Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming Now Open In Capitol Hill’s 2025 Litter Of New Pet-centered Businesses

The first Pacific Northwest location of a rapidly growing dog grooming and retail franchise is now open in Capitol Hill’s Harvard Market, the first new retail tenant to open in the shopping center as it transitions from the loss of major longtime tenants at Pike and Broadway.

The opening of Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming and its “luxury spa services, gourmet treats and premium pet nutrition” is also the first since the shopping center anchored by the Broadway and Pike QFC was put on the market by its local ownership for $25 million last year.

Neighboring the center’s  other pet-focused tenant Banfield Pet Hospital, the newly opened shop offers Woof Gang-exclusive treats alongside bathing, grooming, and spa services.

This location is owned by Sanjna Mehta and her husband Anurag Gandhi. The pair has lived in Seattle for five years and found a home on Capitol Hill, embracing its vibrant roots and pet-friendly attitude. “This city really has my heart,” said Anurag. “I absolutely love Seattle, the community, the nature, and the diversity.”

Woof Gang is hoping to be more than just your local pet bakery and groomer. Going into the summer, the store will host a variety of events to engage with the surrounding community, beginning with canine-friendly meetups in Cal Anderson Park. Woof Gang has also partnered with nearby apartment buildings, most recently the Marlborough and Swell Apartments, to put on “Yappy Hours” as they call it.

The store’s Western Washington expansion will not end with Capitol Hill, as another location in Issaquah is on the way. The Seattle owners were happy to work within the franchise model, viewing it as a way to offer the personalized customer service of mom-and-pop shops with the efficiency of a large chain.

“ We’re passionate about what we do,” said Anurag.” We’re really committed to providing an excellent customer experience.”

The Harvard Market shopping has been hard hit by the exit of Bartell Drugs two years ago as the Rite Aid chain has imploded under the weight of massive bankruptcy woes. AT&T closed its Harvard Market store last summer. Earlier this year, city officials opted for a First Hill location, ending plans for a CARE Department crisis responders office in the Harvard Market’s shuttered Chase Bank space.

The center and its street level QFC have also been a focus of public safety concerns centered around street disorder, addiction, and homelessness in the area.

The shopping center’s ownership will be a major factor in winning approval for a proposed Pike/Pine Business Improvement Area that would fund litter and vandalism clean-up in the area through assessments on neighborhood properties.

Woof Gang is hoped to be a small part of a new start for the two-level center and its large parking lot though the Bartell Drugs space remains empty years after the chain’s closure.

Meanwhile, an even larger investment in pet retail is still on track to help be part of reinvigorating activity on another part of the Hill. All the Best tells CHS it is planning a grand opening this summer of its new 4,000-square-foot Capitol Hill store. CHS reported last year on plans for the small Seattle-area chain to put the shuttered E Olive Way Starbucks building back into motion. All the Best says it is preparing for an opening by June or July and work including a new mural by artist Sarah Robbins continues.

Woof Gang is now open at 1422 Harvard Ave on the upper level of the Harvard Market. Learn more at woofgangbakery.com.

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