116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
My Biz: ‘A holistic co-op for dogs’
Katie Mills Giorgio
Apr. 20, 2016 4:32 pm
Customers shouldn't be surprised if they walk into Leash on Life and find the Chief Greeter drooling near the register.
That's just Cooper, one of three basset hounds owned by Leash on Life owners Julie Phye and Laurie Smith. Cooper - along with Harley and Dexter, Phye and Smith's other two dogs - seems right at home in the local pet supply store.
The store is like a second home for Phye and Smith, who opened the first Leash on Life 10 years ago this April in Iowa City. The two had previously worked for different departments at the University of Iowa.
'We know how much animals are a part of the family and make people happy,” Phye said, noting that she always has loved animals. 'They provide companionship, especially for older people. And we wanted to be part of helping people make the most of their pet relationships.
'We also want to help make pets healthy through nutrition,” she added. The store offers many healthy food options and healthy, hard-to-find treats.
'We are kind of like a holistic co-op for dogs,” Phye said. 'And all our food is guaranteed, so if your pet doesn't like it you can bring it back.”
Leash on Life also carries a variety of collars, leashes and durable toys for dogs.
'We truly research every item we have in the store so we know we have quality products,” Phye said. 'We spend a lot of time sifting through everything that's out there. And we work hard to train our staff and have them use our products.”
Leash on Life carries a few products for cats and other small mammals, such as rabbits.
Phye said a couple of things helped the store gain attention when it opened.
'There was a pet food recall in about 2007 and that really put more into the public eye that nutrition is really important for our pets,” she said.
She also noted that a dog hoarding discovery in Solon - of some 70 terriers - overwhelmed shelters.
'There was a real outpouring from the community,” Phye said. 'We had people coming in to the store and buying a bag of food and saying just taking it to the shelter. We didn't even put out a call really but people realized that these were our values. That's the kind of business we wanted to run.”
Phye said she and Smith remain big advocates of rescuing animals (their own dogs are rescue dogs). They often hold adoption events at the store and support local shelters and rescue organizations.
'When you own a business, you have the ability to be a positive voice in the community,” she said.
Last May, Leash on Life opened its North Liberty location, which offers many of the same products the Iowa City store carries.
Phye said they are excited to be celebrating their first anniversary in North Liberty and their tenth anniversary in Iowa City with a big party June 11 in both stores.
The all-female staff, which Phye said is 'not by design”, expanded to five full-time and two part-time employees to accommodate the new location. Phye said she and her co-workers spend a lot of time talking with customers and answering questions.
'We get to know our customers, their names and their pets. A person's day should be better when they leave than when they came in,” she said. 'When we say we are community members, we are community members. Our helping people doesn't stop at the register. And what makes our day rewarding is not the sale.”
No day is the same at Leash on Life, Phye said.
'You can find an owner at one store or the other when you stop in to shop,” she said. 'This is a really physical job. Those 30 pound bags of dog food don't lift themselves. We are stocking the store, ordering for next week, working with customers, keeping in touch with vendors, sweeping floors, and trying to put something on social media. You never know what a day brings. And we all learn from our dogs to live in the moment.”
' Know a company in business for more than a year that would make an ideal My Biz? Contact Francie Williamson at francie.williamson@thegazette.com
AT A GLANCE
' Names: Julie Phye and Laurie Smith
' Title: Co-owners
' Company: Leash on Life
' Address: 432 Highway 1 West, Iowa City and 650 Pacha Parkway, North Liberty
' Phone: (319) 354-4334 and (319) 665-2186
' Website: http://www.leashonlife.net/