WHERE EVERYONE KNOWS YOUR NAME

Dawn and Joe from Earthwise Nutrition Centre and Wellness Spa know every customer by name. When you become a customer, you become their friend. If you have never been to Earthwise, you are missing out! From the greeting you get from Lexi at the front door to the services offered by Dawn, Joe and their staff, you just cannot beat this experience. They are definitely one of Southlake’s best!

WORDS JENNIFER CASEY

If you were to walk around Southlake and ask people about Earthwise Pet, there probably wouldn’t be many that haven’t heard of it. You’d get responses like: “Oh, yes! Dawn and Joe are the best!”, “You mean Lexi’s (Joe and Dawn’s dog who is the store mascot) store?” or “We take our dogs to get groomed there all the time.” Whatever the response, we undoubtedly know that it would be positive!

Earthwise offers a full range of products and services, and the store has something different for everyone. Many of us make our visits to Earthwise to replenish our pup's food and treat supplies, while others take their dogs there for grooming. Some stop by just to give Lexi a rub and chat with owners Joe and Dawn Kahan.

Joe and Dawn opened Earthwise in June of 2015. “The impetus was mostly Dawn,” Joe said. “We had lost our black lab, Bo, to cancer, and at the time Dawn had been a patient advocate in Houston for 10 to 15 years, working with retirement homes and healthcare facilities. She used her skills to dig in and find out if there was something we might have done wrong with Bo. We followed vet food diets and fed table scraps, not knowing how important the diet is for a dog.”

Joe, having retired early from IBM, uses his skills to run the business. The pair

have gained so much knowledge and love the idea of letting others know what they have learned. The store itself answers a lot of pet owners’ questions.

Dawn has spent the last seven years tweaking treatments – she knows what works! She has a strong passion for dogs. Of course, Joe does too, but his passion is the business side of things. He always likes to say: “We don’t have customers, but we have a whole lot of friends.”

Dawn and Joe are also an active part of the community. They have sponsored Oktoberfest for seven years, running the wiener dog races and costume contests. “We set aside a large percentage of earnings every year to give back. We make sure the money we donate doesn’t go through an agency but directly to the organization,” Joe said. They’ve also donated to athletic programs, band, cheer, and rescues. “We do as much as we can!”

One of the big organizations they support is “Don’t Forget to Feed Me” in Dallas, which feeds dogs in need. Two or three years back, the City of Southlake was doing a dog food collection and Dawn and Joe organized one of their vendors to donate a ton and a half of kibble!

Lexi’s Birthday Party is one of their biggest events of the year. “When we first moved in, everyone was so welcoming. We decided to have a birthday party to say thanks and give back.” As a thank you to their loyal customers, Joe and Dawn ask their vendors to not only drop their prices for Lexi's birthday event, but vendors are encouraged to offer giveaways as well.

They also invite small businesses (they can’t be corporate-owned) in the area to put up a tent to promote their business. This year they had their sixth annual birthday (always held on the first weekend of May). Joe likes to call it “Lexi de Mayo weekend”.

Dawn’s favorite thing about owning Earthwise Pet is getting a tough issue and finding a solution that works. Both Joe and Dawn also have so much fun greeting people as they come into the store. “The store is like our living room. Friends come and visit us all day!”

If Joe could tell the citizens of Southlake anything, without hesitation he would thank them for allowing Earthwise Pet to be part of their lives. “We’ve never had it so good. We live in Keller but always eat in Southlake because it’s where we know everyone from the store. It’s where our friends are. At least once a month, Dawn and I say that we should’ve done this sooner.”

PET NUTRITION

Dawn has spent so much time educating herself through classes, lectures, and conferences on animal nutrition. If your dog is having issues, many times it’s the food they’re eating that could be the problem. Dawn takes the time to listen to your issues and guide you through options. She has a plethora of products for everything from dog stress to itchy skin.

PET WELLNESS AND HEALTH ISSUES

Dawn will take the time and, most importantly, ask the right questions. She prides herself on using years of real-world knowledge obtained within the store to help find a solution that works. If she doesn’t know the answer off the top of her head, she’ll call you as soon as she finds it. Wellness includes more than just food, but food is always a good starting point. There are three main things to know about pet food: where it’s made, what is in it, and where the ingredients come from. Dawn and Joe know the answers to all of these questions about the products they carry.

GROOMING AND SELF-WASH

Those of us who are lucky enough to be current grooming clients are just that – very lucky. Because of the high demand and great groomers, they don’t even have room on their waiting list anymore. They currently have 400 to 500 regular customers and a waiting list of over 200!

However, if your pet just needs a wash, they have two fabulous selfwash areas. The area includes petsafe, gentle shampoos, all-natural products, specialized options for health and skin concerns, soft towels, easy-to-use, waist-high tubs with ramps or steps, brushes, and air dryers.