HISTORY
Way back in 1993, upon graduating college, Ric and fiancée (now wife) Leah drove up the Eastern Seaboard. The two had always shared a love for pets, and as the miles rolled by they began dreaming about their own modern pet supply store. Within a few hours, they had settled on a name: Dolittle’s. By the time they reached New York they had a concept: natural foods, unique toys, and a self-service dog wash. From there the two explored every pet store they could find. Their road trip to Quebec and back was spent collecting ideas, making sketches, designing products, and more. When they arrived home and shared their excitement with friends and family, the sobering response was: “That sounds great, but what will you use for capital?”
Since the two had very little in the way of resources, they realized a store would have to wait. But they could start right away building funds by selling handcrafted items in Charleston City Market. In the winter of 1994 Dolittle’s sold its first item: a hand-painted personalized leash holder for a black lab named Dylan. Among the items offered in the early market days were picture frames, leash holders, homemade dog biscuits, and bird houses. Appropriately, bird houses helped create the nest egg needed for the store.
The two spent the next five years scraping and saving, and looking for a place to set up a shop. By 1999 a series of events made the first store a reality when a small space became available in South Windermere Center. From their humble start at Charleston City Market, this was a dream come true. They had a store stocked with natural foods including Wysong and California Natural along with unique toys from companies like Kitty Hoots and Planet Dog. There was also the self-service dog wash, the first of its kind in Charleston and South Carolina.
Over the next 25 years Dolittle’s opened more stores in nearby communities. Today, Dolittle’s is a collection of locally-owned and operated stores. Ric is still at the helm, while Leah remains a valuable advisor. Of course there is also an entire menagerie of pets that continue to voice their approval of products, foods, and service.
Part of the early concept of Dolittle’s was to create a neighborhood pet store that would operate for 100 years. At first the goal seemed sarcastically optimistic but after the first quarter century, it seems achievable. To get there Dolittle’s promises to continue being creative, explorative, and relentlessly dedicated to your pet!
Founder Ric Sommons
Pets have always been a large part of owner Ric Sommons’ life. Growing up he often thought of himself as something of a Dr. Dolittle. With several pets running around his house and a first job in a local pet store it was no wonder that his future would be in pet supplies.
After graduating in media and marketing, he decided to follow in his parents footsteps (both entrepreneurs) and open his own store. Dolittle’s has been an independent, family-run business from the start. Everyday, Ric and his team strive to do whatever necessary to help improve the relationship between pets and people.
When it comes to choosing products to carry in the store, Ric’s philosophy is simple: would he feel good giving a product to his pet. Ric scours trade shows around the country seeking out the best, highest quality products he can find and then he tests them out on Greta, his unusually small Vizsla, and Hobbes, his unusually large tabby cat.
team
Dolittle's often hires pet professionals like vet techs, vet students, and dog trainers. We know that a thoughtful, educated, pet-loving staff is the best way to provide excellent customer service. Our employees are trained on the ins and outs of our products. Emphasis is given to food so that each employee can offer educated suggestions on dietary options. The staff is not pressured to meet sales goals. Instead, they are encouraged to build relationships. At Dolittle's, we make recommendations based on our experiences and our customers’ experiences. We’re not phone operators, we’re not computer algorithms, we’re not high pressure sales people. Ultimately our crew is made up of local, loving pet owners just like you.
Our Foods
Dolittle’s stores are tiny so we have to narrow our food selection to the very best. To select a food we do our research as well as check on-line reviews, and listen to customer feedback. Our criteria runs from strict (no by-products) to quirky (no celebrity endorsements). Premium ingredients and how it is made are important to us. We look for foods with whole ingredients that are ethically sourced. We want customers to feel safe and secure in the choices they make for their best friend. We know that the foods we sell are independently tested and go to market pathogen-free (which is safer than some human products). If a recall occurs we are quick to spread the word by way of our social media.
After all we feed these foods and we consider you part of our extended family!
Praise
"I buy all of my dog's food here. They have a great selection of good quality products and are competitively priced with the larger, chain pet stores. It's also cool that they have a dog-washing station there, so you can get your dog clean and shop for food and other pet supplies too."
— James via Google
"This place is purrrfect!"
— Jingles, Calico
"I love Dolittles! The BEST pet store and boutique you could ever imagine. Not only do they have amazing dog food/treat choices, the staff is fabulous as well! Julia is awesome and so helpful … I love talking to her when I visit because she's so knowledgeable."
— Meaghan via Google
"This place is like a fur-star restaurant!"
— Buster, Boston Terrier
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