We recently connected with Karen Patrohay and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Karen, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Our 24 year old son, Michael, is the heart and soul of Michael’s Barkery. At Michael’s high school in New Hope, Pennsylvania, Michael was known as ‘the mayor” because he was always engaging people with his friendly and uplifting personality. Michael liked to tell everyone he met about his beloved dog, Sunshine. So during his senior project, he needed to explore career aspirations. Everyone quickly knew that the answer was to combine his love of baking and his love for Sunshine, and to bake and sell dog treats. His treats became a big success and inspired us to create Michael’s Barkery where we could provide job training and employment opportunities for those with cognitive disabilities. We believe everyone has their own strengths and abilities and we wanted to create a place where those talents could be supported and shared.
Karen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Michael’s Barkery is truly the place for all your pet care needs and dreams. We love to spoil everyone’s pets! Our bakery case and shelves are filled with specialty treats that are made with wholesome ingredients that you can feel good about giving to your fur babies. Along with our bagged and everyday treats we also offer custom treats and personalized barkday cakes as well as custom wholesale options.
In our Boutique you will find everything you need to make every day a special day for your pets. We carry everything from top of the line pet supplies to unique pet themed gifts. We have a friendly, informative and caring staff that loves animals and can’t wait to create a special bond with them.
In our award winning Spa, you will find 5 highly experienced and caring groomers who are always ready to pamper your pet and help them look and feel their best.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Providing caring and reliable customer service and quality products is a must! We cherish the wonderful relationships that we have built with each customer and pet. That personal dedication and trust can’t help but spread.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
We opened Michael’s Barkery in November 2019, just before Covid 19. Even though that was a very difficult time to start and grow a new business, grow we did. My husband and I use to joke that when you start from nothing anything is up. I still love today when new as well as old customers come in and tell me how much they love our store and love what we do. Building those loyal relationships one customer at a time and continuing to provide excellent service and quality products is key to remaining resilient.
Contact Info:
- Website: michaelsbarkery.com
- Instagram: @michaelsbarkery
- Facebook: @michaelsbarkery
- Youtube: michaelsbarkery.com
Image Credits
Maggie Browder, Luke Bush, and Michael Patrohay