“Park City has always been a dog town,” Merridee Farr says of PC from her Barking Cat store in Kimball Junction. “Locals love their pets!”
Merridee offers a welcoming atmosphere focusing on pet health with high-quality food, treats and other feline and canine necessities. ”Pet parents bring their fur kids in just to say hello,” she smiles, citing her four Scotties as a major inspiration. “Scotties are like potato chips; you can’t have just one!” she laughs. “Duncan, my fifth, was store mascot until he passed last summer.”
Coming from Salt Lake during the 82-83 season, Merridee remembers that Kimball Junction “didn’t exist back then, and you could park on Main and catch a Sundance flick. It was magical.”
After a successful career in home health care, she segued to property investment in 2010. “Lucrative, but not fun,” she remembers. Business and pleasure finally met in the niche she fills today – a joyous place where owners committed to good pet health come together. The in-store “Barkery” baked goods center. Is a popular feature. Serving Mandi Southwick’s deeply researched healthy-pet baked goods, the Barkery also shows Merridee’s commitment to supporting other local businesses, including Love Your Pet, Idahound, and Drool custom treats. “And we always strive to buy USA,” she adds. Customers can even order customized coffee mugs, tote bags and frameable prints featuring their beloved animals.
A fixture on the PC pet scene, Merridee says her first PC winter in 82-83 – “a major snow year when I wondered, “What have I done?’” – seems even further in the past. “I am so thankful for community support for a local women-owned business,” she says. “Owning is a challenge when competing with the internet and big box stores, and I am very grateful.”
Four and two-legged friends are always warmly welcomed at Barking Cat, a friendly spot for those purrfect healthy-pet products. Bone appétit! www.thebarkingcatparkcity.com, 435.649.2275
