Home > The M.O. > Archives > 2009 > January > 07 > Entry
Your A-List: Best Pet Store
With 38 percent of the vote, relative newcomer Lofty Dog in the 2nd Street District, is considered the cat’s pajamas by you, the readers. Lofty Dog (get it? you put your animals on a pedestal and live in a loft) caters to the recent urbanites who have moved downtown, along with office workers looking to walk to buy pet food, thereby saving them a stop on their drive home.
Owner Veronique Michalik eventually grew tired of the land development business she’d worked in for years, and decided she wanted to own a pet store. She called up her sons, got the family on board, and opened Lofty Dog in September of 2007. The business is truly family-owned and operated, with Michalik and her two sons, Colin and Ian (along with Ian’s girlfriend), serving as the stores only employees.
The light, airy and decidedly un-doggy-smelling store carries a host of premium and natural dog and cat foods, along with toys, treats, clothes (UT or rhinestone-studded jumper for your pug, anyone?) and petphemera. As an added bonus for those living in the 01-05 zip codes, the store also delivers pet food and hopes to expand its in-store services to include grooming and daycare in 2009.
Beyond offering all of your necessary and unnecessary but oh-so-adorable pet gear, Lofty Dog also sponsors meet-ups and events, such as this Thursday’s “Poochinis,” an evening that includes manicures for the dogs and Tito’s martinis and Z Pizza for their owners. Oh, downtown, is there anything you can make hip (or add booze to)?
Lofty Dog
403 W. 2nd St.
476.5050
(Free two-hour parking available in the City Hall garage)
Hours
Monday - Saturday: 10:00 am - 7:00 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Others receiving votes
- Bark ‘n Purr, 27 percent
- Tomlinson’s, 15 percent
- Herpeton, 4 percent
- Rivers & Reefs Pet Center, 4 percent
- Gallery of Pets, 3 percent
- Just for Pets, 2 percent
- Zookeeper Exotic Pets, 2 percent
- River City Aquatics, 1 percent
- Bark ‘n Bubbles, 1 percent
- Amazonia, < 1 percent
- Aquatek, < 1 percent
- K9Lives, < 1 percent
- Partners, < 1 percent
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