May 03, 2025
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Furry Babies closes its doors

By Tara Becker

Two puppies rest in a crib at Furry Babies Inc. in Northland Mall in Sterling. The recently closed business featured puppies in baby cribs and employees in medical scrubs. (SVN file)

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STERLING – Northland Mall shoppers are back to browsing without barking in the background – Furry Babies Puppy Boutique closed Monday, more than a year after opening.

The pricey pooches weren’t selling.

“We weren’t losing money, but we certainly weren’t bringing in a lot of revenue,” owner John Trollinger said. “We just didn’t feel like the store was up to our standards, as far as the company was concerned.”

Sterling was the second in the chain to open; Trollinger also has stores in Peru, Champaign, Bloomingdale, Joliet, West Dundee and Rockford.

Furry Babies features rows of white baby cribs offering a variety of breeds, and upscale accessories. Pet packages, which include microchipping, vet exams, spay or neuter services, rabies shots and puppy behavior plans, can run in the $1,200 to $2,500 range.

Those prices, coupled with competition from Petland on Lincolnway, kept customers away, Trollinger said.

“When Petland closed, we thought business would pick up,” he said. “I just don’t think people in the area have the disposable income like they do in the Chicago area. I just don’t think there is an economy in Sterling for a puppy store.”

The Sterling store, which had four workers left when it closed, brought in $20,000 to $30,000 a month; the West Dundee store, where he works, earns twice that, he said.

Sterling