A former photo director for magazines, TV, and film has opened a new shop in Falmouth - which she hopes will bring the dog community together.

Desney Ryan worked in the national press for over 20 years before lockdown put a halt on things. Having the time to take stock of life, Desney began putting a plan together to enable her to work with dogs, as she had started studying canine psychology and behaviour – and a shop presented a perfect opportunity to get started.

Southpaw Dog Store, based on Church Street offers a variety of British made products, many handmade, from independent businesses, some from right here in Cornwall.

Instead of throwing different items together, everything has a story and reason to be there - adding a personal touch to your shopping experience.

Speaking to Nub News Desney said the lure of Falmouth was the buzz of the town as there's always something going on, not to mention the fantastic walks, lovely beaches plus a series of dog-friendly shops and restaurants.

Desney continued:

"I love living in Falmouth. All the neighbouring businesses are just brilliant; everyone has been so helpful and made me feel very welcome. Sloth and Sparrow brought me a traybake at the end of my first day and the staff at WeirdFish have popped in with cups of coffee when they saw I was busy. I'm really chuffed that I chose Falmouth to open my first business.

"The online dog market is vast, so I can't really compete with the mass market. For me, it's more about personal service, quality items, customers getting a good vibe when they walk in, and of course the dogs being able to socialise and have some fun in store too.

"There is definitely a place for the bigger online brands of course but I think now, especially after lockdown, people are more interested in buying local than ever before."

As well as opening the shop, Desney would like to bring like-minded Falmouth dog owners together. Already she's seen that many people know each others dogs by name even if they don't know each other, so she hopes to build and expand on that.

In the new year when the weather improves, she hopes to organise some local beach cleans, inviting regulars to meet up, let the dogs run around while the humans engage in conversation, and bag up some litter.

"What I have found since having a dog is that you talk to people that you'd never have talked to if you were walking down the street on your own. And it's that friendly, open attitude that I'd like to encourage in the shop."

Click here to see more from Southpaw Dog Store.

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