We were lucky to catch up with Kathryn Lacey recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kathryn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
I moved to Charleston 11 years ago and quickly realized that life is better near the coast. I couldn’t get over how dog friendly Charleston is…After living downtown in Charleston for over 7 years, I decided to get a dog. I knew he would be the perfect addition to my life and would enjoy Charleston life just as much as me…Covey is a 4 year old cavalier king charles spaniel. He is my sidekick. Thankfully, Charleston so so dog friendly…I take him mostly everywhere I go around the city.
I always wanted to start my own business and after checking out the current dog product market at the time, I always dreamed of having a small boutique geared towards Charleston dogs…I just pictured walking Covey down King or Broad street with an adorable Charleston themed dog leash – rainbow row to be specific…I wanted to capture the charm that Charleston offers…so spent months working closely with an artist to design the perfect Rainbow Row pattern. The Rainbow Row leash eventually came to life and it has been our most popular product to date. This is a passion project that I have been wanting to do for years. My collection has grown over the past few months, offering different charleston and coastal themes. Also including my love for the cavalier king charles breed so offering a lot of cavalier patterns and products. Covey Collection offers small batch pet products with Cavalier and Charleston/coastal theme…so everyone can enjoy a taste of coastal charm : )
Kathryn, 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?
I worked in upscale boutiques in college and always loved the idea of owning a small shop. Covey Collection is really a passion project that captures my love for dogs and the coastal area of Charleston. I am mostly excited about seeing my exclusive patterns and designs come to life. I especially love seeing the joy my products bring to people and their dogs! I am all about long walks and going ton adventures with my dog, so happy to see others using my products to do the same with their dogs : )
How did you build your audience on social media?
I started an Instagram account for my dog, Covey years ago and it has grown over the past few years. I take at least 50 photos of Covey each day so figured why not share his adventures and personality on Instagram. I am amazed by all of the connections and friendships I have made with both dog owners and businesses over the years though Covey’s Instagram account (@coveythecav) Unfortunately, Instagram has changed over the years with users buying fake followers, etc- I highly recommend never doing this and let your accont grow organically…it’s about the content and relationships with me- not the like count and view count. I have never gotten wrapped up into the analytics and follower count etc…it should come naturally : )
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
My business partner is Covey, my four legged cavalier king charles : ) I could never find a better business partner! He is the most loyal business partner around…we still need to work on his work ethic though : )
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shopcoveycollection.com
- Instagram: coveycollection
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=covey%20collection
Image Credits
Fine thoughts photography for image in the pink car