It was in 1986 when Charlene Woodward saw the need for a retailer in Seattle that catered to customers looking for unusual books. The budding entrepreneur founded Direct Book Service.
Little did Woodward know then that her new business would eventually go to the dogs.
Woodward soon discovered it was very difficult to find high-quality books for clients looking for specific information about dogs. Seeing a potential niche market, she decided to start selling dog books at dog shows across the region.
It didn’t take long for customers to begin asking how they could buy dog books between scheduled dog shows, so Woodward designed a simple catalog and orders soon started rolling in. The business gradually began a new chapter as a mail order company, and changed its name to Dogwise. Charlene’s husband, Larry, joined the growing company and serves as its president.
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