Spotlight on Small Business: Dogtowne Dry Goods

One-of-a-kind fashions for both people and their furry friends has tails wagging at Dogtowne Dry Goods in the Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock, which sells T-shirts, accessories and more, as well as dog bandanas and toys.

Reed Chandler, business operator, opened Dogtowne in September 2021. Prior to that, he ran a face mask business for the shop’s parent company, Asian American Partners, a global clothing manufacturer that has its U.S. office in Little Rock.

He said the name “Dogtowne” was chosen to represent the city of North Little Rock, which was called Dogtown as a pejorative before locals such as Chandler reclaimed the nickname.

“I’m proudly from North Little Rock, and since we were already physically located in Argenta, the name Dogtowne was a natural fit. I added the “e” on the end to distinguish our company from other local entities,” he said. “Dry goods is a historic term used to describe textiles.”

He added that working at a small business has taught him the power of patience and the virtue of trusting his gut despite difficult times the business has experienced.

“It has been an uphill battle from the start,” he said. “Being a small business is challenging to begin with, but the pandemic and associated economic consequences have made it difficult to sustain consistent sales.”

Since 2022, the shop has seen an uptick in sales and brand recognition, he said, adding that one of his biggest accomplishments has been entering the business into the Third Friday Night Art Walk. He said he is happy to see repeat customers, and he gets a kick out of seeing the shop’s merchandise on a person or pet at events.

“There is an immense sense of pride in running a small business because you get to interact with customers on a more direct level,” he said. “People will stay in the store and talk for 30 minutes about their dogs. You’re not going to get that at a big box store.”

He and the shop’s two part-time employees start each day by fulfilling online orders from the store’s website, dogtownedrygoods.com, and its Etsy shop. The workers also attend pop-up events a couple of weekends a month.

“These events have been crucial to our success,” Chandler said. “There is a lot of work that goes into these outings — inventory preparation, booth setup and takedown, and keeping up with the demands of multiple customers shopping at one time.”

Chandler said he spends much of his day collaborating with the marketing team of Hummingbird Media, which he said has been integral to growing the brand. He also spends time developing new product lines, including a recent line of pastel T-shirts and some unique sweatsuits that will be released in mid-October. Most of the designs are limited edition, he said. Once something sells out, a new design takes its place, which helps customers keep their wardrobes unique and fresh, he added.

“Hailing from North Little Rock, we certainly cater to our community, where we really thrive at local events and festivals on both sides of the river. We are very proud to be a locally owned and operated company,” he said. “On a regional and national scale, we appeal more broadly to dog lovers in general. In other words, you don’t have to be from Dogtown to be a part of Dogtowne.”

Chandler said the shop donates to community causes such as Paws on the Runway and participates in the Central Arkansas Library System’s Bookworm Bargains program, through which library card holders can currently receive 10 percent off all purchases at the shop.

He added that he is proud to be a reasonably priced local clothing store, where nothing costs more than $40, and he said he hopes to capitalize on the shop’s local growth in hopes of building a regional and national brand.

“We’re really looking forward to this holiday season,” he added.