Creative Edge

Lizzi & Rocco’s Natural Pet Market, Columbia, MO

OWNERS: Jessica and Kyle Schlosser | FOUNDED: 2009 | LOCATIONS: 3 | AREA: 7,100 square feet south side; 4,500 square feet north side; 2,100 square feet Bertha’s Beans Cat Cafe | EMPLOYEES: 26 full-time, 13 part-time | WEBSITE: lizziandroccos.com | FACEBOOK, TIKTOK & INSTAGRAM: @lizziandroccos | TOP BRANDS: Fromm, Nutrisource, Northwest Naturals, Stella & Chewy’s, Honey I’m Home, Diggin’ Your Dog, Tall Tails, OC Raw, Farmina, Weruva, Green JuJu, Tucker’s, Petcurean

RUNNING ON A “little crazy and a whole lot of love,” Jessica and Kyle Schlosser built Lizzi & Rocco’s Natural Pet Market with their own creative style and pet-driven values, along with a sense of community. The couple opened their first location in 2009 on the south side of Columbia, MO, upgrading its square footage and services in 2020. In 2014, they purchased the store where Jessica worked while attending University of Missouri Trulaske College of Business, giving the north side location a full renovation in 2023.

“Our business has expanded beyond our wildest dreams,” Jessica says. “We’ve introduced grooming services, including a self-wash station and six full-time groomers, added a bakery, and launched training programs.”

And the Schlossers haven’t stopped there. In late 2023, they bought local cat cafe Bertha’s Beans, which allows them to “drink more coffee” while helping more cats.

ARTISTIC TOUCHES. From murals to bakery items to Valentine’s Day gifts to displays, creativity abounds at the stores.

A Creative Core

Creativity remains a central value of Lizzi & Rocco’s, influencing store design, branding and merchandising. Both locations are inviting spaces for both humans and pets, with a bright and colorful aesthetic that’s visually appealing, functional and engaging. “We try to do a good job at storytelling, scene-setting and making sure our customers know we’re deeply entrenched in our community,” Jessica says.

A signature lime green runs throughout, and graphics illustrate store pets: late namesakes Lizzi and Rocco, training assistants Margot and Mac, and store cats Wanda, Dumpling and Morrison. Walls feature portraits of rescue dogs at well-known area spots to contribute to the unique, localized shopping environment. Bertha’s Beans features whimsical murals by Columbia artists. There’s also custom packaging for bakery items, branded cups — featuring fun wording such as “I licked it, so it’s mine” — and coasters, along with stickers and pins for selling and promotions.

Jessica says they aim to make the customer experience fun and interactive without being hectic and chaotic. “We want our merchandising to reflect that as much as possible.”

Netting and an appropriately shaped fixture anchor the Fish Market chew bar. Pet travel items sit on a vintage pickup truck bed. For Valentine’s Day, the team creates heart-shaped boxes filled with treats and artistic bouquets crafted from chews. And a goat milk display features a working fountain. Of the latter, Jessica says, “It was something I was inspired to make after seeing a DIY video for a garden fountain! I took a super-cute dog bowl, an empty goat milk bottle, a fountain pump and some kibble-inspired decorative glass stones. It does not pump actual goat milk because that could get gross fast, but gives the illusion of it, and it’s a fun visual to start the conversation about adding hydration to your pet’s meals!”

An arcadia-style claw machine — named Clawdia, of course — also encourages customers to engage. “It’s filled with toys we get on sale or donated from our vendors, along with treats and gift cards — it’s a great way to entertain kids and adults because who doesn’t LOVE a claw machine?”

FUNCTIONAL FUN. Decals on the training room windows add another creative element while serving a purpose: to keep dogs focused.

COOL COMMUNITY SUPPORT

The Schlossers ensure their business makes an impact in Columbia by sponsoring local events for pets and their people. Says Jessica, “Participating in these events not only strengthens our commitment to the community, but also boosts our business’s visibility to hundreds of thousands of people nationwide.”

In particular, Lizzi & Rocco’s has become known for its Columbia’s Gayest Pet Contest & Pride Photos, which raises funds for the Mid-Mo PrideFest, and Pawject Runway, a doggie fashion show benefiting local rescues. The business also sponsors Art in The Park, The Pedaler’s Jamboree, True/False Film Festival and CoMo Roller Derby. It’s important to sponsor events that help make Columbia cool and unique, Jessica says.

STORE COLOR. Lime green runs throughout Lizzi & Rocco’s locations, adding a pop of color to consistent branding.

Inspired Business Evolution

Helping to fuel the brand’s growth has been input from more-than-invested employees and customers. Several years ago when employee Jennen Herbst wanted to launch a force-free training program, the Schlossers empowered her to take the ball and run with it. “She’s now our head dog trainer and is regarded as one of the most successful dog trainers in Missouri,” Jessica says. Another employee had a passion for baking. “Now we have a bustling bakery that churns out delicacies for pets around our community.”

Denise Wallace, a customer and volunteer for a local rescue group, asked the Schlossers to take a chance on her after she quit a 15-year-long career in distribution management to put herself through grooming school. Eight years later, she has grown into the role as Lizzi & Rocco’s award-winning grooming manager.

Today, the grooming, training and bakery services contribute well over $500,000 in sales annually. Jessica says, “Our team’s sense of ownership and leadership is why we have developed and grown the way we have, because we certainly couldn’t have done it all on our own.” Jessica also points to the complementary business relationship between herself and Kyle. She serves as creative lead with a focus on business development, while “Kyle is the pragmatic behind-the-scenes guy who handles the financial, legal and logistical side of the business.”

CREATIVE DESIGN. Customers and their pets have room to move around in the stores, with displays such as a truck bed holding pet travel products offering touches of whimsy throughout.

Imagining the Future

Today, products continue to play the most dominant role, making up more than 80% of overall sales. Lizzi & Rocco’s stays on the initial mission to provide its community with the healthiest pet foods and the most innovative pet products around. Jessica says that 10% of overall sales specifically comes from raw pet food. “I think that points to our entire staff’s dedication to educating customers on the healthiest way to feed their pets.”

Next up: looking to grow services — definitely more in the grooming sector and potentially into pet sitting, as well. With the early success of the cat cafe, they plan to expand into a larger space with even greater food offerings. “But, as with everything, we’ll just go wherever the wind blows us,” Jessica says. “Five years ago, I had no clue we’d have a bakery, training program or cat cafe, but here we are!”

Five Cool Things About Lizzi & Rocco’s Natural Pet Market

1. CATS & COFFEE: When the cat cafe came up for sale, the Schlossers saw an opportunity to help cats find loving homes and to educate cat owners on nutrition, health, behavior and enrichment. After months of renovations, menu curation and learning how to run a coffee shop, Bertha’s Beans — A Cat Cafe by Lizzi & Rocco’s opened in November 2023. The cafe, named after Lizzi & Rocco’s first store cat, has quickly become a popular hang-out spot for the community, with a whopping 160 cats having been adopted so far.

2. INVENTIVE POTLUCK: At the annual potluck, staff members bring a dish with at least one ingredient that comes from a pet product the store sells. Jessica says, “You’ve never lived until you’ve had Buffalo Chicken Dip with Weruva Paw Lickin’ Chicken or arepas made out of corn cat litter and Lotus Just Juicy Pork!” The team-bonding activity also gets customer attention, like when staff members tell them how Green Juju bone broth makes great soup.

3. TALENT POOL: The Schlossers embrace being business owners in a college town. Jessica explains, “The bittersweet reality is that our staff often leave post-graduation to make their mark on the world. While we get to work with them, our goal is not only to teach them about pets, but to foster self-awareness, uniqueness and self-advocacy, especially when they have something they know can really make the whole team shine. We get to utilize a lot of really cool skills from budding journalists, photographers, graphic designers, artists and more. We give these staff members a safe environment where they can practice their skills and learn from their mistakes before they head into their next chapter.”

4. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Recently, a customer hosted her 100th birthday party at the store so she could have a hundred animals come to wish her a happy centennial. “I think we cultivate those kinds of relationships by truly, deeply caring about our customers,” Jessica says. “Going into some retail stores feels completely void of emotion and joy, and we strive to actually create meaningful connections with our people.”

5. ENRICHMENT BOXES: The Lime Dog Box ($49.99) and the Cobalt Cat Box ($39.99) come loaded with enrichment toys, snacks and surprises. Information on what’s in the latest boxes lives on the website in both slideshow and video format. Boxes come out every other month.

PHOTO GALLERY (22 IMAGES)