This week's Trader of the Week is Tyler James in Ilkley
I’m James Mulligan and I have operated a pet supplies store from this premises since 2004.
Originally called Ilkley Pets, we rebranded in 2014 to Tyler-James Pet Supplies. This name was chosen as Tyler was the name of my last Boxer Dog.
I bred boxers for a number of years, they are such a loyal and loving breed. Tyler was kept from the final litter.
He was an amazing companion and always ‘top dog’ hence why his name appears first. The ‘James’ part - well, that’s me!
Tyler’s silhouette lives on in our company logo graphic.
About the business
We are a leading independent pet supplies store and professional dog groomers situated in the heart of Ilkley.
Established over a decade ago, our dedicated team have a passion for all pets, and we pride ourselves on delivering a total positive customer experience.
No two pets are the same and at Tyler James we recognise this...every pet and their owners are treated individually to ensure the best advice and care.
We stock top quality products including: Market leading wet and dry dog/cat foods; Super premium raw diets; Small rodent food and treats; Rabbit and Guinea pig foods including fresh Yorkshire meadow hay; Poultry feeds; Pet and wild bird feeds; Tropical, cold water and pond fish feed; and finally, a vast range of quality accessories.
If we haven’t got it, we will get it!
We’re so confident in our stock that all of our products are backed by our 100 per cent seven-day satisfaction guarantee.
We are not satisfied unless your pets are!
As a nation of busy pet owners, we understand the need for flexibility, which is why we offer a top-notch delivery service across all BD, LS and HG postcode areas.
Call us, email us or pop in to arrange for your goods to be delivered to your doorstep (£1.50 charge applies to all deliveries).
Every pet and every owner deserve a holiday. To help make this happen, we offer an unrivalled holiday boarding service for all small animals; rabbits, Guinea pigs, rodents and reptiles.
For your feline friends and pooches, we have a list of highly recommended and experienced home visitors, boarding or kennel facilities.
During lockdown, our business was one of the very few that saw a benefit. We remained open as we were classed as an essential service due to providing food for animals.
With people staying at home, their attentions were drawn to paying a lot more attention to their pets, looking after the wildlife around them and in a lot of cases, some opened their homes to their very first pet or pets.
Our wildlife feed sales increased astronomically, as did our standard pet food and pet treat sales. Although we remained open for business, we did not allow customers physically into the shop.
We were fortunate to have had a stable style door installed well before the pandemic. With this in place we were able to keep the bottom half locked and open the top half to serve customers that wished to visit us to buy their goods.
The majority of our increased business came via telephone, email or messages via different social media channels.
During this unprecedented time, we employed other independent business owners with vans that were now without work due to the restrictions, so were able to help other local small businesses.
Alongside our own vehicle, they helped us to keep on top of the enormous amount of home deliveries we were conducting on a daily basis.
The shop essentially become one large warehouse for the period of lockdown. This enabled us to keep increased levels of stock to meet the requests of our customers without the worry of trying to fit it all into our usual storage areas.
After lockdown, we were - and still are - very fortunate to have retained a high percentage of the wonderful customers that chose to shop with us during this trying time.
We continue to build on this success and are pleased to report that our business has been growing ever since.
My team and I here at Tyler-James work as if we are all family.
We try to treat all our customers in this manner which has led to us building a fantastic bond with the local community.
Many will pop in, not just to buy their pet essentials, but also just to have a chat and catch up with us.
Besides meeting lots of dogs on a daily basis, the catch up with our customers during their visit comes a close second in making this job so enjoyable. It’s more than just work.
Opening hours
We open six days a week - 9am to 5.30pm from Monday to Friday and 9am-5.30pm on Saturdays.
We’re closed on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Call in to see us - we look forward to giving you a huge Tyler-James Welcome!
* Tyler-James Pet Supplies Ltd, 21 Leeds Road, Ilkley. Visit tjpetsupplies.co.uk or call (01943) 430015.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here