Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler.
Hi Tyler, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
It started in 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. I had just moved from Roanoke, Virginia with my adopted dog Willow and I was bartending, trying to figure out a new city. All I wanted was a place where I could bring her to run and play while I had a coffee or a drink and decompressed. That place did not exist and that is when the ideas started flowing and I began to write them down.
Life had other plans for a while but the idea never really went away. I eventually landed in Salt Lake City working as an Executive Assistant for a fintech company and that is when it all came back to life. I looked around SLC for places to take my dog and quickly discovered the lack of dog focused spaces here. With the population of dog owners already calling this city home I just kept thinking how does this place not have this yet?
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth? Not even a little bit. And honestly I think that is part of the story.
Funding has been the biggest challenge from day one. Building something that does not exist yet in a city that does not fully know it needs it yet takes a lot of patience and a lot of creative problem solving. I have had doors close, plans shift and moments where I genuinely questioned everything. But those moments have a funny way of showing me exactly why I am doing this in the first place.
I also think building in Salt Lake City comes with its own unique set of conversations ahead. We are a 21+ concept centered around dogs and community and I know that will raise some eyebrows. I am ready for that.
What has kept me going is the community we are already building on the ground through our events. When you see a dog having the time of their life and their human is laughing and connecting with a total stranger who just became a friend, it is pretty hard to walk away from that.
As you know, we’re big fans of Willow & Co. Off Leash Social Club. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Willow & Co. Off Leash Social Club is aiming to be Utah’s first 21+ dog centered social club concept. A place where the dogs are the members, humans are their guests. Indoor outdoor space, turf covered grounds, community to be found, good coffee, a cold drink, your dog running free right next to you. That is the vision.
Right now we are building toward that permanent space while staying very active on the ground through the Rebel & Willow Event Club, a partnership with Rebel Paw, locals of Salt Lake City. They are a boutique pet store in Midvale that has been with us from the very beginning. Together we host events that include your dog, help build friendships and community across the Salt Lake Valley, and a fun bandana patch loyalty program that makes showing up even more fun.
What sets us apart is the heart behind it. This is not a dog daycare or a traditional dog park. This is a community. Our members are people who treat their dogs like family and are looking for a place that does the same. Every event is a proof of concept and honestly every event makes the dream feel more real. We are creating an entire ecosystem of local partnerships built around that shared love.
What I am most proud of is that we are already here. We are already in the community, already building relationships, already showing Salt Lake City what this can look like before the doors of the permanent space even open.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I would be lying if I said the current climate does not keep me up at night sometimes.
The economic uncertainty is real. The cost of everything has gone up and trying to obtain and build out a physical location in this environment is genuinely scary. Supplies, construction, overhead, none of it is getting cheaper. And if we slide into a recession the questions become real fast, when people are tightening their budgets, how do you convince someone that a membership for their dog is a priority? That a night out at a place like this carries its value? These are not questions I take lightly or just blow by.
Then there is the political side of it. As a gay man building a business and putting myself out there publicly, I pay attention to what is happening at a federal level. Access to grants, subsidies and funding programs that support small businesses and underrepresented founders matters deeply to me. Watching that landscape shift is something I factor into every decision I make.
However what I keep coming back to is that people have always found a way to invest in joy. They appreciate community no matter who is building it. These moments we are trying to create are the things that make life feel worth living. I believe Willow & Co. is one of those things and that belief is what keeps me moving forward every single day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://willowandcosocial.com
- Instagram: WillowandCo.SLC
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WillowandCoSocial/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/willowandcosocial/
