Premium dog park Off Leash has closed after less than six months in business. Located at 142 South Main Street in Alpharetta, Off Leash opened to much fanfare July 15, having re-imagined a former Eckerd/Rite Aid into a modern, upscale dog park, and restaurant & bar.
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The notice, emailed to customers, added:
"As we navigate this transition, we want to assure you that our primary focus is on taking care of each of our valued members. Prior to year end, we will be processing prorated refunds for all eligible accounts."
It's unclear what, if anything, may be planned for the space in the near term, but the company stated they are "optimistic about the exciting opportunity to reimagine the use of the beautiful space."
A second Off Leash planned for 240 and 250 E. Trinity Place in Decatur, slated to open this upcoming spring, is canceled.
ToNeTo Atlanta first reported on the planned dog park in May 2022. The concept reportedly experienced construction delays in Alpharetta and Decatur which surely took a financial toll on the business.
Off Leash was backed by Lonnie Cooper Ventures, a subsidiary of Cooper Holdings, Inc., and was co-founded by Wendy Newman. Cooper's other businesses include CSE, a sports and media talent representation company, yah (You Are Here), "an experience agency," and IfThen, a creative and digital agency. Off Leash, and its membership model and food and beverage offerings, was vastly different and likely more expensive to operate than any of Cooper's other ventures.
The closure of Off Leash comes a time of time of transition and turmoil in the so-called premium dog park industry.
Bark Social, started by Luke Silverman and Jeff Kurtzman, opened its first location in North Bethesda, Maryland in early 2021 and another in Baltimore's Brewers Hill neighborhood later that same year. Bark Social later added locations in Northern Virginia, Philadelphia, and in Columbia's Merriweather District this past October. The company filed for bankruptcy and closed all of its locations on November 21.
Stephen Ochs opened the first Fetch dog park in June 2018 in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward. The following year, plans were announced for locations in Charlotte, Raleigh, Birmingham, and Nashville's Germantown neighborhood, but none ever opened. Georgia locations were later added in Alpharetta, Buckhead, Upper Westside, and Columbus, but there has been no recent word of expansion in other markets.
The Drafty Dane, from Brennen and Emily Matthews and their business partners, husband and wife Fitz Johnson and Suzann Wilcox, after its own challenges and setbacks, opened on Roswell Street in Marietta on November 29. The business, like Fetch, has booze, but relies on food trucks for food offerings.
Skiptown, a Charlotte-based startup, was opened by Meggie Williams in Charlotte's South End neighborhood in August 2020. The business, first called "Skipper," is named for Meggie's dog. Skiptown features a bar, but like Fetch and Drafty Dane, relies on outside vendors like food trucks for food offerings. The differentiator for Skiptown is that in addition to being a dog park and bar, they also offer daycare, boarding, grooming, and training in a more "all in one" environment.
The company secured more than $27 million in funding in 2022 to fuel growth. A second location opened in Denver October 4th followed by a third on Arizona Avenue in Kirkwood November 23. Mike Rotondo, most recently CEO of Altitude Trampoline Park, and before that, the same position at Edible [Arrangements] and Tropical Smoothie Cafe, was named CEO of Skiptown earlier this month.
A lot of money has made its way into this industry but time will tell if it will turn into more... or just a pile of dog poop.
Did you ever visit Off Leash? Have you visited any of the other dog parks? What would you like to see open in place of Off Leash in Alpharetta?
Please share your thoughts below.
15 comments:
I tried to sign up at Fetch's Buckhead location a coupe years ago. I encountered low-energy and unhelpful employees, an online sign-up system that was a pain in the ass, and an underwhelming facility. I (thankfully) gave up before I gave them any money. What a dumb idea.
For me, with no pet, I found this concept totally unappealing. We eat out in the area 5 or more times a week…yet never considered going there.
Shocking...
Another example of Atlanta not supporting small, unique businesses.
Alpharetta isn't Atlanta though.
I heard a bunch of people at Fetch bleating about what a great deal they got on their memberships last summer as “charter members.” 20% of of nothing is………
Can't imagine paying for something like this. I no longer have a dog but when I did, she didn't even like the dog park even though there is a really nice public one within walking distance from our house. When we did take her, she was more interested in the humans with treats in their pockets than the other dogs. She prefered regular walks and we have a fenced in yard when she wanted to run free.
Or another example of someone (or someone along with investors investors) with tunnel vision, not reading the room, throwing tons of money at an idea they have without thinking things through and asking themselves simple questions. I saw the drugstore getting converted, seemed like a lot of time and effort and money went in, so much so I thought it was probably doomed.
With the current state of inflation, most people are looking to cut corners in their life, not ponying up a membership or entry fee to a dog park / eatery. In addition they billed themselves as a " Dual-purpose facility offering upscale restaurant and bar, as well as a premium dog park". I can only speak for myself, but if I'm looking to go out for a meal at an upscale restaurant or bar, I'm not looking at the dual-purpose dog park. Yea, I'm not a "dog person", I don't hate dogs though. This is the tunnel vision, it's like they didn't consider that there are a lot of people like me, severely limiting their clientele.
Went once with our pups and sat in the outdoor seating area for dinner. The dogs loved it, but they had a guitarist playing at an extremely loud volume in the concrete reverb space (even louder to dog ears). Literally could not hear someone next to you. We mentioned to waitress who said "yes, he is really loud, but he is playing for tips and he controls the volume." Knew in that very moment that the place would not last. Prime corner and massive building had to cost $6MM+.
We went a few weeks ago and I am sad about this. But I can see how this concept could be challenging given the branding, high rent and extremely competitive restaurant market in Alpharetta. Also, Fetch is right around the corner, but there is seemingly less traffic there, and they have tennis balls, which makes a huge difference IMO. Off Leash had no tennis balls, or even sticks, and would not allow any toys at all.
Why would you go to a dog park without a dog?
Was a horrible concept. Saw this failure before the doors opened.
You’re psychic! You should tell everyone who opens a new restaurant if you see it failing before the doors open. Use your talents for good not evil.
I tend to think there is something to the comment about local business, Atlanta has no pride. In fact just the opposite. Very few local offerings and the few ones the town has a mediocre at their best. Atlanta is an extremely town the local Georgia population flat out does not like.
I tend to think there is something to the comment about local business, Atlanta has no pride. Very few local offerings and the few ones the town has a mediocre at their best. Atlanta is an extremely transient town the local Georgia population flat out does not like.
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