Kimberly Zoob said finding fashionable collars and accessories for their “gentle giants” was a challenge for her family as the industry is geared toward dogs of small to average sizes.
It lead them to create their own products and the launch of an online business in March last year. Zoob will now open a retail location for Real Big Puppy at 28B S. Sandusky St. in Delaware by June 1.
“We really wanted to be in downtown Delaware,” she said.
Since November 2014, the native New Yorkers had rescued two Great Danes named after Anthony Mason and Charles Oakley from their favorites basketball team, the New York Knicks. Zoob also started created collars for smaller dogs after rescuing Sophie, an English bulldog.
The estimated 1,300-square-foot location will be divided with a retail portion in the front and a self-service dog wash in the back. The retail portion will have collars, toys, food and eco-friendly beds for dogs up to 200 pounds.
The wash room will have two tubs delivered from the West Coast, Zoob said, and will provide convenience for owners, whose dogs are too large for their bathtubs. The boutique will provide towels and handle the cleanup, Zoob said.
“We love our giant breeds here,” she said.
The family relocated to central Ohio about four years ago after Zoob’s husband, Bill Gropper, got a job with Limited Brands in Columbus. Zoob, a corporate attorney by trade, spent more time with their now 11-year-old daughter, Abigail Gropper.
“We just love this town,” Zoob said.
About 95 percent of first-floor venues in downtown are occupied, according to city officials.
