Business & Tech
Alameda Business Spotlight: See Spot Run
Mother-daughter team brings holistic pet products to the Island.
Owners: Cynthia Schorle and Madison Leonesio
When did you open? Cynthia: Our grand opening was July 23. It was great! We had quite a turnout. Natasha Miller provided the music and we cooked up holistic hotdogs from , with no nitrates, on whole wheat buns. And we gave out free pet tags.
What products do you offer? Cynthia: The whole objective is to provide holistic food for dogs and cats. Some of the brands we are carrying are Canidae, Taste of the Wild, Wellness, Diamond, Orijen. We carry treats, toys and food additives such as kelp.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
Madison: We also have pets such as birds — grass parakeets, canaries, finches. We also offer rescued animals through a partnership with the .
What makes holistic pet food different and better than other brands of pet food? Cynthia: The word holistic means the food is human-grade so humans can consume it. The other thing is that the pet food is grain-free, so we don’t carry anything that has corn, wheat or soy for dogs or cats. Cats are carnivores and shouldn’t have grains in their food. We want to educate everyone about making good buying decisions for their pets to increase their longevity and health. By helping their pets be healthier, we hope to help create happier families.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
How did you pick the name of the store? Madison: My mom read the Dick and Jane books when she was a child. We also had a dog named Spot for a little bit.
How long did it take you to get the business off the ground? Cynthia: It took about a year to do the business plan and find a location. We hit some roadblocks but I’m really glad to be in this location. We’re so glad to be starting a business in this community that we’ve lived in and that we love. We’ve had a ton of support from our friends. When we finished the floor, which took a couple of months to do, we threw a party and had all of our friends and families sign the bathroom wall. So we are reminded that there are people standing behind us every step of the way.
is located at 2510 Santa Clara Ave. Store hours are Tuesday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Telephone: 510-523-SPOT (7768).
