Lake Dog store owner loves giving back to community

Adrian O'Hanlon III Editor, McAlester News-Capital, Okla.
·2 min read

Jul. 1—Shari Wilkins said she loves giving back to her community because it's given so much to her.

The owner of Lake Dog and Their People in downtown Eufaula said community support helps her business thrive and she tries to give back with donations to police and fire departments, fundraisers for good causes, fun events and more.

"We love our community and if we didn't have the support in the community, we wouldn't be her because we wouldn't do well," Wilkins said. "I'm very appreciative of the community and that's why I want to give back."

Lake Dog opened on Mother's Day in 2020 at 117 N. Main St. in Eufaula and offers healthy dog food, grooming services, plus all kinds of treats, toys, costumes and flotation devices for dogs.

Wilkins said she was an executive recruiter and worked remotely during the pandemic when she considered doing something else to support her family with two children in college.

"I tell people I traded my corporate world for dogs," Wilkins said with a chuckle.

Wilkins said the pandemic forced her and the family indoors or to a lake like the rest of the world.

She spent more time with her dog, Duchess, and it occurred to her that a store catering to lake life for dogs and their people might be a feasible and fun business venture.

Wilkins said she and her husband realized the internet-only model wouldn't be practical for the long-term, so they spoke with Eufaula-area business owners about the prospects of opening such a store in downtown.

"And then we drove down main street one day, and there was a little 'for sale' sign in that bottom corner of the window of this building," Wilkins said.

So they bought the store in January 2020 with the goal of opening that spring season.

Wilkins said they took precautions during the global COVID-19 pandemic — installing plexiglass barriers, requiring masks and more.

"We didn't know what was gonna happen, but we researched that the dog store would do well," Wilkins said. "We felt like during a pandemic, everybody came out to the lake. They were working remote, and everybody bought a dog."

Wilkins said the store did well from the beginning and people made her and the family feel welcome.

She said meeting new people and their relatives led to the business growing through word of mouth, and she learned a lot about the community's history with each person who stopped in the store.

"We really started and everything went well right from the beginning and we call it little Mayberry because people were coming and going telling us 'we are so glad you're here,'" Wilkins said. "I never expected that and I mean it was just amazing."