Follow Your Nose

Trinity de Guzman

2024-04

Very expensive for a below average haircut. The last couple times I brought my dog here, the trimming around the body has been messy. The fur below his stomach was cut straight across, as opposed to around his body. The fur on his front legs looked untouched and still long. The fur on his back was cut too short where it would stand up. This is to name a few of the problem areas. On their website, they advertise having groomers trained in breed specific cuts, but their work shows otherwise.

Ingrid Perlongo

2024-03

I really appreciate the store employee going above and beyond to check about a specific item despite being busy multitasking. Exceptional service!They also have some adorable pet themed merchandise such as mugs, cards and picture frames.

allison newman

2024-01

Worked here for a small amount of time, and boy did I dodge a huge bullet. Was told upon hiring I was going to be paid a fair and living wage and that I would be doing two separate jobs (which I requested, I wanted to be both upstairs work and dog grooming side of things as to give myself balance.) ramie said and I quote “we have dogs every day lined up for you to work on.” Which in their mind is maybe 2 to 4 dogs max. Sometimes a bit more sometimes a bit less but not enough to really maintain a business. Not even two days in I’m told that “I’m too anxious and stressed, and the customers won’t like me.” This is something I’m pulled aside for and am confused about as I keep things only business at work, but Ramie goes in and in about how life is so hard for her and how her illness is such a burden and I state that I sympathize with her (out of common courtesy and empathy) and she tells me it’s not my business to ask her any questions about it (don’t know where that came from) but not wanting any more trouble I let it go. So they place me only in the grooming salon part, which still interacts with customers, mind you. Weeks of barely any activity or work and I get out most days early, which I don’t necessarily mind but that’s not enough to live off of. After about two months of two weeks of work I get only around $400 sometimes a bit more but not enough. And it kills me inside and makes me jaded. Tips that I’m physically handed I’m told that I’m not allowed to have and forced to give to cashier which I would understand if I wasn’t service based. But I never received that money to my knowledge. Upon asking the boss for a fair living wage or that I would half to start looking elsewhere within a few weeks, in front of my coworker while I am waiting for them, I’m told by Dave (other employee, Ramies husband who gets paid in “Dave bucks”) “Ramie said you are leaving” and when I ask what he means, he says something very unsavory which I won’t say because it really hurt me but also it was very racist, and to pack up all my stuff but he does it while my coworker is using the blow dryer so they don’t end up hearing anything. And when I ask him why he couldn’t just have a regular private conversation in a respectful way, he says “my work is terrible and that I take too long.” And when I question him again on my pay he says “we aren’t going to pay you that” and tries to force me out. Ramie also had a conversation with my coworker instead of me about my request and my coworker thankfully shared this information with me. But no two weeks, no adult to adult conversation, just lies and excuses that are followed by betrayal. Don’t work here, don’t even shop here. They don’t care.

Anna Tirman

2023-12

Very friendly and helpful staff! They have healthy quality food as well as treats and toys for your pet. I won’t go anywhere else to buy for my dog.

Jenna Krabacher

2023-10

First of all this store is one of the best pet stores I’ve ever found and I make it a point to go to the local spots whenever we travel (which is a lot) and they are killing it. Could not find one toy/treat/good I wouldn’t let me dog have and/or eat and I am super picky. Also I came looking for a very specific toy and the gentleman working there helped me dig through the toy bins and he found it! Then I had to come back the next day and bring my puppy because I had seen what I thought would be the perfect snow suit. Different gentleman working and he was a gem too!! Helped us try the snowsuit on and he helped us find and fit boots for our baby girl. We come up to Chicago at least once a year and we will definitely be back! This store is fabulous; thank you so much for providing such great service to the community and visitors!

Kathy

2023-05

I dropped in yesterday and was so impressed with the selection and service! I have a cat with oral cancer and want to treat him to some high-quality pates, and the person working was very knowledgeable and helpful. They carry a lot of brands that I haven't seen in other chain pet shops and they seem high quality! My cat liked them. I'll probably bring my dog sometime too. I was pleased with everything here; a little pricey, but not bad for a specialty pet supply store! I saw some low reviews of their pet care services, and I can't speak to that. I just know that I got what I needed and was really happy!

Samantha Brown

2023-07

I really loved this place. They share a space with a candle/soap business and its all so well put together. I was pleasantly surprised by the cat section. There were so many brands and types of foods and treats. The employee, who said she was new, was so helpful and patient with out questions. Overall I would highly recommend this place for anyone looking for high quality foods for their pet.

Diana M

2023-05

I love shopping here! It's such a fun combination of a pet store (Follow Your Nose) and a Natural beauty products store (The Alchemist's Wife). I love to pick up a treat for myself while also shopping for my pets. Do note that each of the 2 shops checks out at a separate register.

Rayne D.

2023-05

A great small biz that has high quality pet food at good prices. I really appreciate how friendly the staff is, they've really been helpful with finding something my picky cat likes. And I love that I can get myself a bath bomb when I'm getting my cats a treat too.

Andrew Breen

2022-05

We've been using Follow Your Nose since 2016 in two different condos. We use them 5-8 times a year and they are always consistent and reliable. As promised, the caring pet sitters spend time with our cats and journal their time with them. These are the first sitters we ever hired and we can say with fidelity that we trust Follow Your Nose! We are currently moving to a neighborhood further away, so we're super sad to be leaving them -- they have been so good to us!

Sam Hayat

2021-05

I absolutely love the products in store and supporting small Evanston business! My only complaint is the woman in charge. All of the other employees are sweet, kind, and helpful but this woman is extremely rude. She yells at her staff while there are customers in store and constantly gives unsolicited advice about my dogs. I would still shop here though to support small business and just do your best to ignore the woman! Oh and the DOG GROOMING!!! The woman who does this is an absolute sweetheart and my dogs love her even though she has the clippers! She does an amazing job, just be sure to call ahead and make sure she's working!

Joseph Kaczmarski

2020-05

I agree with all the 1 star reviews for this place, and if I could go lower I definitely would. I was really excited to know we had a local pet shop in the area that provided dog walking services because we are generally purchasing items and needing regular dog walks, but Follow Your Nose was awful and rude. Having just moved to Illinois from California, where we used a regular dog walker for years and our dog never had a single issue with the few walkers she had over the years. Follow Your Nose walkers were clearly unprofessional and untrained because they REQUIRED the dog be locked in area where the dog couldn't hide. Seriously?!?!?!? I shouldn't have to curtail my dogs well-being to cater to their untrained dog walkers.We also called to request services by leaving a message after hours. We didn't receive a call back, our card was charged before services were supposed to be rendered, and they refused to refund us. On top of that, the woman in charge was extremely rude. I am shocked that a small business owner would be so blatantly rude to customers, even worse local customers. Isn't small business supposed to thrive on their customer service? Never gain will I use them for dog walking or purchase anything from this store.The response from the owner is full of lies to seem like their dog walking service is somehow acceptable. Nippy dog? No. Terrible dog walker, yes. Happy with the service? Absolutely not. I clearly knew you were stealing from your customer? No. Happy that I was forced to spend money in your stuff because all I could get was a credit from services never used? No. Rude and unprofessional? Thousand times yes.

J Adams

2020-05

We've been using Follow Your Nose since we moved to Evanston. Ramie and her staff are incredibly knowledgeable about petcare and our kitties needs. We are also grateful for their home care when we are away knowing our fur babies are well loved. Completely forgot to mention they have home delivery available as well. There are many days I'll call and order our pet food and it is my counter when I get home at the end of the day. Follow Your Nose is a wonderful store to have in our neighborhood.

Nora Dunn

2022-05

I shop here for my dog and myself because I’m religious about Ramie’s organic essential oil skin creams and soaps. My dog loves Ramie and turns into a toddler at a toy store every time we’re in the shop, which is often. Everything sold for dogs here is good for them.

Jason Drago

2019-05

Was not a good experience. Owner was quick to debit our account and then after we cancelled service I couldn’t get her on the phone for a weekTrying to get my key back.she said she would mailIt but it was obvious she had no intention to do it quickly. We felt their service was below par and slightly over priced. We had one incident were we felt our dog did not get walked on a two visit walk day and also felt like our dog did not get feed once as well. She also won’t give us s refund on services we did not receive she said we were owed a refund.

Mary Dudek

2021-05

My visits here have been very remarkable. The owner Ramie really cared about my cat's situation and wanted to help me find solutions. She was knowledgeable, having clearly done a lot of research. I've been back several times and she has helped even more. My cat is very happy with her services!!

Larissa Buchholz

2022-05

DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING FROM THIS STORE. YOU WILL NOT GET ANY REFUNDS, EVEN IF THE PRODUCTS NEVER REACH YOU AND THE STORE HAS RECEIVED THEM BACK. I just learned that this store does not offer any returns on delivery orders during the pandemic. In contrast to all online orders I did with Amazon and other businesses in this time. As soon as you pay, you implicitly agree to this regulation which she writes about. "The pandemic & lockdowns required us to change our policy which stopped all returns due to safety concerns. This is on your receipt, clearly posted on our website and in our store. You were told this a year ago." No other store has these safety concerns, but no other store is also profiting from customers that lose products when they are returned to the store. The owner now threatens me with a restraining order. Please read the review by Anthony C to understand how rude this owner is. I do not have to add anything. STAY AWAY. IF MORE CUSTOMERS REALIZE HOW THIS STORE WORKS THEY WILL SAFE MONEY AND NERVES.BEWARE OF ONLINE ORDERS OR DELIVERY ORDERS WITH THIS SMALL BUSINESS. I lOST NEARLY 200 USD with this business without ever receiving the products. What are the problems?1. They have a clause in their delivery contracts that denies any returns/refunds. Something that would never happen if one orders with other, bigger businesses with online/delivery service.2. The products never reached me, but were returned to the store. I thus claimed refund for the payment, because I did not receive the products and the store got the products back. The store has denied refund for nearly a year now (since June 2020), with the assertion it still needs its own mailing refund from USPS. Something that would never happen if I had ordered with bigger online delivery services. I just now got refund for products that got lost in the mail from AMAZON, including mailing fee. Proof can be provided.3. As USPS never issued a refund for nearly half a year, I requested to get refund at least for the products until they run out of date. Something that I experienced as normal practice with other, bigger online delivery services. The store-owner denied that, saying that she cannot give me a refund for the products at all, since she wants to wait for USPS refund. She also added that she wants to listen to USPS and not open the mailing box, despite me telling her, as the actual customer, to open the box. I told her we do not need to wait for the USPS refund, and that I need the money at least for the products. She never bothered to respond.4. My first phone call got interrupted - the owner said she has other clients - not realizing apparently that I was a client too. Afterwards, she said I should not call again, because I would be "abusive". This how you get rid of customer communication when you simply do not want to deal with them. Email also does not work, since the owner ignores them. Overall, I never ever experienced this kind of cusomer care with any of the bigger delivery online services.I have now disputed the transaction with my credit card company. Afterwards, I will bring up the issue to a claims court. I am writing thisreview in the meantime to warn other customers of such problematic business practices. The business has now both my money, and the products that I had ordered, and it does not care. If you read other negative reviews, especially on Yelp, you will understand that I am not a singular case. BE CAREFUL. DON'T TRUST

brad fox

2019-05

used them for dog walking and did not like their policy of paying for the month BEFORE service is performed. also they add 3% to cc payments so we started leaving checks but they had rules on that too. their walkers were reliable but their accounting system was flawed and confusing. I had to beg for months to get past and monthly statements. they credit for cancelled days in the following month, so you are never sure what payments are for or credits. they also changed pricing on us 3 times with out any notice. search YELP and get many more reviews too. we stopped their service after months of frustration and they would not refund us for days in the prior month that we paid for...they said read the contract! i would call dave with a question and he would tell me that he would ask ramie and she would call me and she NEVER did. they seem understaffed and need a professional accountant.

Caryn Weiner

2018-05

If there was a way to give negative stars I would. One star is too many. I brought my 14 year old trusting and easy going Boston Terrier into the shop for the first time today for a nail trim. I have been feeling sick all day about what I put my poor dog thru there.After Dave took my dog down to the basement I asked to use their restroom. As I was being led down the stairs, I heard my dog cry out in pain. He was on the table with his head held tightly by that noose groomers use. He was shaking and panting and Dave was standing over him with bloody paper towels trying to stop the bleeding. He cried out again but I figured Dave was a pro and knew what he was doing. As I went up the stairs my dog cried out again. I was shaking but didn't know what to do and went and sat in the car while my husband waited for our dog. I know that a quick can be nicked by accident by the most experienced groomers or vet techs and I expected to see at least some nails nicked based on the crying, shaking, bloody paper towels, and length of time that it took Dave. Whenever our vet or dog sitter cuts our dogs nails, he sits in their laps and it takes a couple of minutes for them to trim all 4 paws. No shaking, crying, panting. He completely cooperates.When my husband brought our little guy out to the car, I was horrified by what I saw. Each and every nail was cut shorter than I have ever seen. Clearly each quick had been cut thru. Dave clearly had no idea what he was doing and tortured my poor dog. Now I know what took him over 30 minutes...he was trying to stop all the nails from bleeding. It's common knowledge that one should always cut just beyond the quick but never into it. In black nails it's harder to see the quick, so that's why groomers cut little by little, to be able to see when they are close to the quick. Most of my dogs nails are white and the quick is easy to see. The way to get a quick to shrink back is to cut the nail back regularly - never should that quick be cut on purpose. My dog is limping and licking his paws and we are now concerned about infection. My normally totally cooperative dog will not let us near his paws. I can't imagine the pain he endured today. Obviously, we will never be going back to Follow Your Nose and I will feel awful forever that I allowed this to happen to my 14 yr old sweet trusting dog. And, I would like to warn other pet owners not to let this happen to their beloved pets either.

Ann Tennes

2013-05

What a terrible experience! I ordered dog food from this store for my older dog, and after two weeks of promising they would deliver it, told me that they were sorry, but they could not get it from the manufacturer. This was after two weeks of me calling to check on the order and receiving promises that it would be delivered in a day or two. What's worse, the owner's husband had an attitude about it and took no responsibility for the fact that they had jerked us around for two weeks and now had an emergency need for this particular type of dog food that our pet has eaten exclusively for five years. Poor, poor customer service - particularly from someone with an ownership interest (at least by marriage) in a business.

Katie Me

2020-05

The owner was friendly and helpful but also gave me space to look around. I bought some gorgeous and fragrant soap to give as a gift. Prices are high-ish but not too high for the locally made product you purchase.

Paul Owen

2020-05

I am a dog walker and trainer. A client had certain dietary needs for there pets. Called this store as they had good reviews and to make sure they had the items i needed as they are 30 minutes out of my way. I got to a person who seemed bothered to speak with me and after my 2nd question said she was "too busy to deal with me and i could come to there store".... well i never will after this experiance and will be taking my buisness elsewhere.

Judy Washer

2020-05

There are so many unique finds at this store.There are many Pet items I haven’t seen anywhere else.Along with their Apothecary section!!!!They have beautiful soaps and wonderful candles and scrubs !!I love this store !

LaNette Urbin

2019-05

This is a wonderful place to find everything your pets need. The owners are very knowledgable about pet nutrition and are more than happy to work with you and help you find exactly what you want and need. I feel like every time I go I receive individual attention and help.

Soumik Chaki

2019-05

Boutique pet store for dogs and cats. They have all possible kind dog and cat food in their collection. When you swing by don't forget to checkout their Alchemist's Wife collection.

Morey Burnard

2021-05

Great selection of amazing treats and toys for your pet. They also sell scented candles and soaps. Cool shop!

Jean Fujita

2020-05

Raimi is the only person able to help us find the right food for our dog’s chronic stomach issues. She has great insights!

Tara Shanahan

2022-05

I would not recommend this place they cut my cats nails way too short one was bleeding. This has never happened to my cat at any other groomer.

Gail Horvath

2022-05

Wonderful, hometown store with great advice and pet products! Love the staff and great grooming services, too.

Sarah Davies Page

2020-05

Friendly people with a nice selection of treats. My dog is constantly trying to trick me into going there for a snack.