See Spot Get Stylish
The people behind Bridgeblue are creating high-end puppy products that are making their way through the global market.
Visitors to the Unleashed Life offices near downtown Springfield are greeted more by a reception than a receptionist. There are Willy and Blue, standing tall, Poydrus (looking a little stiff and grey) and Tonga. Taking up the rear are Zeppelin and Simon. The other Simon, Allie, Bailey and Sadie lag behind, but they are nonetheless happy to welcome a stranger. Everyone crowds by the front door meeting and greeting until space becomes a premium, and there is nowhere to go but up and over. Chaos ensues, a human being calls out a greeting, normalcy returns. Just another dog day at the Springfield office of one of the premiere pet product companies in the country.
Launched in the fall of 2007 at a Chicago trade show, Unleashed Life has taken the pet industry by storm by offering cutting edge, high-end feeding bowls, beds and decorative accessories to a market that had been known more for kitsch than class. “Unleashed Life came out of a company that is operated by a group of animal-lovers,” says J. Kent Martin, one of the founding partners of Bridgeblue Sourcing Partners, sister company to Unleashed Life. “There was a void of tasteful pet products in the marketplace, and we thought we would fill it.”
With Unleashed Life, Martin and his partner Nathan Taylor were able to expand beyond their standard “behind the curtain” business model. Through Bridgeblue, they collaboratively design private label products for large retail customers like The Great Indoors and Lands’ End. But because the products are marketed under the retailer’s label, Bridgeblue’s design talent often goes unrecognized.
Want to know more about Unleashed Life? The line is made here in 417-land by locals who have already made a name for themselves in the world of home décor. It’s available both locally and online. • Find it online: unleashedlife.com • Find it in Springfield: Three Dog Bakery, 900 E. Battlefield, Springfield, 417-889-3647 |
Unleashed Life, on the other hand, is solely and directly created, marketed, labeled and designed by the Springfield team. Comprised of 25 different collections, the line is manufactured at Bridgeblue’s overseas factories. Along with being sold through a variety of retail outlets across the country, the product is also available directly to the consumer through their website, another first for this 20-employee company.
Public recognition of their design talent led the team to a nomination for a Lifestyle Innovation Award at Pet Fashion Week in New York in August. For a product line that is not even a year old, being nominated out of the blue is a huge coup, according to designer Ryan Hahn. The accolades will no doubt help the Unleashed Life brand gain more exposure in this growing pet industry.
Standing out in a market that is flooded with dog-bone shaped bowls and plaid flannel dog beds has come relatively easy for Martin and Taylor. “The response we have had is so positive,” Taylor says. “People are excited to see that these items can fit in and look really nice in their home.” Taylor and Martin set themselves apart by throwing away conventional design wisdom and standard industry materials and offering products crafted out of zebra wood, mahogany, solid granite and pickled ash finishes—materials that had been exclusive to the home products industry. No surprise that the logo for Unleashed Life has a trademark tag that states: “Style… Not Reserved for Humans.”
And the walk behind the talk for Martin and Taylor will take on greater focus when their company moves into 40,000 square feet of renovated space next November near the corner of Boonville Avenue and Phelps Street. Making their office even more pet-friendly than it is now is a priority for the two, who purchased the building and several properties nearby. Along with newly-expanded offices in the historical building will be seven lofts, gallery and retail space and, most importantly, a dog run and dog playroom complete with a video surveillance camera for employees to monitor their best friends at play.
Connecting their success in the world of home décor to their passion as pet-lovers was a natural progression for this successful duo. “This is still a growing category,” says Martin, of the pet industry. “And, we are having all sorts of fun all the time,” adds Taylor, with a twinkle in his eye—and a dog at his feet.
