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.”
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.
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!
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