Pawsitively Life-Changing: The story of Bop Pop

Adopting Rufus changed my life. I didn’t realize its significance at the time. This adoption would lead to the creation of my small business. I’m Connie and I would love for you to meet my rescue dog Rufus. Together we are Bop Pop!

Bop Pop is an entirely new adventure. Not only the adoption of Rufus, but also the concept of making bow ties and bandanas for other dog and cat owners. We are an online boutique brand located in Southern Oregon, made exclusively for pet owners who are looking for chic, but functional products. I hand make bow ties, bandanas, blankets, dog toys and dog mom accessories, while designing all our hands-free leashes, harnesses and collars. Rufus supervises production and is also our dog model. Our brand has a modern style and our products are vegan. We promote rescue with donations set up for our favorite non-profits (including those experiencing homelessness).

Our journey started after I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 43 years old, right after my husband had just completed his chemotherapy a few months before. I left my career as an art director from a package design studio after 20+ years. I immediately shifted into a home studio work life with Rufus by my side. Within this flexible schedule, of not commuting to work, it allowed me extra time to experiment with my handmade projects. This ultimately turned into sewing dog shirts and creating portable water bowls. Why did I have so much more joy sewing a dog shirt than invoicing my packaging clients?  So, we rescued another dog! 

Unfortunately, our time with Beetle was cut short as he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. We knew our time was limited and we did everything we could to make him comfortable and happy.. The big question now was - why wasn’t I already doing something with dogs as they had given me so much joy and purpose?

This is when my dog mama role kicked-in. I had a sense of protecting them, mothering them and absolutely spoiling them, knowing their lives were so difficult before I met them. They needed me and I needed them because they gave me so much joy and laughter that no amount of therapy could match. With this, I happily accepted the title of “dog mom”. In 2022 I launched Bop Pop in honor of Beetle’s memory and Rufus became the inspiration for change in how people view pet ownership and rescue. 

I stepped into wholesale months after launching, mainly to tap into the winter holiday market.

As a producer of pet goods, my retailers are a small part of the Bop Pop culture. However, attracting wholesalers on such a big platform requires one-of-a-kind, small batch items to capture the attention of retailers - while I slowly add new products within my budget.

In such a saturated market, trying to create something unique and original is challenging. So I split some of my time into building my brand message and focus on designing great packaging to support the brand’s culture. One thing I didn’t expect to do after three months of launching, was to rebrand! I noticed something was missing in the original logo I didn’t see at first. I needed a more elevated, memorable & cheerful logo with the feeling of pet adoration and joy. Once the new logo was finalized, I completed a full packaging template for brand consistency.

 A lot goes into preparing for wholesale and it’s not only stocking inventory, but packaging. I always think and plan out “how” my products will stand out at retail, and I know my retailers appreciate that attention to detail. The ultimate goal for wholesale is more about sharing retail space to feature Bop Pop in different cities around the world. 

With several different parts of my business operating at the same time, I also knew it was important to become more efficient in my production. I started to recalibrate my solo production by adopting a kind of assembly line. I began creating custom templates to cut my production time in half. It has helped to achieve consistency in cutting stacks of fabric all at once. Then, I purchased a hand press machine to punch snap holes for me. I also invested in a second sewing machine designated only to sew labels & elastic bands - cause my biggest hurdle was the interruption of rethreading in between each step of the process. Even though it required additional resources, I knew this investment would help pay for itself after a few local markets. In the end, my production became more streamlined by simply switching from one station to the next in less than 2-3 seconds! Streamlining my production is important to control costs and time spent. This also allows my online customers to get a fair price for my hand made pieces.

All of my handmade pieces are made in-studio, which helps keep my small batch items high-quality. Because I’m based in the US, I intentionally source materials, fabric & hardware from US companies to save on shipping costs & customs fees. I also purchase fabric patterns from artists who create the printed patterns on my bandanas and bow ties. What I love about small batches is knowing I’m producing high quality items under the brand. It also allows me to be a part of the making of something beautiful for my clients. However, something I noticed with my wholesale channel is they also responded well to the handmade items, possibly because they’re sourced & made locally. But, the challenge with handmade is producing bulk orders within days of delivery. When items are made to order, especially with my handmade mini pet blankets - it’s difficult to meet those deadlines. 

This is when I decided to search for additional production partners to increase production.

 My strategy is to introduce only a handful of handmade items to test seasonal trends and then omit items that required too much time to produce. It’s a balancing act to align both handmade & manufacturing partners to create a collection within an estimated launch date. I try to keep my core designs simple by streamlining the production or adjusting my designs. Collections need to be safety-tested and planned months in advance to stay competitive, as there are many unknowns when working with multiple manufacturing partners - so it’s important to build a great working relationship with the ones you trust.

Bop Pop’s growth is steadily growing, which is surprising in such a competitive market. I’m in the pet industry, which takes in hundreds of billions of dollars a year. It’s daunting for a small online business like mine to think I’ll even make an impression on a simple google search or even have social media success. Placing into a brick & mortar helps reach potential customers in different cities. My challenge is to stay on trend, listen to feedback, but also stay true to my brand and vision. There really isn’t a path set in stone for me, but I would rather stay consistent and reinvest in my company. I’m still learning about being a small business owner, while providing all my customers the best customer service possible.

The fun part of this journey is also having dog ambassadors & connecting with my customers. I’m so grateful to my loyal social media followers who have become my biggest supporters, who I also consider our pack family. They continually show up by commenting, sharing or posting the most adorable photos wearing their favorite Bop Pop gear - some all the way from France!

Owning a business selling handmade products is so much more than just the creation of beautiful products, or selling into your local pet store. There's the business & technology behind building an exclusively online brand which includes product tagging, product naming and using keyword descriptions. So in-between product development & hand making, I’m constantly updating and editing all my sales channels to stay up-to-date to promote Bop Pop every chance I get.

Honestly, starting this small business from hand making to manufacturing in my late 40’s is definitely something I never thought I’d do. I continue to have growing respect & love for all animals, and I vow to keep my brand vegan. Bop Pop gives me so much joy, especially when meeting dog moms in person! It's such an endorphin boost to meet all my customers in person, and to see the happiness between owner & pet when they wear a piece of Bop Pop. I can definitely say I have the best community of customers who keep me encouraged & confident that Bop Pop is the brand they love and trust.

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