BARK Unleashes BarkPark To The World

BARK Unleashes BarkPark To The World
On September 8, 2018, BARK’s first-ever BarkPark will open in Nashville, TN. It’s a space designed for dogs and their people to unleash, unwind, and enjoy each other’s company. It’s our dogs’ new favorite place. We built a park. Ok, we typed that out, but the excitement-level didn’t really come across. Do-over. WE BUILT A PARK!!!! That’s better. BarkPark is BARK’s physical presence in the world: a place for people to come with their dogs, spend time, enjoy good coffee, live events, and buy BARK’s latest treats and toys. The idea started with an “A-ha!” moment: one of our co-founders missed his dog. “I was out with friends, we’re drinking wine, it’s a really cool restaurant…it was like a poster for people having a good time in the city,” said Henrik Werdelin, co-founder of BARK. “But my dog Molly was left out. And I realized: she deserves a space like this. We should be here together.” Humans have plenty of options for where to spend their free time away from home and work – coffeehouses, bars, concert halls, movie theaters, and more – but those places all say: “no dogs allowed.” But, the idea is the easy part, then we had to make it happen. “On Day 1, all I knew was that we’re making the world’s best ‘third space’ for dogs and their people – and pretty much nothing else,” commented Werdelin. “That’s how a lot of stuff at BARK begins. We dream up something new to make dogs happy and then spend all of our energy trying to find out to make those dreams happen. BarkPark is our dream of a real-world, dog-obsessed place for humans and dogs to enjoy together.”

Why Nashville?

Our team began an intensive “auditioning” of cities – traveling and sightseeing and talking to people walking their dogs around town. We had to test our intuitions. After logging some serious miles, the team picked Nashville, TN. For starters, it’s a super-cool and beautiful city. And, it’s the capital of country music with a killer food scene. Those are all big pluses! But the deciding factor for us was how far ahead of the curve it is as a pet-friendly city. There’s a fast-growing population of modern dog parents who want to take their dogs everywhere – they’re totally obsessed! – which perfectly describes our vision for BarkPark’s membership. “Plus, the weather and people are great and I wanted an excuse to spend more time there,” Werdelin added. Our hope is to bring BarkPark to backyards across the country.

It. Has. Everything.

When Nashville’s dogs and people enter BarkPark, they’ll find:
  • an expansive, manicured off-leash lawn for romping;
  • a tiny coffeehouse with baristas serving coffee and snacks (for dogs and humans);
  • on-site staff trained to safely facilitate playtime for packs of pups;
  • free wifi, restrooms, and comfy places for humans to hang in the shade while their dogs play; and
  • weekly special events – with drinks, of course – like live music, exclusive beer tastings, and more!
Humans can purchase membership passes at three tiers – daily ($19 per day), monthly ($49 for 4 weeks), or season ($78 for 3 months) – at park.bark.co. BarkPark will also offer 50% sibling discounts for multi-dog homes, as well as corporate memberships for local Nashville businesses.

Playtime is serious business.

Since launching in 2012, BARK has become one of the fastest-growing brands in the $72 billion pet industry, and we couldn’t have done it without your support and your dog’s enthusiasm. We’re proud to have loyally served more than two million dog homes over the past six years and are committed to making every dog’s tail wag in the years to come. By continuing to innovate and make joyful products for dogs like yours, BARK proved profitability in the first quarter of 2017 and will surpass $200 million in revenue by the end of the year.

About BARK

BARK is the world’s most dog-centric company, devoted to making dogs happy with the best products, services and content. BARK’s dog-obsessed team applies its unique, data-driven understanding of what makes each dog special to design playstyle-specific toys, wildly satisfying treats and wellness supplements, and dog-first experiences that foster the health and happiness of dogs everywhere. Founded in 2012, BARK loyally serves dogs nationwide with monthly subscription services, BarkBox and Super Chewer; a curated e-commerce experience on BarkShop.com; and custom collections via its retail partner network, including Target. At BARK, we want to be the people our dogs think we are and promise to be their voice until every dog reaches its full tail-wagging potential. Sniff around at bark.co for more information.

Media Contact

Katie James Director of Public Relations, BARK [email protected] / [email protected]

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