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'From puppy to adult to goodbyes' Celebrating 21 years in pet supplies
Lyndsay Herman
Northern News Services
Published Tuesday, July 2, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Borealis Kennels and Pet Specialties started as a double wide trailer in Kam Lake, and, 21 years later, is now a successful kennel and pet supply business with two locations in town.
Jo-Ann Cooper, owner of Borealis Kennels and Pet Specialities, holds her very regal Boston Terrier, Aurora. - Lyndsay Herman/NNSL photo
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"I was talking to my groomer the other day and said, 'Do you remember when we used to sit in that trailer and cross stitch, waiting for someone to come in?'” said Jo-Ann Cooper, Borealis' founder and owner.
"Sometimes I can't believe its been 21 years."
The store's longevity is apparent in Cooper's relationships with long-time customers and their pets.
"We have seen a lot of owners and their dogs right from puppy to adult to goodbyes," she said. "It hurts us about as much as the owner because we really are a bunch of softies."
Cooper, an animal technician by trade, spent eight years in a Yellowknife veterinary clinic before deciding to open her pet supply business.
It was through the clinic that Cooper met Kellan Rosie, the groomer who has been with Cooper at Borealis since the beginning.
Rosie was planning to travel south for a grooming certification as Cooper was preparing to start her new venture. When Rosie completed her training, there was a job for her at Borealis Kennels when she returned.
The partnership is part of a business strategy Cooper has stuck to ever since.
“Any time I find something I think will fit into the business, I put it under my banner,” she said. “It benefits them because they get clients coming in the door, and it benefits the customers because they have more services available.”
One of the newest additions to Borealis' services is Nadine McDougall, a reiki master who specializes in dogs and cats.
The purpose of reiki is to help the body heal itself and is designed to work in conjunction with medical care for such ailments as constipation or problematic joints, said McDougall
“It does no harm and won't interfere with medications,” McDougall said. “They love it.”
Land through ballot draw
Cooper acquired the Kam Lake lot through a ballot draw with the city in 1992.
She parked a double-wide trailer on the lot, gutted it, and got to work on opening up shop.
“There were kitchen cabinets with product on top, product inside,” she recalled.
It was in the late-'90s that Cooper saw an opportunity to expand the retail portion of the business when an affordable spot opened up in a mall downtown.
The decision quickly proved to be a benefit to downtown and old town residents, as well as a benefit to the business.
“People downtown or from Old Town have a chance to get stuff from somewhere closer,” said Cooper, adding the downtown location sees many customers out for a walk or on their bikes. “We don't see the same same people at both the downtown and Kam Lake locations. It serves both sides of the city.”
Cooper said she gets asked every now and then if she's had enough of running her own business. While there are days where she'd almost say yes, she asserts she'd miss the people too much so she's not going anywhere, “at least not in the near future.”
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