Shuttered dog park and bar in Manayunk will get a new leash on life
Fetch Park, a dog park and bar from Georgia, will open this fall next to the UA movie theater. It's taking over the space previously occupied by Bark Social.
Fetch Park, an Atlanta-based company that combines an outdoor off-leash dog park with a bar for humans, all under one woof (or ruff, take your pick), plans to open its first location outside of Georgia this fall in Manayunk.
Fetch Park, whose debut in 2018 makes it one of the earliest entrants in the dog park-bar space, is taking over Bark Social, which closed in November after a year and a half on a site next to the United Artists movie theater at 3720 Main St. The Maryland-based Bark Social and all five locations filed for bankruptcy protection in December.
At Fetch Park, which has four locations in greater Atlanta, dogs roam free in a off-leash park overseen by “Woof Wardens” while their owners sip craft cocktails and coffee, eat from a Southern-inspired menu, and socialize.
The park will provide dog cooling stations, outdoor TVs, and free Wi-Fi. Access for dogs will be available through daily, monthly, and yearly memberships; rates have not yet been set. Entrance is free for humans, no pup required. Dogs must stay outside, where there is a covered patio in addition to the turf field.
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Founder Stephen Ochs, a sports fan who played baseball at Florida State University, gives all his locations a minor-league baseball vibe.
Ochs told The Inquirer that he got the idea for the business at the BCS college football championship game in 2014 held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., where his alma mater was playing against Auburn.
Before rejoicing in the Seminoles’ 34-31 come-from-behind win on a last-second touchdown pass, Ochs noticed that someone had roped off their tailgate to let their dogs run.
“It was just kind of that light bulb moment,” Ochs said. “My parents were dog breeders, and I was in branding and in communications. I was, like, ‘This is what I was meant to do.’”
Ochs started fund-raising. “I heard ‘no’ from 86 banks,” he said. “Every bank was the same thing: ‘Where are you getting your numbers from because there’s nothing to compare it to?’”
He secured his first location in 2016. It opened in 2018 after obtaining permits, converting an Airstream trailer into a full-service bar.
The Manayunk location, which is already set up to be a combined dog park and bar, will get a spruce-up. It will host weekly events, including trivia, stand-up comedy nights, live music, and bingo.
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Ochs said he had been considering an expansion in the Northeast. “When [landlord] the Penn Group reached out regarding their riverfront property, I immediately came up to visit and fell in love with the walkability and pet-friendly nature of the area,” he said.
Philadelphia also has the Boozy Mutt, an indoor-outdoor dog park and bar, which opened in December 2023 in Fairmount.