Jim Byrnes, owner of Westside Lansing's Cones and Bones has seen a lot more tail enter his doggie ice cream parlor this year than he did last year.
“On a month-to-month comparison, we did a lot better this year than last year,” he says.
Cones and Bones has ice cream for dogs and humans. Humans can eat the doggie ice cream, which is sugar and dairy free, but not vice-versa—it's not recommended that dogs eat human ice cream.
Byrnes is a retired food service employee. He knew he wanted to open an ice cream shop. He wanted to set himself apart from standard ice cream shops, so he added a 600 square foot space for pups.
“That was the tie into the two businesses,” Byrnes says. “It’s an outing you can bring your whole family to.”
Byrnes says this pet diversification has allowed him to survive the onslaught of chain-based ice cream shops.
“That’s where the bones has helped,” he says. “For the immediate future, I can draw from a bigger area than any of the other shops in the area. You probably wouldn’t drive here from DeWitt just for ice cream, but you will if your dog can eat, too.”
Cones and Bones is located at 412 Elmwood in Lansing.
Source: Jim Byrnes, Cones and Bones
Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie
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