How Sloppy Kisses came to be...One of the most frequently asked questions from our customers is "How did you come up with such a unique idea for a store that caters to pampered pouches?" Well, back in 1997, my husband Eugene and I started our first business venture with the opening of Hot Stuff of Saratoga, a gourmet chile pepper store. We both love hot and spicy cuisine and weren't satisfied with the selection of hot sauces and salsas available at our area supermarkets. In an effort to expand our selection of hot and spicy products, we attended various gourmet food trade shows around the country. At each trade show, there would be a small section devoted to gourmet treats for dogs. We'd always bring home lots of yummy treats for our chocolate lab, Marley.
Over the course of the next few years, the portion of the trade show floor devoted to pet products kept growing and growing and growing. We began baking our own biscuits for Marley and other neighborhood dogs. Then, in 2002, we began to explore opening a gourmet dog bakery and pet boutique in pet-friendly Saratoga Springs, New York. At the time, there weren't any store front locations that suited our needs. But, we had our eye on a few storefronts hoping they would become available. Then, in early 2003, our plans for opening a dog bakery and pet boutique were delayed with news of an addition to our family. I was pregnant with our second child and we needed to make a decision on how to juggle everything...caring for our then three year old daughter, running Hot Stuff of Saratoga, being pregnant and trying to open a new business. We decided to focus on our family and sold our business, Hot Stuff of Saratoga, and put Sloppy Kisses on the shelf for a few years.
In late 2005, we got the itch to get back into retail and found a great location at 493 Broadway. We dusted off our previous plans for Sloppy Kisses and opened our doors on February 3, 2006. We are looking forward to serving those of you who adore your dogs and treat them as a member of the family. Sloppy Kisses is a pet-friendly business (obviously), so if you're walking your dog in downtown Saratoga, feel free to come in with your dog and let him or her pick out a yummy treat or killer outfit to strut their stuff on Broadway. Yours Truly Melanie Dallas
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