Out of the Ashes – New Doggie Shop Opens in Berryville

By Sandra Ostrander

Don't let the correctional facility facade fool you. The new Berryville Doggie Shop is alive and well, and on Friday, April 5^th, the doors will open wide to welcome the community to their new space at 207 Eureka Street in Berryville on Hwy 62, next door to the Lucky Dragon.

The new building, formerly a pawn shop, was purchased by the Good Shepherd Humane Society to house the Doggie Shop after a horrific fire destroyed their Brashears Barn location and all its contents in late December. The new store offers 3,000 square feet of ground floor space, with 2,000 more downstairs. The downstairs area should be completed by late April. Meanwhile, there are mega bargains to be had on the upper floor.

A Grand Opening Celebration will rock the shop on April 15th. Come enjoy hot dogs, burgers, sodas, music and door prizes. You won't want to miss the hourly specials running throughout the day.

Readying the new location has been a labor of love. The interior of the building had been gutted and everything in it had to be replaced. The outdoor penitentiary motif will soon be transformed, its prison gray walls bathed in shades of turquoise and purple for better curb appeal... from eye-sore to eye-candy with the stroke of a paint brush.  

A sincere and heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone involved in resurrecting the Berryville Doggie Shop, including:

• Anyone who donated cash or merchandise for the new store
• Those who orchestrated and labored on the fund-raisers
• Fund-raiser attendees
• The good folks at the Rowdy Beaver
• Rock House Band
• Berryville Fire Department
• Hart's, Harp's, Sunfest, and Walmart
• Lovely County Citizen, the ES Independent, Carroll County News, KTHS, KESA, KUAF, Eureka/BV Chambers of Commerce, Community First Bank, and the GSHS scribe for the free publicity.
• Everyone involved in completing work on the store: Patty Williams, Mary Atchley, Hanby, Meeks, Tom Hearst, Berryville Storage, Dub's Heating and Air, Lyle Pinkley, Economic Plumbing, Ozark Wood Care, Mel Jensen, Paul Kelly, Dave Spenser, Charles Frederick, Dr. John Muller, Bob Hand, Lynn Wellford, Ted Reeves, Marcie Rhodes, Brenden Johnson.

To anyone we may have forgotten to mention, please pardon the faux-paw and know that you are greatly appreciated.

Volunteers (10) are desperately needed at the new shop, primarily for pricing and sorting. Shifts are 3.5 hours each. Cashiers are badly needed at the Eureka Doggie Shop. No experience necessary. OTJ training will be provided. What's in it for you? Doggie Bucks! You receive $4 an hour in Doggie Bucks to be used on floor merchandise on the day you work. A volunteer with carpentry skills is also needed to build an 8X8 recycle shed. Please contact Tracellen Kelly at 479-981-2886 if you can help in any way.

Funds are still lacking to complete the project. More shelving is needed and the downstairs bathroom isn't finished. If you can contribute, now is the time to do it. You can donate online at http://goodshepherd-hs.org, in person at either Doggie Shop, or via check sent to GSHS, PO Box 285, Eureka Springs, AR 72632.

Another way to help is through the recycling program. Aluminum cans, printer ink cartridges, and old cell phones are recycled for cash. Anything with metal parts that doesn't work is disassembled, the metal then sold for scrap. Clothing that is too worn, torn, stained, or just plain nasty and can't be sold in the stores is bundled and sold by the pound to make rags. If you bring in any clothing of this type, please mark it “Rag Bag” so we won't waste resources sorting through it. Volunteer Barbara Byrd even turns recycled tires into works of art, painting them vibrant colors and filling them with plants and flowers.  

The new store is bright and airy, has plenty of free parking and bargains galore. So what are you waiting for? The Berryville Doggie Shop is open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday for your shopping pleasure. Hope to see you there soon!