Dog treat shop; Grocery co-op expansion; Waynesboro business funds — The buzz – Staunton News Leader

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STAUNTON – A new pet wellness shop has opened up, a Harrisonburg grocery co-op is expanding and Waynesboro has some funds for businesses — here’s the buzz.

Dog treat shop

Heather Deubler recently opened a pet wellness shop called The Well Balanced Paw in Staunton’s historic Wharf District. The new shop, located at 29 Byers St. where Shenandoah Hops was located, offers handmade treats, whole foods, supplements and more for your furry friend. 

Deubler said the store, which is only offering curbside pickup for now due to COVID-19, has three prongs: a “bark-ery,” or bakery for dogs and cats; retail products and nutrition consultation and therapeutic massage. She became certified in small animal massage in 2017.

“The store is an experience,” she said. 

She wants pet owners to be able to come in with their pets, pick out treats and toys and have consultations. The in-store shopping will have to wait a few more weeks, Deubler said, due to the pandemic. But inside, there is a freshly-baked treat and food option that customers can either have custom-made for them or pick out from the case. There will also be a raw bar for dog rawhides and more. The store also offers CBD products for pets. 

Deubler started renovating the space in February and had the original goal of opening the store in April. Then COVID-19 hit. She had to rethink her business plan and started curbside pickup in mid-May. 

Deubler has been making pet treats and food on and off for years, mostly for her own pets or friends and family. She started when her late-dog, Nala, showed up at her door with several health issues. 

“I spent all kinds of time researching how I can help her,” she said. “I just sort of figured out diet and exercise. All these wonderful things that I was doing with her was helping her. So I was watching her recover and she lived to be 17 and she was a rambunctious senior citizen.”

Deubler said she hopes to be open for in-person shopping in about two weeks, once she gets more of her retail items in. For more information visit the store on Facebook. 

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Friendly City

Harrisonburg’s Friendly City Food Co-op has started its expansion project this month. This is the first time they’ve expanded since the store was established in 2011.

The store is remaining open during the expansion project, which is expected to last nine months. 

Phase one will consists of annexing the former Teeny Tiny Spice Co. rental space to the left of the current store. That will become the new deli, kitchen and cafe areas, which will include a coffee bar, salad bar and hot bar, a release said. The first phase will also include building new office space and adding new storage shelving. That will all happen within space that is not in the current store footprint, the release said.

Phase two will happen within the current sales floor and will include removing the wall behind the current bulk foods shelf and opening up the sales floor, putting in a produce walk-in cooler, sinks and prep area, relocating the bulk foods area and adding a new larger meat case, the release said.

The overall store configuration will change — the aisles that currently run east to west will rotate 90 degrees, along with the lights and signage above them, to run north to south.

Phase three will include moving the produce department from its current position to the area in the front end that previously housed the checkouts and seating area. In the third phase there will be south facing windows installed in the area across the front of the store, which will be the new cafe seating. This phase will also add a new office close to the cashier stations.

Harman Construction is the general contractor and Blueline is the architectural firm for the project.

Renaissance fund

The City of Waynesboro has created a Waynesboro Renaissance Fund in order to provide grants to businesses that have suffered due to COVID-19.

The Waynesboro Economic Development Authority will be administering the program and reviewing applications. The new fund uses Coronavirus Relief Fund dollars for small business expenditures to reimburse the costs of business interruption caused by required closure, the release said.

The Commonwealth of Virginia will disperse a portion to local governments and $100,000 has been designated to Waynesboro.

“City council has long been a strong supporter of business,” Greg Hitchin, director of Economic Development and Tourism, said in a release. “This bold step of allocating funds to support these small businesses at this critical juncture of their success will pay great dividends in the recovery and city renaissance post COVID.”

Grants are competitive and are open to Waynesboro businesses with under 20 full-time employees and for businesses that suffered a loss due to COVID-19, the release said. Those who receive grants may use the money to help with anything related to costs incurred by the business while it was closed or partially closed and/or costs related to reopening.

The complete list of business eligibility factors and allowable uses can be found at Waynesborobusiness.com/recovery/. 

Applications will be available beginning at noon on June 10 and are due no later than June 22, 2020 at 9 a.m. Those who receive the funds will be notified by June 30.

Have a news tip?

You can reach reporter Laura Peters at [email protected]. Follow her @peterslaura.

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