Kit Geary/Summit Daily News
When first-time business owners Alec and Emily Mastovich considered why they gave up their careers for entrepreneurship, they ultimately turned to their red fox Labrador retriever, Penny. Masu.
Alec Mastovich said his previous job in marketing took up about 12 hours a day, leaving him with little time to spend with Emily and Penny. Even though I've known for a long time that I needed to make a change, I never found the right time to pull the trigger.
“I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to do something with Emily,” Mastovich said.
After spending his childhood and early adulthood in Pennsylvania, the couple moved to Breckenridge. They take Penny around downtown and notice that there are fewer pet stores. The more I walked, the more I started thinking about opening my own pet store.
The couple conducted market research and found that there are about two dogs per capita in Summit County. After learning about the existence of the market, they began a journey to realize their own store.
Finally, in 2023, an opportunity presented itself in the form of a storefront on South Main Street in Breckenridge. The Mastoviches flipped what was once Edward Jones Investments and turned it into Downhill Dog Pet & Dog Shop. Downhill Dog officially opened its doors on January 19th with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the Summit County Chamber of Commerce.
Within a week of opening, Penny has emerged as a top employee, often working as a tester for new toys and treats.
Mastovich said dogs are welcome at his store. Dog toys are placed on the bottom shelf on the back wall of the store with the expectation that the dog will pick out the toy himself.
He said that while Penny loves this sales method, she is also a bit of a thief and sometimes picks out some of the toys herself.
At Down Hill Dogs, you won't find the typical products you often find in pet stores.
The store has a tennis ball vending machine, a dog game center, and a small photo booth. Dog arcades consist of iPads loaded with games for dogs, a trend Mastovich has seen online.
Mastovich said several dogs have come over in the past week and are actually playing the game, but Penny isn't one of them and doesn't understand it yet.
This spot also has a machine that creates dog tags for your home in minutes.
Mastovich said he spends a lot of time at pet expos to select the highest quality inventory and tries to buy from small businesses.
“We tried to put our heart and soul into everything we have on our shelves. We don't sell anything you wouldn't want to give to your dog or have in your home,” Mastovich said.
He believes Emily had a discerning eye for selecting inventory that would sell in a town like Breckenridge.
Penny is Mastovich's first dog, as she grew up loving dogs but had never owned one. He credits her with helping promote the idea for Downhill Dog.
“If I hadn't earned the penny, I never would have thought to do this,” Mastovich said.
Downhill Dog is located at 506 South Main Street in Breckenridge and can be reached through the site http://tinyurl.com/4xu5z8wk..
