ST. LOUIS — Bar K, a Kansas City-based dog park and bar concept, hopes to have a location open near the Grove entertainment district by this winter.
The company this week signed a lease to occupy about 23,000 square feet of the brick warehouse at 4565 McRee Avenue that developer Green Street ӣƵ plans to begin rehabbing soon. The company will also use a roughly 2-acre outdoor space behind the building for a dog park.
The location would be Bar K’s second as it eyes a national expansion. Co-founder Leib Dodell said that in addition to ӣƵ’ strong pet community, the company’s partnership with Nestlé Purina PetCare, based here, also drew it to ӣƵ. Purina became a minority partner in Bar K with an investment in the company several months ago, Dodell said, and the pet product company also works with Bar K on marketing and dog menu design.
“Purina was excited about having one in their hometown,” Dodell said.
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Bar K plans to host regular adoption events at Petfinder Park, a dedicated space that is part of a partnership with Purina-owned pet-adoption site . Dodell expects the ӣƵ location to be a regional draw, noting the average distance for Kansas City patrons is 10 miles.
Bar K opened in a temporary space in January 2017 and built its own location on Kansas City’s riverfront in August 2018. Dodell said it has already scouted a third location in Oklahoma City and is looking to expand elsewhere.
“We think we’re a premier brand in that space,” he said. “We want to be in 10 markets in the next five years.”
