The colorful stacks of pet food catch your eyes when you walk through the door. But Megan Kurzweil, owner of Forepaws in Minooka, says her career in retail has never been about simply selling pet supplies.
A foster cat is curled up in a corner, waiting for a forever home. Birds and reptiles spark conversations among curious visitors. Regular customers stop in to pick up specialty treats for their furry friends, but also to catch up, ask questions, or simply chat. Some shoppers may leave with nutritional advice for a dog struggling with allergies. Others leave with the confidence that someone truly understands what they are experiencing as pet owners. Forepaws is an environment that is equal parts retail store as it is an educational resource and community gathering place.
“I want people to feel like this is their favorite place,” Megan said. “I want it to be as laid back as humanly possible for shopping. I want people to feel as comfortable telling me about their day as telling me about their dog’s pooping problems.”
What distinguishes Forepaws is not what is sold from its shelves. It is Megan’s belief that every customer deserves trusted guidance, every pet deserves individualized care, and every visit should feel like catching up with a friend.
“I love to see animals that are happy,” Megan said. “I love to hear people come two, three years later and say, ‘Oh my gosh, you were the only one who could figure out my dog’s issues or the allergies,’ or ‘You’re the only one who could figure out why he was having recurring tummy issues.’ That makes me feel good. That makes me feel like I’m doing something good in the world.”
That sense of purpose is what has made retail the perfect fit for someone whose passion for animals began long before she ever owned this business.
Where a love of animals meets retail
As a teenager, Megan worked in animal rescue before spending roughly 15 years as a veterinary technician. She attended veterinary school at Oklahoma State University, where she said she ended up realizing that traditional veterinary medicine was not the career path she wanted to pursue. Instead, she found herself drawn to preventative care through nutrition.
“I have been a diabetic since I was a little kid, so I’ve always had to pay attention to what goes in my body and what it does to myself,” she said. “Same thing with animals. Animals are a lot more like us than we care to acknowledge most of the time.”
That philosophy ultimately became the foundation of Forepaws, even influencing its name.
“Forepaws is actually a word,” Megan explained. “It means the front feet. So, we’re trying to get in front of the health care and the nutritional side, start animals off the right way instead of kind of trailing behind.”
Retail gave Megan the opportunity to put that philosophy into action every day. Rather than treating health concerns after they arise, she can work alongside pet owners to help prevent them through education, nutrition and carefully selected products. Her store is stocked with premium natural pet food, grooming products, toys and chews, reptile supplies, and nearly everything else a pet owner might need.
“Pets have always felt like home to me,” she said. “Animals bring out the best in most people, and allowing them to have a happy life makes our lives better.”
More than a pet store
Forepaws fills an important need in its community of 13,000 residents according to Megan, who said that before her store opened 12 years ago, local pet owners often had to drive a half hour to reach a big-box, national retailer for supplies or advice. Minooka is located about 55 miles southwest of Chicago and is widely viewed as a bridge of a community where rural farmlands of central Illinois meet up with the suburban sprawl of the city.
Today, shoppers have a trusted local resource much closer to home.
“We choose to sell a lot of American-made items versus things that have come overseas,” she said. “We go with brands that we can trust that I have personally vetted.”
That same thoughtful approach extends beyond the products sold at her store. Forepaws also partners with the local animal shelter by housing foster cats that customers can meet and adopt.
“The point of having animals in the store is both for educational purposes, like the birds and the lizards,” Megan said, “and also we have the foster animals that we take care of here to not only get the cats out of a shelter setting, but also give people a place to go and hang out with them, socialize with them, and just sit back and relax.”
Competing on relationships, not convenience
Independent retailers are frequently asked how they compete with online shopping and national chains. Megan does not hesitate with a response, noting that online searches can provide endless information, but seldom deliver personalized solutions.
“The internet is easy,” she said. “But you’re missing all of the advice.”
“You can Google to your heart’s extent, but it’s not going to tell you the real answers,” she said. “It’s going to tell you what the large companies want you to know. We’ll tell you what’s going on. We’ll try to help you with the specific issues that your animal may or may not be having. Every animal is different.”
The individualized expertise at Forepaws is something she believes algorithms or warehouse fulfillment centers cannot replicate.
Customers here benefit from decades of hands-on experience spent working with animals, understanding nutrition, and solving problems one pet at a time.
“We have a ton of people who just kind of come in here to chit-chat,” she said. “That has nothing to do with the store at all. I want them to walk away knowing that they can trust us, as well as be as comfortable as possible with us.”
The reality of small business ownership
Megan stresses that retail has afforded her the opportunity to combine her passions. And yet, she is quick to acknowledge the challenges that come with entrepreneurship. Time management tops the list.
She opened Forepaws before becoming a mother and today balances raising a family, caring for 12 pets, and running the business.
“I put in 60 to 80 hours a week,” she said, noting that those hours include everything from working in the store to payroll, ordering inventory, managing invoices, and customer feedback.
“There are nights that you get those emails from Google reviews and you’re not sure what it says,” she said with a laugh. “Absolutely. Hold your breath, but do it anyways.”
For Megan, success depends on surrounding yourself with people you trust.
“I think finding a good team that you can trust that’s behind you is important,” she said. “Making sure that you’re relevant in the community is a big part of making your mark and sticking with it.”
Advice for future brick-and-mortar retailers
For anyone considering the challenge of opening their own retail business, Megan’s advice centers on one word: community.
“Build your network and know your network and use your network,” she said while noting that she encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to lean on neighboring small businesses rather than viewing them as competitors.
“In my experience, most of them are not dog-eat-dog,” she said. “They don’t want to destroy your brand. They want other brands near them. They want other people. They want that kind of camaraderie in the area.
“Learn the other people. Ask them for advice — from the people who’ve done it for years,” Megan said. “They know what brands to talk to and who to talk to.”
She also encourages new business owners to develop relationships with suppliers and sales representatives, ask questions and never be afraid to seek guidance.
“Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help,” she said. “Don’t take it all on by yourself.”
Retail with purpose
Ask Megan what keeps her motivated after long days and long weeks and the answer comes back to the same thing that inspired her from the beginning. Helping animals. Helping their owners. Helping her community. Retail provides the leash, if you will, that ties all three together. Every recommendation, every conversation and every returning customer represents another opportunity to improve an animal’s quality of life while building lasting relationships with the people who love them.
“Forepaws matters because we care,” Megan stressed with a smile. “I love it when your animal loves me, and I love it when you trust me. It matters because people know us. They trust us.”
