Photo by Ben Hensley | A brand new Bentley's Barkery customer samples some of the selection at the canine confectionary's new home at 1612 Fulton St., #101, in Fresno.

Bentley’s Barkery, a Fresno shop specializing in dog-friendly baked goods, has returned to the storefront game after the closure of its Fig Garden Village location in 2023 — and owner Ebony Brown said the business is excited to welcome back old friends, unfamiliar faces and an entirely new demographic of customers looking to treat their four-legged friends to a freshly baked goodness.

For just over a month now, Brown has been running the business out of the ground-floor space at the 0037ful apartment complex, located at 1612 Fulton St., #101. The complex, which opened in 2013, offers three-story apartments with work-from-home spaces on the ground floor.

After first opening Bentley’s Barkery at Fig Garden Village in Aug. 2022, Bentley’s shifted gears to offer customers monthly subscription boxes to Fresno and Clovis residents. The boxes offered baked treats and toys for customers after the closure of the Fig Garden Village location in 2023.

After successfully operating the subscription box business from home for over a year, Brown said that she got the itch to step back into a retail shop setting.

“It’s the best of both worlds; my commute is short, I am here full-time,” she said. “Sometimes I have to make a conscious effort to leave the house and leave the business.”

Brown said that while running a shop from home offers convenience and flexibility — and a short commute — it also presents challenges in balancing personal life and business life. Still, she said the storefront allows her to build stronger ties with customers, something she hopes will continue to grow among the three primary customer bases that have evolved throughout the life of the business.

Brown said that since reopening, sales have been steady.

“Business has been great,” she said. “We had a little bit of uptick from TikTok, which makes you reevaluate your systems and the way you do things.”

 

 

She said that customers who discover the business through TikTok are often more familiar with its products than walk-in shoppers.

“Sometimes with other people you have to ask, ‘How did you hear about us?’” she said. “But they [TikTok customers] come in and they’re like, ‘We saw you on TikTok.’ I love that.”

Brown said that the online buzz has helped prepare them for business growth.

“That uptick was intense, but it really does prepare you for when you go through that channel,” she said.

Brown said that it has been somewhat challenging to market the business, given its location; however, having a space for longtime customers, the TikTok customers that the business has attracted and brand new customers has helped begin crafting relationships between her and her customers, something that she hopes to continue to encapsulate with the Bark Boxes.

“The purpose of the box — yes, it’s to get the treats at the door — but it’s for the community events,” she said. “I really want to make sure that everyone’s like ‘This isn’t just a box at the door.’”

Brown said that the business now benefits from a “wonderful mix” of repeat customers, new customers and subscription box buyers who she never had the opportunity to meet in person.

Adding on to the already fast-growing family of Bentley’s Barkery customers, Brown said that by the end of the month, she plans to have treats for her customer’s feline companions.

“We’re just trying to get things steady here,” she added. “My goal is to have them out by the end of the month.”

Bentley’s Barkery is located at 1612 Fulton St., #101 in Fresno, and can also be found online, as well as Facebook and Instagram.