How, when and why did you start your business?

Katzenbarkers was started 19 years ago by my mom Lois. She always wanted to have a business and dogs have always been such an important part of our lives. She found that she was driving an hour away to buy dog food, because she was looking for better ingredients, and the higher quality foods were more available in places like Madison and Minneapolis. She thought maybe there were other people in the Wausau area also looking for higher quality products, so she decided to open the shop. I love that she found a niche and a gap in the market and took advantage of it.

What makes your business unique?

Well, like I mentioned, we sell products that we want to use for our pets at home. We look for those high quality ingredients and standards that the company is known for. And we take time to listen to our customers and get to know the customers and their pets. When we know what their unique needs are, we can really tailor our suggestions for each individual, customer and pet.

What product or service is most popular?

Well, in addition to those consultations with our staff and the high quality foods, we have a few items that are consistently popular. Bully Sticks - can't keep those on the shelf. Many people come into our store on their pets’ birthdays, so we have birthday cakes, birthday cookies, and  birthday toys. For those dogs who have special dietary needs, we have different options of kibbles, along with limited-ingredient foods for animals with allergies.

Why did you choose to locate your business in the Wausau River District?

We like the Wausau River District because it's centrally located. It's easy to get to from all directions. It’s where the demand is for small businesses. But most of all, there's really a community of support for small businesses in downtown Wausau. We see a lot of other businesses that have been around for many years through two or three generations and we see that the community loves to support those businesses.

What motivates you?

We're motivated by our customers. We we get to know the customers and their pets, and they depend on us having the food and products they need. We're motivated by our own dogs and cats! And being a family business is also very motivating, because we've transitioned from one generation to the next and I'm hopeful that the store will be around long enough for my kids to take part.

How do you measure or define success as a business owner?

Feedback from our customers in the community - positive reviews, hearing how we’ve helped someone or that our suggestions made a difference.

How do you generate new ideas?

We try to pay attention to our customers’ suggestions and needs, as well as the larger trends within the pet food industry. We watch what’s happening in bigger cities, because those things tend to make their way to North Central Wisconsin.

Talk about your staff.

Our staff really strives to make connections with our customers. We have people who come in weekly or monthly, so employees must be willing to build connections and a sense of community. Everyone who works for us must love dogs and cats! We all have a passion for what we do. We want to learn about the best solutions and we strive to be knowledgeable, good listeners, and attentive. We’ve got a fantastic staff right now.

What excites you most about the future of the Wausau River District?

The mix of businesses. We see new businesses coming in with the redevelopment of where the mall used to be. There's such an opportunity to see nonprofits and mixed use. So just seeing how Wausau has kept the downtown vibrant and relevant for so many decades is very impressive.