt, tried to buy clothes and accessories for her Yorkie, she noticed that the high end of dog fashion was missing an online component.

“I thought I could source unique dog accessories from around the world – like Peruvian alpaca wool sweaters – and I knew I could run the technical side of the business,” she said. “The name says it all! All dogs should be glamorous, so I go to great lengths to make sure dogs of all breeds and sizes can be accommodated.”

When South Bark Dog Wash first opened, it operated as a self-service pet wash.

“We noticed that our customers never washed their face, so we started to do so and eventually developed South Bark’s Blueberry Facial,” Vella said. “Donna and I started the spa movement in the dog and cat industry. The line now includes the facial, a shampoo, conditioner, colognes and a scrub. We were chatting with our friend Liz and she came up with the name South Bark Dog Wash because we are in South Park.”

Opening a grooming salon was the next logical step for Feitosa “because I’ve been a dog groomer for most of my lifetime,” he said. “I worked in a lot of places and I always had this dream of someday having a salon and how I would operate. My shop elevates the concept of a pet boutique, borrowing elements from other industries; we have a signature fragrance, signature playlist and from the boutique to the grooming spaces we are surrounded by dog inspired fine art.”

Feitosa wanted to elevate the experience of dropping pets off at the groomer from a chore or a thankless errand to a special trip for the pet and pet parent.

“I wanted to change the customer experience when they come to drop off a dog,” he continued. “I didn’t want my customers to be screaming what they needed for their pets over loud dryers and dogs barking. We have front desk staff that have enough grooming experience to collect all the details from the client and communicate to the groomers. We have a designated person to tend to my human clients and designated artists to care for my pup clientele. We invest in the best equipment and products available worldwide for pets. And on my inside customer service, I want the groomers to feel like they work in an inspiring environment, climatized, quiet and to not be disturbed while they focus on their craft. In this industry it is common for the dog groomer to answer the phone, clean up everything, make their own schedule etc. But imagine having to be interrupted while doing an art project over and over?”

When it came to addressing San Diego’s stray and feral cats population, Mulhern said a lot was and still is missing. “Boots on the ground, knowledge and compassion are in short supply,” she said. “The tragedy of rescue isn’t well known. Cats suffer every day since people dump them outside and feral cats are overlooked in neighborhoods throughout San Diego. People don’t know what’s happening in their neighborhood since these cats often come out at night or they don’t know how to assist. We reach out to the public to find funding, dedicated people and space to save lives every day.”

“The name, Community Cat Foundation, comes from the animals that we serve: community cats both friendly and feral,” she added. “I’m hoping to expand into larger space, provide more care and rescue and help those in the communities that are working to save the lives of cats.”

“When I founded Diego Dogs grooming, I felt like as a pet parent I wanted to find a place where I could go for all our needs as pet parent and pet,” Bytof explained. “A one stop shop situation for everything pets. I wanted to find people who loved animals and ultimately could provide the necessary education and knowledge to care for my pets’ needs. I wanted a partnership of professionals who have similar goals for pet care. I am a firm believer that no two pets are the same just like people, and that individual care programs need to be established so that every pet and pet parents’ needs are met. We work exclusively with Noah’s Pets in Pacific Beach and West Coast Animal Hospital to provide the best care programs to fit our client’s needs. Without our partnership with these amazing companies, it would be difficult to manage some of the health and nutritional concerns are clients have. We are very thankful for them.”

“The name of my company was less creative and more strategic,” she added. “I was a new company competing with several established business. I was trying to get exposure and my name out in my community naturally without spending a big budget on marketing. I thought about what key words would someone need to put in to Google to find a dog groomer in San Diego. I really wanted to call my salon ‘Hair of the Dog,’ but that name was already taken.”

The Highs and Lows

For GlamourMutt’s Ellis, one of the highlights of running a pet business is the opportunity to meet and provide personal styling and shopping experiences to customers.

“We cater to a bunch of celebrities, and it’s been interesting to find out about them as dog lovers,” she said. “The challenges, particularly during Covid, is that we source from around the world and trying to get beaded dog collars from Africa, for example, was a challenge during the pandemic. Today that’s all settled down, but a big challenge is that shipping costs are so much higher now than they used to be.”

South Bark Dog Wash operates as a dog wash and retail destination for dogs and cats, allowing for Vella and her business partner to teach and assist pet owners on several fronts of pet ownership.
“We love helping our customers learn about nutrition as well as grooming so that their pets can have a long life with them,” she said. “Throughout the last 24 years, we have helped so many pets. We also are a resource for dealing with the end of life for their pet. We build relationships with humans and pets. And I am proud to say that South Bark is here for both. During these years, I have given hundreds of hugs over losing a cat or dog. My store is relatively small compared to others. I wish I could carry even more manufacturers of pet goods. I carry a lot but there is always more.”

Owning and operating a business allows for Feitosa to mentor his staff and watch them harness their craft. Picking pets up from the groomer is a positive experience and seeing pet parents’ reactions is fulfilling and rewarding.

“I love to make people happy, I love to train my team and see them all flourish into amazing artists and by doing so, I make the clients so happy every time they see their pups coming out with a great haircut,” he said. “The challenge of having a pet related business is it is hard to predict the condition the pup is going to come in and manage expectations with the customers, everything must be explained to the detail to make sure we exceed the clients expectations. The groomers’ emotional state also influences the quality of work so developing a team with good chemistry and a supportive work environment is also essential.”

“Saving lives is rewarding,” Mulhern said. “Seeing relief on the faces of businesses and homeowners when we resolve problems with cats in their location is satisfying. The opportunity is to make a difference, to get our arms around the problem and gain a foothold on permanent solutions for cats. The challenges remain; we are an extension of local shelters but don’t receive financial support. People don’t realize that the daily struggle is real as we field calls about newborn kittens, people with cats losing their homes and so much more. We scrape funds together to house, provide medical care and find permanent homes. We do trap neuter release to prevent unwanted births. We’re hopeful that every day things fall into place and that fosters and volunteers will step up to help. Donors and sponsors are much needed.”

Thriving in San Diego

San Diego is a great place to run GlamourMutt business due to the temperate climate and proximity to the ports.

“It’s easy to warehouse and ship products across the globe from San Diego as we never have weather related shipping issues,” Ellis said. “Plus, our little rescue dogs really prefer the temperate climate. They often hang out in the office with me and help run the business.”

“Our weather is amazing,” Vella agreed. “It allows people to be out and about with their dog. We have dog parks and dog beaches. Dogs get dirty and then they need a bath. Southern California has great rescue organizations like The Animal Pad and Frosted Faces Foundation. It is wonderful to build relationships with these organizations and help the rescued dogs. My staff is knowledgeable and helpful. They care about our customers. Customers love the vibe of South Bark. They tell me how great my staff is and what a wonderful feeling/vibe South Bark has.”

Staying disciplined with his skills and dedicated to changing pet owners’ negative perception of grooming salons, along with a robust social media presence have come together to help Gabriel Feitosa Grooming Salon thrive.

“My social media reach of almost 5 million followers has definitely helped the reach with new customers,” he said. “But initially what set myself apart was the commitment to go above and beyond for every pet, bringing techniques from show dogs and modifying them to bring the best out of everyone’s pets. People were also surprised to come into a clean environment that didn’t smell like dog urine and wasn’t full of hair on the floor. So I embraced that aspect and used the same eye for detail that I apply on the haircuts on my walls and the customer experience.”

“Having the use of a place to meet prospective adopters, store equipment and warehouse food is essential,” and has allowed for Community Cat Foundation to thrive in the greater San Diego area, said Mulhern.