Grand Rapids, always looking for new developments and businesses to make the city grander, has recently acquired Fido & Stitch, a dog boutique located in Suite 140 on Monroe Avenue. Fido & Stitch, founded by Grand Rapids area natives Alli McDonough and her husband Joe, drew inspiration from boutique-style dog stores they saw while living in Chicago. Upon realizing the lack of dog boutiques in Grand Rapids, they decided to merge their loves of dogs and entrepreneurship, and thus Fido & Stitch was born. Not only does this give Grand Rapids citizens an upscale retail experience for a unique purpose, but it also adds to the overall retail experience downtown. The 1500 square foot space had its grand opening on Dec. 29, 2015. Fido & Stitch is part of the 616 Development on Monroe Avenue, which will introduce several new businesses within the next few months.
Fido & Stitch prides itself with its luxury items that will fit the lifestyle of any dog. This includes items such as high-quality food brands, leashes, bedding and natural cleaning products. Products such as these encourage customers to treat their dogs as well as they would treat themselves.
To help Fido & Stitch stand out from other dog stores, this small business is equipped with retail store stocked products, most of which are from United States and even Michigan-based companies, to keep dogs happy, healthy and loved. The store also includes a grooming station with a professional dog groomer and a self-serve dog wash. Their dog salon provides several types of haircuts and trims for dogs of all breeds and sizes, including a puppy introduction to grooming, which is a one-time service for puppies up to 4 months old that introduces puppies — and their owners — to the grooming process. Aside from dog salon appointments, Fido & Stitch also has a number of grooming options for walk-ins.
For those that want to give their dog a bath but don’t want their small city living space to be stinky and wet from washing in their own bathtub, Fido & Stitch provides a self-serve dog wash by appointment. This self-serve wash is equipped with shampoo, a towel, a brush, a special rotating product and an apron to assist with dog washing.
In the future, the McDonoughs hope to provide even more services to their business, such as dog walking and doggy daycare, as well as teaming up with places like the Humane Society and GR Dog’s Adventures that will allow them to provide pet adoption and puppy classes. For now though, their goal remains on focusing on getting the business on its paws.
