About I Woof You + Coffee Bar (k)
Mission Statement: To offer customers a unique twist to a traditional dog store and coffee shop experience by combining both things into a specialty one-stop boutique that sells one-of-a-kind dog merchandise and specialty coffee drinks in a hospitable atmosphere with a touch of Southern charm for all dog owners and their loving fur babies.
I Woof You + Coffee Bar(k) began by two childhood best friends (Haley Sharpley and Alli Cook) who both grew up in a small Indiana town and shared a passion for dogs. These girls never imagined that their strong passion for dogs would turn them into successful business owners of a specialty retail chain in the South. However, gaining a deeper understanding of their friendship is critical before explaining the business in further detail because it would not be where it is today without that solid foundation.
Haley and Alli were destined to be best friends from birth because their moms were best friends in high school. The girls were even born on the same day in the same hospital. Ultimately, their moms could not have been more ecstatic to raise their daughters together. Alli’s family and Haley’s family even moved into houses that were directly next to each other once they were a few months old. It is easy to say that the friendship from birth officially began once the families moved in. As the girls grew up, they became inseparable and were easily classified as best friends.
Both families adopted a puppy, which were each from the same litter when the girls were five years old. Alli and Haley loved the two puppies with all their hearts. The girls played together with their puppies every day in one of their backyards. Not only were the girls best friends, but so were their puppies. It was very rare to see Alli and Haley without their loving fur babies.
The girls were best friends all throughout elementary school, middle school, and high school. The two girls supported each other no matter what. Alli developed a passion for volleyball when she was eight years old, and Haley never missed a game. It is safe to say that Haley was one of Alli’s biggest supporters. Once college came around, the girls knew they would have to separate for Alli to play at the collegiate level. Although they were sad, they made a plan to call each other weekly and still be best friends.
Alli went to the Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, to pursue her collegiate volleyball career while studying Business Administration. She fell in love with the city of Atlanta while she attended college. On the other hand, Haley stayed near home and attended Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis to pursue degrees in Human Resource Management and Marketing through the Kelley School of Business. She also fell in love with the downtown atmosphere, which was similar to Alli. After being in different states for four years, the girls made the executive decision to move in together. They found the perfect two-bedroom apartment located in downtown Atlanta. This apartment was the birthplace of a business dream that would change their lives forever.
Haley and Alli dreamt of having their own unique business that specialized in innovative dog merchandise to represent their deeply rooted passion for dogs. Thus, the girls developed the idea of a specialty dog boutique that also included a coffee bar inside. The thought process behind the addition of a coffee bar was to differentiate the boutique from local competitors. However, this coffee bar is different from traditional coffee shops because it offers dog-friendly drinks and pastries. This makes I Woof You + Coffee Bar(k) a one-stop boutique for all dog and coffee lovers. It offers a truly one-of-a-kind shopping experience.
The dream of Alli and Haley finally came true after a year of planning and their dog boutique opened in the heart of downtown Atlanta in 2012. As time went on, the boutique gained the popular attention of local Atlanta residents. This is when they realized it was a wise business decision to expand operations and turn the boutique into a specialty retail chain in the Southern region of the United States. Thus, they opened a second location in downtown Atlanta in 2015. Two years later, the girls opened up their third downtown location. In 2019, they decided to expand their business into the suburbs of Atlanta by opening a fourth location in Sandy Springs, Georgia. The second suburb location but fifth location overall opened in 2021 in Roswell, Georgia.
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