From Manager to Multi-Unit Owner: Why This Couple Is Expanding With petbar in North Texas

After nearly two decades in the mortgage industry, Aaron Gore was ready for something different. His wife, Deann, had recently rediscovered her own professional passion — working with dogs — and together, they saw an opportunity to build something meaningful, community-driven and entirely their own through the petbar franchise.

Today, the Gores own a petbar boutique in McKinney, Texas, and have officially finalized the lease and broken ground on a second location in Prosper, set to open in August. 

From Stay-at-Home Mom to Multi-Unit Owner

For years, Deann focused on raising their two children while Aaron built his career as a mortgage executive. About three years ago, Deann returned to the workforce part-time at petbar in Frisco, Texas. What began as a flexible opportunity quickly turned into something much bigger.

“After she was there for about a year, she and I both decided that I was going to get out of the rat race,” Aaron said. “She loved working with animals and managing the store, so we decided to purchase our own.”

Unlike many franchisees who explore multiple brands before committing, the Gores didn’t shop around.

“As far as why we chose petbar, we are both animal lovers and she just loves working with the dogs every day,” Aaron said. “Neither she nor I had any experience with the franchise model. We made the decision to buy into the franchise and own our own store, but there was no consideration of other franchises.”

For Deann, the petbar model's transparency stood out immediately. “Every time we would take our dog out to a groomer and you drop them out in the front door and don’t know what happens in the back, that always bothered me,” she said. “That is one of the things I fell in love with petbar — it is so open and you know what is going on behind the scenes.”

The brand’s boutique layout — combining professional grooming, bathing and self-wash stations all in one bright, open space — aligned perfectly with what she wanted as both a dog owner and operator.

A Unique Path to Multi-Unit Ownership

The Gores originally had their sights set on building in Prosper. But their expansion path took an unexpected turn.

“Our experience is a little different than most,” Aaron said. “As we were looking for the location to build our store in Prosper, an opportunity came up from an existing franchisee selling their location in McKinney. We purchased that location.”

That McKinney store became their first petbar boutique, and they’ve now operated it for about two years. Deann manages their McKinney location full time — and is preparing to oversee their second boutique in Prosper.

“So far, everything has been going well,” Aaron said. “It’s a pretty stable business. There is not much impact based on the economy. Although it is a luxury, it feels like people don’t stop spending money on their pet’s well-being.”

Now, with their lease signed and construction officially underway in Prosper, the Gores are building the location they initially envisioned from the beginning. From the start, multi-unit ownership was part of their long-term plan.

“We never took our sights off of the original location we wanted to build in and be in,” Deann said. “We considered all along having multiple stores.”

Building Community One Dog at a Time

For Aaron, who has long had an entrepreneurial spirit, owning a petbar represents both freedom and fulfillment. “I’ve been an entrepreneur for most of my career — when I was about 21, I started my first company,” he said. “It’s nice knowing that I’m putting all the time in and it’s going toward my own thing.”

Although Deann handles day-to-day management, Aaron often stops by simply to connect. “Deann manages the store and I love these dogs,” he said. “Sometimes I go in there just to go meet all the different people — I’ve gotten to know tons of our clients.”

That community connection has been one of the most rewarding aspects of ownership.

And as first-time franchisees, the duo say having strong franchisor support has been critical. “We both really enjoy working with the petbar team and love the support they give us,” Aaron said. “They are always available and always willing to help.”

That partnership has given them the confidence to grow. With Prosper set to open in August 2026 and momentum building, the Gores are already thinking ahead.

“Once the new store is up and running, we might consider opening a third location depending on where we are geographically and the expansion of the market,” Aaron said.

From a stay-at-home mom managing a single store to multi-unit operators breaking ground on their second boutique, Aaron and Deann Gore’s journey reflects the scalability and stability of the petbar model. 

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/petbar.