Photo by Erin Nelson.
Lacey Ruff brushes the teeth of Athena, a 3-year-old pit bull, during training at Scenthound on Jan. 26. Scenthound opened to the public Feb. 1 at Lee Branch.
Two former Auburn graduates recently teamed up to open a new dog centered business on the 280 corridor.
Brett Basik was working as an investment banker on Wall Street and Jacob Lee was working for a well known consulting firm until last year when the two decided to open their own businesses.
Basik and Lee opened their first Scenthound location in Lee Branch on Feb. 1, and plan to open 10 additional stores over the next four years, including four in Birmingham and six in Nashville. Scenthound is a wellness-focused dog care concept designed to keep them clean and healthy.
Although Basik and Lee both attended Auburn University and their wives were in the same sorority, they never crossed paths until they were in business school at the University of Virginia.
Basik graduated from Briarwood Christian School and said he is excited to open a business near where he grew up. Lee is from Nashville and is also looking forward to bringing franchises there.
“We had always dreamed of being entrepreneurs and had that itch and were talking about it for about a year,” Basik said. “We pulled the trigger and did it this past summer.”
Lee said while they were in the process of looking at different businesses and franchises, he remembered a colleague had told him about a Scenthound location she had opened in South Carolina.
“We love the aspect of creating a service that improves the health and well-being of dogs and allows pet parents to be better owners and connect more with their dogs,” Lee said.
He added that he and Basik’s prior corporate jobs were high pressure with long hours and high stakes, which prepared them to become business owners.
“The way I think about my prior experience, I learned to figure out and solve problems and get stuff done,” Lee said. “You just figure stuff out. My father-in-law is the CEO of Milo’s and has been a great mentor to me, and my family has a business in Tennessee, so I’ve been able to reach out to them. It’s been great to have the support system.”
Basik said that while they looked at spaces around the U.S. 280 corridor, the option at The Village at Lee Branch — next to Marco’s Pizza — was by far the best.
“It had the right customer base close by,” he said. “To grow up in a city and be able to come back and provide jobs and reinvest in the community is a cool opportunity.”
Bobby Turner will manage the location and has a wealth of experience managing retail stores, movie theaters and hotels. Five employees will be hired to work as groomers, SCENT techs.
Scenthound focuses on a three tier membership model that allows owners to choose the best fit for their dog and comes with a 25% discount on services. The basic package is $29 per month and includes a bath, nail trim, ear cleaning and teeth brushing. Add-on services including haircuts, dog facials, deshedding treatments, tele-vet access and more.
“We want to encourage people to become members, as these really are services that should be done once a month,” Lee said. “The point of a la carte function is that all dogs need the routine maintenance and you can choose your journey based on what's best for your dog.”
Pet parents drop their dogs off at their appointment time and will receive notification when they are ready for pick up. They will receive a “SCENT Check” that will provide an evaluation of the dog’s skin, coat, ears, nails and teeth.
“We’re providing that easy button for people where they can be great dog parents and don’t have to think much about it,” Basik said.
Basic and Lee know the concept of doing these services at home can be intimidating for a lot of pet parents, and are glad to bring Scenthound to the area.
“We love the aspect of having a service that does improve the health and well-being of dogs and allow pet parents to be better owners and connect more with their dogs,” Lee said.
Scenthound is located at 1401 Doug Baker Blvd. and will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, visit scenthound.com/birmingham-al-001.
