0221: BarkYours with Corey Abramowitz

Corey Abramowitz gives us a tour of BarkYours, an online marketplace where dog lovers can buy and sell. You’ll find great items for people and dogs alike while supporting independent artists and makers. Visit the Rosie Fund store on BarkYours for some of our note cards and apparel.

From the Dog Words archives:
0202: Science Writer Emily Anthes
0219: American Ninja Warrior Roo Yori
0137: Pet Nation with Author Mark Cushing
0150: Dog Art for Charity with Ashley Schanz

Watch friend of Dog Words Roo Yori compete on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior coming up June 28. There’s still time to support Wallace the Pit Bull Foundation’s capital campaign to purchase property by pledging to Roo’s Ninja for Dogs fundraiser at RooYori.com.

Celebrate 5 years of Rosie Fund by supporting our campaign to sponsor 50 dogs. You can donate on our website or Facebook page. You can also contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website or buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com.

Music for this episode is provided by alternative string duo, The Wires. Visit them at TheWires.info. Learn fiddle and cello-fiddle online — even if you've never played before — from Laurel Morgan Parks and Sascha Groshang at FiddleLife.com.

The transcript for this episode is available on the Dog Words Buzzsprout page: Buzzsprout.com/840565.

Make a donation at RosieFund.org or through our Facebook page. You can contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website or buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com. Also check out our page on BarkYours, the online mall with gifts for people who love their dogs.

Rosie Fund online:
RosieFund.org
Facebook.com/rosiefund
Instagram.com/rosiefund
YouTube.com/rosiefund

Transcript

COREY  0:01 
It's sensational. I mean, it's exactly like an expo would be as you walk in and you meet people who love to create, love their dog. That was the whole point.

PHIL   0:11 
I'm Phil Hatterman and this is Dog Words presented by Rosie Fund.

Today, Corey Abramowitz takes us to the mall. BarkYours is an online marketplace where dog lovers can buy and sell. This interview isn't about driving shoppers to the website. And it's not just about you becoming a maker and putting your product online. Although this would be a great place to do just that. It's about being inspired by Corey's enthusiasm for chasing this dream. And realizing that with the right dream, maybe you'd be just as excited. It doesn't have to be online, doesn't have to be about dogs, and doesn't even have to make money. Just has to be a passion. Could be a hobby or a side hustle or it could turn into your career.

In the interview we talk about putting some Rosie Fund merchandise on BarkYours. We've already set up our page. There will be a link in the episode description or you can just search for Rosie r-o-s-i-e on BarkYours and you'll find our apparel and note cards. Our proceeds from merch sold on BarkYours supports Rosie Fund. Your other purchases and BarkYours. support independent artists and makers. Browse BarkYours for the perfect gift for friends both furry and not so furry. Or buy a little something for yourself. You deserve it.

If you're new to Dog Words, in each episode we explore the world of dog care and companionship. "We save each other," is the motto of Rosie Fund, which simply means the more we do for dogs, the more they do for us. And they already do a lot. If you love dogs, you will love Dog Words. We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions. Go to the podcast page at Rosie fund.org to share your thoughts. We welcome suggestions for topics and guests. Please download, follow, rate, and, most importantly, share Dog Words.

Celebrate five years of Rosie Fund by supporting our campaign to sponsor 50 dogs. You can donate on our website or Facebook page. You can also contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website or buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com. Again, our proceeds from merch sold on BarkYours supports Rosie Fund. The links are in the description. Your donations help fund the Rosie Life Starter Kits that make sure the senior and harder-to-adopt dogs have some of the items they'll need in their forever home. Please follow Rosie Fund on social media. Subscribe to the free Rosie Fund YouTube channel that offers great videos of Rosie, Peaches, and shelter dogs, including some exclusive content like the sweet KC Pet Project dog featured in our latest post.

Remember to watch friend of Dog Words Roo Yori compete on NBC's American Ninja Warrior coming up June 28. There's still time to support Wallace the Pit Bull Foundation's capital campaign to purchase property by pledging to Roo's Ninja for Dogs fundraiser. Details are at RooYori.com which is linked in this description along with a link to Roo's interview on Dog Words.

Science writer Emily Anthes joined us back in February for a fascinating discussion of her book The Great Indoors - The Surprising Science of How Buildings Shape our Behavior, Health and Happiness, which is now available in paperback. Dogs make an appearance in this book and in much of her other writing. A link to her episode is also in the description.

Next time on Dog Words Eileen Lambert of the Colorado Pet Pantry tells us how they help families and pets stay together.

The mission of Rosie Fund is to provide humans with the resources and education they need to give senior and harder-to-adopt dogs a better life. We thank you for joining our mission.

Today's guest on Dog Words is Corey Abramowitz from BarkYours and you can find BarkYours at BarkYours.com. That will be linked in the description of this episode. Corey, welcome to the show.

COREY  3:52 
Thank you very much. I appreciate you having me here.

PHIL   3:55 
This is really a interesting, exciting website because you are both a niche website, but also a broad website, a mall, if you will. Tell our listeners what BarkYours is.

COREY  4:13 
BarkYours was created because I felt that one, there needed to be sort of a community of dog people. With so many people creating these amazing gifts, artwork, apparel, crafts, just they're all inspired by their dog and I found that happening so much that I wanted to just to create a website, a marketplace that housed all of these items, these treasures, these finds. And so people started listing their products on BarkYours. These are fun, cute t-shirts with dog images. These are glassware with dog images. It's art — people creating custom work of your dog. It's bags that look like dogs on it and it's amazing stuff. And that's where sort of a thought came in and that's what BarkYours is. It is really a marketplace. You can list your own products and people come who are dog lovers, and buy and shop.

PHIL   5:03 
A while back, we had author Mark Cushing on promoting his book Pet Nation, about how, even just over the course of barely a generation, we've gone from a country where a lot of people have dogs to where dogs are quite literally a part of the family, not just a pet. And it's a culture. That means someone looking for any of those items you just described, they're not looking for a t-shirt or a handbag, and then they see one with a dolphin. It's like, "Oh, I'm gonna get the dolphin one. And oh, here's the dog when I want that better." No. They're specifically looking for something dog related. And it's less about the handbag or the t-shirt and something dog related, they're more likely to make the jump from, "I was looking for a dog t-shirt" to buying a dog handbag than "I was looking for a dog t-shirt. And now I'm going to buy a tiger t-shirt."

COREY  6:02 
Yeah, I agree. First, anything that reminds you of your dog, often the best of gifts. And I mean, I'm sitting here with a whole plethora of mouse pads, and you name it. So I'm a big fan of these sorts of things. And you're right. When the marketplace was created to sort of look around for other gifts, while you're there, let's shop around and it was a you know, wonderful community of artists that were on. And hopefully people are buying multiple things that just inspire them that they love because of their dog. It certainly has become that where people are buying so much dog related paraphernalia that they'll just wear it and treasure it always.

PHIL   6:39 
Where is your background as far as your dog relationship because this doesn't seem like the project from someone who is just strictly being entrepreneurial and thinking, "Dogs. People like dogs."

COREY  6:55 
So I have a dog. He is now a senior dog. He's almost 16. So I've gone through the puppyhood all the way up till now. And we started going to pet shows. And these expos are sensational. And you meet so many people around the country who love their dog so much as I do mine. And so he was the inspiration for this. So yeah, I mean, there's a lot of people who sort of are in the same kind of thing that I'm going through, too. We love our dogs who wanted to kind of be inspired and be part of dog culture. And so here is something that I wanted to create. What could it have been? I like the art. I love the dog. I love the art. And I met a lot of great people. And it was a great way just to kind of get involved. BarkYours was created based upon that.

PHIL   7:34 
Have you created other websites or been involved in other marketplaces? How did you make the leap from "People need to connect around dogs" to, "Well, let's make a website."

COREY  7:45 
No, that's it. That was the only thing that came up is that I love the dog. I love marketplaces. And let's create a marketplace based upon dogs. From a different perspective, I love that marketplace, too. And I'm a believer in that marketplace. And you have to believe in that concept of sort of these malls. And it stems from Amazon, amazing. Etsy, amazing. All these companies are amazing. I believe in that. And so when people come on, wouldn't it be interesting just to kind of take the niche out of these larger behemoths that they are and sort of create a community based marketplace. People who love their dogs and who love to look at gifts and things that look like them and images. And that's where this was. And so, you know, yeah, I always believe in the marketplace. I love my dog. And here we are.

PHIL   8:29 
But you're a meeting place for the buyer, and seller. Where do the buyers come from?

COREY  8:36 
A lot of social media. A lot of hopefully networking. A lot of me pre-COVID being out there trying to, you know, shake hands and introduce the marketplace. But really now it's it's a lot of just social media between all the common names that we know. We do a lot of promos. We do a lot of giveaways. And hopefully people as the days go on are learning what BarkYours is, and at least looking at it, which I think they are. The numbers are rising. But I hope that people appreciate what the site represents and what it is and that they appreciate the artists that are on there because they create such amazing stuff.

PHIL   9:11 
Yeah, and it doesn't take long to find something amazing. I've just pulled it up again. I've browsed through it before. And there's a diversity of styles. There's things that look very whimsical. Things that look very cartoonish. Things that look photorealistic. Engravings, cut outs, clothing, accessories, jewelry, collectibles, note cards, stationery, etc. Some of the things that we have on the Rosie Fund store. The same sort of products that people want, anyway. But then to have that dog connection. And what I really like about it is when you click on any particular item, just randomly pick one, you are going to be interacting with a real vendor. There's not a supply chain of sellers tracing this item all the way back to where it was made overseas or something. Maybe they got the t-shirt overseas and then they screen printed it here or the raw materials. But this is small businesses, some people working out of their homes, Mom and Pop, almost literally in some cases, sellers.

COREY  10:26 
Yes. They are the hobbyist, right? And hopefully, some of them want to be a lot larger. But these are all entrepreneurs that really they are in their garages creating so many great things. That's the whole beauty of it is that you can deal directly with each artist, wherever they are through the internal email. And you can ask for different things. People customize things all the time. They ask other questions, or they just write, "I appreciate what you're doing. I like it so much." I mean, there's just so many ways to manage BarkYours internally, as long as you kind of just, you know, be part of it and look around. I like people who just say it makes them happy. They just go on. But it's great to communicate directly with the people who are making the product. And it's great to hear the stories of why they're actually making it. You know, husbands and wives, you know, people start a little key chain stores. And it's sensational. I mean, it's exactly like an expo would be as you walk in and you meet people who love to create, love their dog. That was the whole point.

PHIL   10:51 
I love that expo analogy. Anyone who's been to a dog show, or any sort of show built around a hobby or culture or a lifestyle. You're with your people.

COREY  11:35 
Yeah. You can feel it.

PHIL   11:37 
They're serious. Who .ove what they're doing. And they're not just out looking to make a buck. And all the merchandise is real. And what I mean by that is, I need a trash can for my deck.

Right.

So I was looking at the websites for all the big box stores and looking at Amazon. And you get these lists and lists of every possible type of trash can and then you see a trash can and it's, "Okay, that's what I need. That's the size. That's the style." It doesn't actually exist anywhere. It'll show up on the Amazon website or the Home Depot or Lowe's website if you scroll down far enough. But no one actually has the trash can.

COREY  12:17 
Right. No, isn't that true? What what it is today?

PHIL   12:21 
It's like, "Perfect. I found the one I want!" It's like, "Yeah, but it doesn't exist." It was made at one time or I don't know how it ends up on the website. And it's, it's from a real manufacturer. It's a name you would recognize. But no one actually has it.

COREY  12:36 
Yeah.

PHIL   12:36 
Everything on your website exists.

COREY  12:39 
Yeah.

PHIL   12:40 
Which shouldn't be that bold of a claim.

COREY  12:43 
No.

PHIL   12:44 
But it is. Trust me.

COREY  12:46 
No. That is true. I guess that's the issue of marketplaces and the way stores operate today as well. But I love this. I mean, this has been to such a different experience and what I've come from, what I'm used to. I'm meeting just so many different people who love their dogs. And the promos work pretty well. And it's fun to gauge what works, what doesn't work. The idea is just you know, how do you get the word out about a name that sort of becomes synonymous with a dog inspired marketplace? And for people to buy from their fellow neighbors who are dog lovers like you are dog lovers. That's sort of what I'm grappling with and sort of trying to figure out

PHIL   13:21 
What surprises have there been? Either just the way the website works, or some of the products that pop up on the website that are surprises for you.

COREY  13:30 
That there are 1000 ways of getting this out, but all take weeks upon weeks worth of time. So between partnerships and influencers, that's been the biggest surprise. Is that the amount of just social awareness and the ways you can go about it, and the amount of pictures and everything is amazingly huge. So I mean, I think that's been another thing. And then obviously, the feedback we get from customers and users has been, I don't know if surprising, but it's been great to kind of get proper feedback, how to grow, how to optimize, how to just reach new people. We've been lucky where a lot of people just give advice. And I think that people like it. It's different when you're shopping BarkYours versus shopping on a different marketplace. You can either go on one of these other marketplaces and look for a dish of some sort or as you mentioned the trash can, and also buy a dog bandana. Or you can want to buy a dog bandana and not get sidetracked by so many other products and come to a place like BarkYours and just be inundated with beautiful dog themed gifts that are handmade and handcrafted. I think that was also the key of why we wanted to do it.

PHIL   14:41 
What items — putting you on the spot here — have you purchased from the site just scrolling through on your own?

COREY  14:48 
Oh, a lot. I mean...

PHIL   14:50 
Some of your favorites.

COREY  14:51 
They're all my favorites. They're all my favorites. There's like a mini bag with it's called carry on bags and she takes forever brick and creates a dog image in different kinds of fabrics. And it's gorgeous. And the zipper and the inside and like when you see the quality of how she creates it. Who does things like that? Like, it's just so amazing to me that a person is capable of making something so beautiful, but it is beautiful. It's great. She also makes pillows and other home decor. But you know, there's Texas bandanas. Captain Wiggles Co, she makes the most amazing bandanas for dogs. It's great. And they are colorful and beautiful. And those are great. There's a lot of t-shirts on there. I mean, I'll look to you for Rosie Fund, I saw your t-shirts, they're great. I say put those on the site. They're all amazing t-shirts.

PHIL   15:42 
We need to do that. We'll make that happen.

COREY  15:44 
Yeah, make that happen. All really clever. And I'm really surprised by some of the fun sayings that are on there. Jewelry. Mother-daughter. I mean, there's so many different things. Dog wood in this silhouettes, the artwork for the wall.

PHIL   15:59 
I was just gonna mention that the under art, collectibles, arts and collectibles, they have the a variety of things, but in particular, the cutouts of different breeds of dogs. And even within the cutouts, there are some that are painted. Like there's one that's a German Shorthaired Pointer that's painted to look like that. But then there's another German Shorthaired Pointer from the same vendor, where it's just the natural wood has been stained.

COREY  16:26 
Yeah, beautiful. The vendor's Giddyap Pups, and yeah, they do a great job. A husband and wife team. I mean, I'm sure it's not easy to kind of do those sorts of things that are beautiful.

PHIL   16:35 
So yeah, looking for something to decorate any room in your house, or, again, as a gift, or just something in memory of your dog, we have sketches of our dogs that have been done by Ashley Schanz. Those momentos are just so special. And so to find something because people tend to be breed specifically. They like to stick with German Shorthaired Pointers or labs or pits or whatever they like, which can make it easy to shop for.

COREY  17:03 
Which can make it easy to shop for. And if anyone does go on BarkYours, a lot of these artists will customize, too. Just reach out to them and see. They're all wonderful people. Again...

PHIL   17:14 
Try that with Amazon.

COREY  17:16 
That's absolutely the truth. I mean, there's a big difference between Amazon and BarkYours, for sure. But you can't get that kind of personal touch. You can't reach out to people who make beautiful wooden silhouettes of their dog and say, "Do you do this?" Yeah, they'll figure out how to do it if you need them to.

PHIL   17:32 
Yeah, and you were talking about the bags. There's so many cool bags there for whatever your lifestyle is. Adult. Child. Someone who's really fancy or more subdued, or whatever your wardrobe is. I would imagine if you said, "I like this style of handbag, but this fabric's a little bright for my wardrobe." Or vice versa.

COREY  17:56 
They change.

PHIL   17:56 
Yeah, they'll customize it for you.

COREY  17:58 
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And that's the sign of true artists that wants to please their customer. They will absolutely change it to make it look a little bit more of what you're looking. But more subdued colors? That's perfectly reasonable.

PHIL   18:10 
That's great market research that the big manufacturers aren't going to get. They're not going to know exactly what their customers want. Here, you have this direct line of communication.

COREY  18:21 
But so far, I'm glad you like it. I think that it's a great site. I worked really hard on it technically. There's a lot of amazing artists. There's probably more than 60. And they all do just great work that they all deserve to be seen. And that's sort of the reason I think why they've also chosen BarkYours as a marketing strategy. You know, hopefully that they'll do well on the platform, or at least bring awareness to their brand on the platform and show that these sorts of things can be made. That's sort of why the site works is that people may test a product with you and see if it works and see what it looks like on this site and pictures and things. And I like that. I like that people are testing their own products. And a lot of things do really well.

PHIL   19:03 
Are you looking at any changes going forward with BarkYours? Any expansion or other categories in the store?

COREY  19:12 
Yeah, I think so. So BarkYours started off as gifts for dog lovers. So it was people-related dog-themed gifts. We did move into gifts for dogs, too. So there's some outfits and this is all relatively new. Their bandanas are somewhat new, some tags, some things that are specifically for dogs. Then we moved a little bit quickly into food category. So there are some homemade organic treats that these makers of treats are trying to get into stores. And so they've come to BarkYours also. Which is great. I mean, I'm all for organic treats for dogs and delicious things. There's macaroons on the site, which is, you know, a great treat for dogs. So, I mean, we've moved into that category as well. We tried to expand to kind of make it all dog-themed dog-encompassing. We'll see. People have asked about cats and other pets. Of course, I'm a fan of all. But I thought that this needs to kind of really, really be in a certain position in order to kind of expand other types of pets.

PHIL   20:11 
While it's, I think you've got proof of concept. The way it's grown, and the diversity of products just within the dog category for both humans and dogs, and art, accessories, food, you name it. It's just fun to browse and window shop. And I guarantee, listeners, that you start browsing — maybe instead of guarantee, I should say warn — you will find something you want. Be warned.

COREY  20:39 
I like that. And it's true. And I do agree with your mall analogy. It is like a mall for dog-themed gifts. It is good, it does make people happy. Because no matter whether you buy or not, these products are just beautiful that people are making great things. And you can just search and search all day really. And there's always new products that are being listed. You know, there's certainly a few a day hopefully. And that adds to the curiosity of people coming on and looking and browsing. But that's what it aims to do is bring dog lovers to the site. And then hopefully buy. And, and I think as a collective, as artists, and makers of these things, we all do better when it's all sort of there together.

PHIL   21:21 
Well, in addition to people browsing and buying, I think you're going to have, if you haven't already, people browsing and making.

COREY  21:29 
Yeah.

PHIL   21:29 
Being inspired to, "Oh, I can do that." Or, "I can do that in a different medium." Or, "I've been making these things for friends. I could be selling them on BarkYours."

COREY  21:41 
I'm such a fan of people who make these sorts of things. I am not that person to make these sorts of things. I'm not that creative. But these people who create these beautiful, beautiful items, I'm in awe of all of them. Everybody who puts their stuff on the site, I think is amazing. It's talent. And it is people who love a specific just people love their dogs and they want to create. I agree with you. I think that everyone who makes and this might inspire people to create, and I put out promos for that purpose. And I'm hoping that people make and want to put that stuff on BarkYours. Even if it's a one off, just make something and put it on the site and see. Because the worst that happens is that a lot of people look at it.

PHIL   22:18 
It's great. You can do a one off. You don't have to set up a storefront or assembly line or anything. Make the one item. Sell the one item. And if that's a good experience for you make more and if it's not, you've tried and now you can pivot to something else.

COREY  22:34 
Yeah that's exactly a great point about BarkYours. It's free to list. I mean, so you might as well try and look. But there are a lot of people who mentioned that they would try. During this past year, there were some people who I believe were inspired to create because they were at home. And they have, I guess, the raw materials and they did stuff. And I think that's amazing. So yeah, I mean, anyone who wants to create who has that kind of creative outlet. And I think everyone should have some sort of creative outlet. Here is a perfect opportunity to either show your painting skills or clay or anything else, because it's all on there. And either you'll love to look or love to make for BarkYours.

PHIL   23:12 
I'm hopeful that one of our listeners will look at the website and say, "You don't have what I sell. I'm going to add to BarkYours and be the first person to offer something that you don't already have on there and help you expand it." And of course I also hope all our listeners. check it out and buy something.

COREY  23:32 
Me too. And if they want any kind of advice about what to make or what's not on this site, they could just email and I'll let them know.

PHIL   23:38 
I will vouch for the fact that you are accessible. It was so easy to get a hold of you and you were so cooperative in agreeing to this interview. I appreciate you spending the time with us today. Corey Abramowitz, BarkYours.com. A link is in the description. Check it out whether you are a maker or a buyer or even if you're thinking about becoming a maker, see what opportunities are out there for selling. Corey, thank you for joining us today.

COREY  24:04 
Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

PHIL   24:12 
I'm Phil Hatterman. and you've been listening to Dog Words presented by Rosie Fund.

Thank you to Corey Abramowitz for taking us on a tour of BarkYours. Remember, you can find Rosie Fund merch by searching for Rosie on BarkYours or by using the link in the episode description. Buying our note cards and apparel supports the mission of Rosie Fund to help senior and harder-to-adopt dogs. And all of your purchases on BarkYours support independent artists and makers.Next time on Dog Words, Eileen Lambert of the Colorado Pet Pantry tells us how they help families and pets stay together.

A big thank you to alternative string duo The Wires featuring cellist Sascha Groshang and violinist Laurel Morgan Parks for playing the wonderful music you've heard on today's and previous episodes of Dog Words. Supporting The Wires supports our mission. Learn more about The Wires at TheWires.info and download their music on iTunes. Check out FiddleLife.com and learn to play fiddle and cello-fiddle online from Laurel and Sasha, even if you've never played before.

Celebrate five years of Rosie Fund by supporting our campaign to sponsor 50 dogs. You can donate on our website or Facebook page. You can also contribute by making a purchase from the website store, buying a t-shirt at bonfire.com or by putting some of our merch in your cart when you shop at BarkYours. Links are in the description. Your donations help fund the Rosie Life Starter Kits that make sure the senior and harder-to-adopt dogs have some of the items they'll need in their forever home.

Download, follow, rate, and share Dog Words. This helps us with sponsorships. Then Rosie Fund can help more dogs. Follow us on social media and please subscribe to the free Rosie Fund YouTube channel. Send us your comments, questions, and suggestions at RosieFund.org. And let us know if you would like to be a sponsor or a guest of the Dog Words podcast.

Thank you for listening and remember, we save each other.

DISCLAIMER: This document is a transcription obtained through a third party. There is no claim to accuracy on the content provided in this document and divergence from the audio file is to be expected. Some content may be omitted, particularly when there is crosstalk.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai