Zooming Into February!

💗 Updates from the Zoomies Pack 🐕

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The holidays are officially over, and winter is… well, doing winter things. How did your pups handle the polar vortex?  We survived with lots of “enrichment” activities (translation: trying to keep the dogs from losing their minds indoors). Cabin fever was real.

But hey, we made it through—and now we’ve entered the slightly less cold, but infinitely muddier phase of Chicago winter. Hooray!

Okay, enough about the weather—let’s talk Zoomies.

💰 Investor Conversations Are Heating Up

In January, we started flirting with several investors (yes, we’re calling it that), and things are getting serious with a few!

One of the most exciting things? Every investor we’ve spoken to so far has reached out to us first. That speaks volumes about the demand for a concept like Zoomies.

But we’re not sitting back and waiting—February will be a big month for investor outreach as we work to bring in the right partners to help make this happen.

 🎯Goal: Secure the necessary funding by the end of March. Why?

Because we’re also…

 📍Narrowing Down on a Location

…and we need capital to make it ours.

The #1 question we get is: “Where will Zoomies be?” In a recent video, I shared that we were evaluating five locations—but since then, we've narrowed it down to two.

 🏡One is in Avondale.  🏡One is in Skokie.

Both locations check all the boxes to make Zoomies the ultimate spot for dog parents.

Now, we know some of you will have a strong preference on location—but fun fact: The drive time between these two buildings is under 15 minutes. We checked. Twice. So if you can visit one, chances are, you can comfortably make it to the other!

Here’s what is happening now:

✅Zoning deep dives – We’re wading through regulations, zoning laws, and site requirements.  ✅ Meetings with city officials – We’ve been talking with aldermen, economic development teams, and municipal reps to understand how each location approaches businesses like Zoomies.  ✅ Working with architects & builders – Our team is frequently on-site with us, making sure the space can bring our vision to life.

 🔎Chicago’s zoning process is complex, and we’re pushing it forward as quickly as possible. Skokie has already been incredibly supportive in helping us navigate zoning and regulations.

Of course, there’s always a chance we could hit an unexpected hurdle at either location. So until we’ve officially signed a lease, we’ll continue touring additional buildings. Our ongoing search remains focused on the neighborhoods between Bucktown and Skokie—they're central, highly accessible, and we’re building strong relationships with leadership in these areas.

We’re feeling great about our target locations and hope you do too! By the next newsletter, we hope to have a firmer update—so stay tuned.

📽️ ICYMI: Watch our latest location update video!

🚀 Crowdfunding Relaunch

If you’ve been with us since 2020 (shoutout to the OG Zoomies supporters!), you know crowdfunding has always been part of our funding strategy. But in January, we hit pause to focus on securing a location first.

If you’re wondering why we were advertising before having a location, here’s the deal:

• Selling pre-sale memberships is a form of crowdfunding—people committing early helps prove demand to investors.

• Originally, we wanted to launch the campaign in Winter of 2024 to immediately show investors just how big the appetite is for Zoomies and help secure the remainder of the funding needed.

• But we quickly realized something: Crowdfunding is just as much about celebrating our supporters as it is helping to fund the business. People were excited, but they wanted to know the location first before committing – Makes sense!

• As a result, we decided to put crowdfunding on hold until we’ve secured our location. We want people to participate not just because they’re excited about the concept, but because the location works for them and their pup to regularly enjoy once we’re open.

Now that we’re closing in on a location, we’re gearing back up. February will be all about finalizing the campaign so we can officially launch crowdfunding in March—this time, with a confirmed address.

😃Want a discount when pre-sale memberships go live? Consider becoming a Zoomies VIP member today for early access, exclusive perks, and the best deals on memberships. 

Click to Become a VIP!

 🗓️What’s Next?

Here’s what’s on our radar for the next 60 days:

1️⃣ Secure a strategic investor to close out fundraising. 2️⃣Lock in & announce our official location.  3️⃣Launch crowdfunding.

We’re still on track for a late fall/early winter 2025 grand opening—but as always, timelines depend on hitting our fundraising and real estate milestones. By the end of February, we’ll have a much clearer picture of what’s possible and will keep you in the loop every step of the way.

🐶Thank you for being part of this journey. February is going to be huge, and we can’t wait to share more soon!

Warm regards,

Devon, Matt, & the Zoomies Pack

Ruby and Lily would love to hear from you!

Have suggestions for Zoomies or ideas you’d like to share? Want to get involved in making our dog park the best it can be? Drop us a line—we’re all ears (and wagging tails)! Your input and support are what will make Zoomies truly special. Let’s create something amazing together!

Bark At Us!