When calling to order a birthday cake from Cones and Bones of Lansing, you have to be specific on whether it’s for a person or a pet! The one-of- a-kind service, catering to both man and his best friend, has proven to be the key ingredient to success. “We provide ice cream, custard and frozen yogurt for our two-legged friends and nonfat, nondairy ‘sundaes’ and other gourmet treats for their 4-legged counterparts,” says Jim Byrnes, owner of Cones and Bones.

The idea of a combination human-doggie ice cream shop came to light six years ago, when Byrnes was looking for a second career. After retiring from Michigan State University after 26 years, he knew he wasn’t ready for taking it easy. “I was always a highly motivated individual enjoying what I did and the people I worked with, but I wondered what it would be like to be my own boss.” Byrnes’ background was in food service. “It’s all I’ve ever known,” he says. But picking exactly which “food” he would offer would become the real challenge.

He eventually zeroed in on ice cream and began to do his homework on whether the idea would fly. “Everybody I talked to said they doubted a simple ice cream shop would succeed,” he says. “They recommended that I take the typical approach of adding another line of products, like pizza.” Byrnes wasn’t so convinced. He searched for months to find that unique gimmick that would generate interest in his business.

He ultimately found it--inspired by his best friend. “My dog loved Frosty Paws,” he remembers. “I thought, I can do something like that!” Byrnes then searched pet boutiques and bakeries to see what was being offered. “I wanted to know where the land mines were so I didn’t have to find them myself,” he jokes. “I found nothing like it around, though.” But finding no way to gauge the potential of the idea on the market didn’t deter Byrnes’ enthusiasm. “I didn’t know if a human-doggie ice cream shop would work, but I didn’t know it wouldn’t…so I decided why not try?”

Byrnes says he knew he had to have more than a gimmick to draw customers. “As an independent you don’t have the securities of the large corporations. If you’re gonna’ get some attention, you need a good product to back it up.” In addition to the ice cream, Byrnes decided to make his own frozen custard on site. “I wanted something I could put my label on—I made that!” He says he then decided on the more important aspects of the menu—how to make a treat to offer Fido.

“If not for the bones part of the equation, I wouldn’t be there in the first place. It’s the dog treats that bring folks in from all over.” Byrnes says a young couple from Washington, D.C. made a stop in with their two dogs on a trip to Alaska. “They found us online and decided to make a side trip to Lansing to get some ice cream for themselves and some dog treats for their pets!” Byrnes admits that doesn’t happen all the time, but says it shows the store’s uniqueness can draw customers from all over the country.

Byrnes also talked to friends about the location of the business, but the advice there did not prove as helpful. “I was told that if I locate near a school or athletic location I’d get the majority of my business from them.” Waverly High School is just a quarter mile down the road, yet to date, Byrnes says he hasn’t gotten any business from them. “If kids have money, they’re more likely to want pizza. It’s actually young families who have ended up driving our business.”

Located on Elmwood Boulevard across from the Meijer store on Saginaw Highway, Byrnes admits Cones and Bones could have done better if on the main street, but says bringing a human-animal eatery onboard made a lot of landlords nervous. “People and animals actually eat in the same building and that opens up all sorts of health and liability issues.” He credits a liberal interpretation of the business code for allowing the store to even open. “It was OK as long as the two areas were physically separated, and we were planning to do that anyway,” Byrnes says. He admits he’s a bit surprised at how close he came to being denied his dream. “In some communities it’s still legal to have proven carcinogens from smoking in the air while people are eating, but if a dog is on the premises, it’s like dealing with the bubonic plague!” The 800-square-foot facility houses four doghouses for the animals and a separate seating area for the people. The area is closed off to keep barking down.

Byrnes says sometimes the store is too big for his customers’ needs, but other times it’s too small. Despite that, he’s not making any plans in the near future for expansion. “There are weeks we do a lot of business, then others when—if we didn’t sell the doggie treats—we wouldn’t do any business.” He says that’s the good thing about not offering perishable food like pizza or hotdogs. “If we sell stuff, that’s great. If not, no problem. We just put it away for the next day. There’s no waste or losses.”

Byrnes says the future of the business will determine whether it withstands the test of time. “I never would have believed five years ago that General Motors would have gone bankrupt; 100 percent of our dollars are discretionary. You need food and rent. You don’t need ice cream.” But if a customer named Callie is any indication, Cones and Bones will be around for a long time. Callie is a golden retriever and comes in to celebrate her birthday every Memorial Day. She also brings along at least two dozen of her favorite two-legged friends. Byrnes says the store isn’t just a human-animal shop, it’s a family-owned store designed to cater to families. “If some of them include four-legged members, we can serve them, too.”

Another indication of the store’s success is what has become a tribute to customers. “We started taking pictures of the animals that came in and hung them on the wall. Now all the walls are covered.” Byrnes assures all of his customers that the tribute will continue. “As long as folks want the pictures up, we’ll find a way to make it happen.”