Family started store on Amazon opening second in Glasgow

Carla Fornia began selling just 10 products online with her husband, Roberto, in 2020 when she began to see increasing demand for the unique products she was selling.

During a holiday to Italy in 2019, Carla adopted a dog, Freddo, who came home with her to Clydebank but suffered from a variety of conditions having spent time on the street.

Freddo was rescued from Italy and now lives in Clydebank (Image: Supplied) However, incorporating raw feeding into the dog's routine helped massively Carla says, except she found that the food was hard to get a hold of.

Carla explained: "We found this dog in a village in Italy and I totally fell in love with him.

"My little boy was two at the time and every time I was out walking in the pram this dog would follow me and I was like, I can’t leave you.

"So my husband flew home and drove over and got him a passport.

"That was just a couple of months before lockdown and he ended up having really bad allergies having obviously had a bad time on the street.

"He had a lot of ear problems, ear infections, viral infections we couldn't get on top of it. So we started raw feeding, an elimination diet, protein diets but there was nowhere to buy it."

Having seen demand rise and rise Carla made the leap to open a store months after beginning the venture with a unit on Telford Court in Clydebank Business Park.

Inside the store in Clydebank (Image: Newsquest) Her store sells dog toys, pet accessories and food including raw produce as well as housing a unique fitting area and a holistic groomer.

Since then Carla says her family has worked seven days a week to ensure the success of the business as they launch their second store in Glasgow's West End.

The new West End unit is bigger than Carla's first store in Clydebank (Image: Supplied) Carla added: "We have gone from a little store to a big store to a second store.

"We have tried to keep everything Scottish, so we've got messy pups, we've got mucky mats, it was all the Scottish names. People come from all over to see the shop.

"We started with one in Clydebank and then we built another room and then we built another room. So it got bigger and bigger every year and then about 3 months ago, we decided to take it to the West End.

"We have been working seven days a week to get this store ready but it's so worth it, it’s lovely."

Paw Originals will open on Barclay Curle, 739 South Street on Tuesday, December 3.