When it comes to independent retailers and creatives in Leicester there’s a wealth of talent. If you regularly venture up to Queens Road you might have spotted the wonderful All About Daisy, just off on Montague Road. They specialise in upcycling everyday products into beautiful items for your home, and now they’ve opened an offshoot for our canine pals – All About Dogs.
All About Dogs stocks the very best treats and products for our furry friends and provides a welcome independent outlet in Leicester to make sure your pooch is getting some wholesome treats. We caught up with All About Dogs and All About Daisy’s owner, Michelle Harvey, to find out more about the shop’s new offshoot.
“I opened All About Dogs as we had very little for dog owners in the area. As a dog owner myself to Bonnie and Madge, my 2 Jack Russells, I used to occasionally run out of food and on going out I would like to buy them a decent treat, which was difficult to find locally.”
“As a business owner and carer for my Mother time is precious and I like to shop locally. I had the space in All About Daisy and needed to increase revenue. So I did months of research as I wanted to open a dog shop with the same principles as All About Daisy – “Handmade, British, ethically sourced and a high quality product”. I started off with a range of Pooch’s treats handmade in Norfolk using natural ingredients and locally sourced meat from Sandringham (if it’s good enough for the Queen it’s good enough for our dogs) and eco friendly packaging.”
So have people been swayed by the higher end of the dog food and treat market? “Absolutely, the most popular has been the Roasted Pork scratchings, Venison Sticks and Cheese Bones, these were so successful that I went on to source a range of British made dog foods of high qualitly and highly rated. We have Kibble from Lovejoys and Beco, canned food by Denes and cold pressed by Lovejoys.”
It’s not just food and treats that All About Dogs specialise in though. “We also stock handmade harnesses and collars. They’re all 100% cotton with dog leads handmade in Kibworth from off cuts from the blanket industry, as well as dog beds and toys, and, of course bio-degradable poo bags.”
With Clarendon Park being so dog friendly, Michelle says it’s been an ideal opportunity to expand the shop. “It has been a huge success with the local community supporting us. We have had lots of our regular All About Daisy customers coming by to visit us with their dogs and lots of new customers finding us through recommendations and dog chats in the park.”
So is Queens Road still a favourite place in the city, especially for running an independent business? “I feel extremely lucky to still be here in Clarendon Park with lots of independents struggling and closing their doors locally and in the city. I think we are a great community up here, people really do want you on their doorstep and will go that extra mile to support to keep you open. I do get that little excited feeling that one day I’ll become as established as Bar Dos Hermanos or Jones’, Green & Pleasant, Christopher James Deli and Labels to mention just a few! We’ve also welcomed some amazing new local businesses that are becoming go to places in the area. Just look at Grounded Kitchen, Prettiez, The Bloom Project, Halcyon Kitchen, The Queens Road Tap and Coffee Ethic.”
Finally, of course, we asked Michelle what her favourite products are in All About Dogs? “My favourite products in All About Dogs would have to be the Pooch’s treat range, Denes wet dog food as its such great quality and my fussy girls love it (as do many of our dogs) and the handmade dog leads, which are great quality and made locally.”
If you’re a dog owner we couldn’t recommend a visit to All About Dogs highly enough. They’re located at 48 Montague Road, Leicester.