Examples of Sleepy Pup’s dog bedding. (Photos by Michael Thompson)
Richmond’s newest pet-centric startup wants to make it easier to let sleeping dogs lie.
Father-and-son team Bill and Will Oakley on Feb. 1 launched Sleepy Pup, a dog bedding and accessories company in the West End.
The bedding – essentially a pillowcase for dog beds – will be made at a warehouse near Willow Lawn.
“Your sheets aren’t sewed onto your mattress,” Will Oakley said. “So why should a dog’s be?”
The Sleepy Pup brand will also sell leashes and collars.
Will Oakley
Will Oakley, 31, said the idea for Sleepy Pup was inspired by his wife Jenn’s habit of making bedding for their black lab, Trier.
“Why not push them out and start selling them?” Oakley recalled thinking. “It might not be a huge market, but we figured we’d take a go at it.”
Sleepy Pup will be the third business the Oakleys operate as part of Double O, a company they launched last summer. In September 2013, Double O acquired two e-commerce companies: Fedoras.com, which sells hats, and Socks4life.com, which sells socks.
The company operates out of a 5,000-square-foot office and warehouse space at 4909 W. Clay St. It signed a three-year lease for the property in September.
“I was working with a software development firm,” Oakley said. “I just wanted to do something a little different and work with family.”
Double O used Richmond’s section of Reddit.com to recruit two seamstresses for Sleepy Pup. The bedding will be made mostly of cotton and a cotton-polyester blend, but other weaves, such as corduroy and chino, will be available. Leashes and collars will be made through Barrons-Hunter, a workshop in Charlottesville.
Oakley would not say what it cost to launch or how he is financing Double O’s efforts.
Sleepy Pup bedding will run between $25 and $50, depending on the size and fabric, Oakley said. He hopes to be able to sell between 10 and 20 sets of bedding each day.
To start, Sleepy Pup bedding and accessories will be available through its website only. But Oakley said he would like to get the canine goods into shops around town and might make use of online markets such as Amazon and Sears.
Sleepy Pup is the latest of several pet-related startups to claw their way to the market in Richmond. Others include pet helmet maker Zoomer Gear and dog treat companies Best Bully Sticks and Blue Ridge Dog Chews.
Sleepy Pup seamstress Meredith Keebler works at the company’s warehouse on West Clay Street.
Examples of Sleepy Pup’s dog bedding. (Photos by Michael Thompson)
Richmond’s newest pet-centric startup wants to make it easier to let sleeping dogs lie.
Father-and-son team Bill and Will Oakley on Feb. 1 launched Sleepy Pup, a dog bedding and accessories company in the West End.
The bedding – essentially a pillowcase for dog beds – will be made at a warehouse near Willow Lawn.
“Your sheets aren’t sewed onto your mattress,” Will Oakley said. “So why should a dog’s be?”
The Sleepy Pup brand will also sell leashes and collars.
Will Oakley
Will Oakley, 31, said the idea for Sleepy Pup was inspired by his wife Jenn’s habit of making bedding for their black lab, Trier.
“Why not push them out and start selling them?” Oakley recalled thinking. “It might not be a huge market, but we figured we’d take a go at it.”
Sleepy Pup will be the third business the Oakleys operate as part of Double O, a company they launched last summer. In September 2013, Double O acquired two e-commerce companies: Fedoras.com, which sells hats, and Socks4life.com, which sells socks.
The company operates out of a 5,000-square-foot office and warehouse space at 4909 W. Clay St. It signed a three-year lease for the property in September.
“I was working with a software development firm,” Oakley said. “I just wanted to do something a little different and work with family.”
Double O used Richmond’s section of Reddit.com to recruit two seamstresses for Sleepy Pup. The bedding will be made mostly of cotton and a cotton-polyester blend, but other weaves, such as corduroy and chino, will be available. Leashes and collars will be made through Barrons-Hunter, a workshop in Charlottesville.
Oakley would not say what it cost to launch or how he is financing Double O’s efforts.
Sleepy Pup bedding will run between $25 and $50, depending on the size and fabric, Oakley said. He hopes to be able to sell between 10 and 20 sets of bedding each day.
To start, Sleepy Pup bedding and accessories will be available through its website only. But Oakley said he would like to get the canine goods into shops around town and might make use of online markets such as Amazon and Sears.
Sleepy Pup is the latest of several pet-related startups to claw their way to the market in Richmond. Others include pet helmet maker Zoomer Gear and dog treat companies Best Bully Sticks and Blue Ridge Dog Chews.
Sleepy Pup seamstress Meredith Keebler works at the company’s warehouse on West Clay Street.
So how does one order from Sleepy Pup?
No website was mentioned.
Henry, you can check us out at http://www.sleepypup.com – things should be available for purchase by this weekend as we’re stocking up on inventory for our initial launch.