Meet Reuben & Amber Lara

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Reuben & Amber Lara. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Reuben & Amber, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Amber writes:
Growing up in a household that taught me principled based decision-making in the midst of a loving environment, helped me have confidence at a young age. I’ve come to understand that my self-esteem is derived from the quality of the important relationships in my life, namely: my family, my God and my friends. Being a husband/wife team, taking on an entrepreneurial endeavor can understandably put stress on one’s relationship. But, we make sure to take the time to pause and reset when the business threatens to encroach on the more important things. Self care, spirituality, date nights…they must be scheduled in as a priority, not an afterthought.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

We are Reuben and Amber Lara. We love dogs, we love vintage art, and we love living in beautiful Berkshire County, Massachusetts! So we combined up our interests into an online retail store featuring eco-friendly fashion, dog bandanas, gifts and custom pet art.

Local dog lovers calling our canine-friendly area “The Barkshires” is nothing new, but we felt that there was room to further explore the fun designs that could celebrate this play on words. While our artwork and designs have been inspired by our locale, they resonate with adventure-loving dog owners throughout the nation. All designs are produced by in-house Illustrator/Designer, Reuben Lara, who got his start designing in Hollywood prop-houses in his hometown of Burbank, CA.

As business owners, we wanted to make ethical choices to allow our customers to feel good about purchasing from our brand. We are proud to embrace the use of sustainable and renewable materials in our apparel, totes, pouches and packaging. And, with animals-in-need on the rise since the pandemic, we are pleased to donate a percentage of each t-shirt sale to a local animal shelter in Massachusetts or New York.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Flexibility: One business advisor gave us the excellent advice to be willing to adjust as our vision evolved. Don’t get so stuck on one idea that we miss opportunities to grow in a different and more productive direction.

Teamwork: Respect for, and personal interest in, the people you collaborate with can go a long way. We have found that, even though you will need to protect yourself from some self-centered businesses eager to take advantage of you to make a buck, they are far outnumbered by the hard-working, ethical business women and men looking for genuine collaboration. We are committed to giving new relationships the benefit of the doubt and to always treat fellow business owners with respect. They will work harder for you when you do.

A Sense of Responsibility: We at Barkshire Dog Trading Co. believe that the choices we make as a business can have an impact, for better or for worse. We have been surprised and saddened that so few companies in the retail industry make sustainable practices a priority. It seems that, for many, the bottom line is more important than preserving and protecting the future of our planet. We believe that it’s time to take our heads out of the sand and, wherever possible, make responsible choices.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

Reuben writes,

As a child, my parents did a wonderful job of identifying our interests and encouraging them. When I started drawing as a kid, they looked for opportunities for me to develop my love for art. One day, a young woman was passing out flyers for an after-school art class in her back yard. My mom signed me up, and I spent several years learning from her, starting in fourth grade and well into Junior High school. What my parents didn’t realize at the time, was that she had just graduated from the prestigious Pasadena Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, and had decided to teach her college curriculum to kids! So, as a boy, I remember doing what I now understand to have been college level art exercises: color studies, value studies and advanced mixed-media techniques. Not only did I learn the fundamentals of art theory, but I also learned to be flexible and versatile in my approach to visual communication. She taught me the value of being invested in bringing other people’s ideas to life through art. And those humble beginnings have helped me develop strong relationships with enterprise-level clients such as the Walt Disney Company, the MacArthur Foundation, and various film and television production companies.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://barkshiredog.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barkshiredogtradingco/
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/barkshiredogtradingco/
• Other: TicTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@barkshiredogtradingco

Image Credits

All photos were taken by us.