The beginnings
The Concept
Wildwood Pets, although had many names to start with from Creature HQ to Positive Pets, had one goal - be different. After many years of working in and shopping in pet stores up and down the country they tend to blurr into one of two categories: Big and heavy with cheap products and bulk buys or they are small and quaint with high quality products but cramped and lacking range. So could you build an independent pet store that is spacious, filled with quality products and even have a bit of character? Well, we are trying to.
The Directors
Thomas & Laura
Like any good story this is love story, between one woman and her dog... the husband is around somewhere too. Thomas & Laura met whilst he was studying Zoology and her Animal Science at Newcastle University. Thomas went onto work with wildlife charities, do educational presentations at a zoo, teach Animal Management at a college and work with many pet shops. Laura worked in vet practises, volunteered at dog charity training centres and is a qualified Clinical Canine Massage Therapist.
More important than all that is they are pet owners. With more animals sharing their home than they care to admit, and almost all sadly not their first home. Simply put they are passionate pet people. They are also very particular what they give to their own pets, and therefore very selective with the ranges they hold in store. Only products they would be happy to give to their own animals goes onto the shelves.
The Pack
The Team
Thomas and Laura took on the challenge of hiring staff for their new venture, which was no easy mission. It wasn't a search for the fullest CV or the most qualified, it was a search for those who shared the passion for pet care and the excitement for their dream.
So after several weeks of interviews, we welcomed Iona, Charlotte, Francesca and Amy to the team. Find out more about the friendly faces of Wildwood here.
The Future Directors
Family-Run
Another two faces you will often find "helping" around the store are Hazel & Willow, the future directors of the company (if they choose). When asked about the name of the company and its origins we can point in their direction. All we can say is parenthood is a wild ride!
We wanted out shop to be family-friendly and we hope that with the child-size trolleys, spacious shop floor and small range of kid's products, that comes across. Providing the correct animal care is important to us and with children being the next generation, we want them to be involved too.
The Place
#ShopStamford
When the owners starting looking at commercial units all around the local area there is one town that was the obvious choice. Stamford was the town for Wildwood. Unfortunately the right place took a little while to come up, somewhere that spacious, easy to get to with plenty of free parking. The unit at Ryhall Road Industrial Estate ticked all the boxes, good things do indeed come to those who wait. Before the lease was officially signed the word broke of a big name pet chain interested in a unit on the next retail park. It caused some re-thinking if this move was right, but ultimately if we are going to go up against a supermarket pet shop Stamford is the place to do it. We are very proud to be part of Stamford's rich range of independent shops and we plan to be here for the long-run! #ShopStamford