Zouvrac

Since March of 2010 boutique Jack-A-Billy has devoted itself to your four-legged friends’ well-being and grooming. The charming Ontario Street boutique is the brainchild of Jérôme Laloux and Karine Cappelliqui, a couple whose entrepreneurial spirit manifested itself by pure chance ― they never expected to be their own bosses.

“I never thought of one day owning and operating my own store,” says Jérôme. “Karine studied dog and cat grooming, so what we’re doing is close to her background. But being in business wasn’t an objective we strived to attain. What started everything is when we realized we shared a passion for animals, thanks to our own pets.”

The pleasure they received from taking care of their own animals planted in their minds the idea of maybe ― one day ― turning passion into business. That day came when the pair walked past a commercial space on Ontario Street that was up for grabs, which seemed perfect for the business they had in mind.

“We saw the place by chance, and contacted the landlord immediately after, hoping to be able to visit,” recalls Jérôme. “We filled out the paperwork, signed the lease and soon realized we did well; while there were other pet shops and spas in the neighbourhood, none was in our vicinity, and the market could definitely take one more.”