Top Dogs
Zoomies Offers High Style for the Four-Legged Set
By CHRIS SCHMIDT
"I always wanted to bring my dog to work, and now I can," said Susan Bartholomew, coowner of Zoomies, the pet store she recently opened in the West Village. Ms. Bartholomew, 46, and her partner, Angelique M. Graux, 35, bring their extremely wellgroomed pooch, Chouchou, into the store every day, where it's dog heaven for the Yorkie, whose shaggy ears perk up at every toy squeak and who makes nice with the various pets that pull their owners into the store.
Ms. Bartholomew, the former vice president of retail for Christian Dior Couture (where one imagines the patter of little dog paws was indeed taboo) and Ms. Graux, a native Parisian, bring their respective strengths to the table -- so there's a wonderful mix of the upscale and the bohemian to the shop, which lies between Leroy and Morton streets. Merchandise ranges from trendy pet carriers to organic dog treats to rhinestone-studded cat collars. And the owners are extremely friendly, offering dog biscuits to the various pooches that wander by.
"It's about creating a community," Ms. Bartholomew said. Ms. Graux added: "We want to appeal to the dogs as much as to the humans." Indeed, a small corgi named Betty wandered in during our early morning interview for a treat, and another dog pulled at her leash to gain entry into the shop. "We imagine the dogs having conversations at the dog run," said Ms. Graux, referring to the Carleton Dog Run just a few blocks away. "What type of biscuit did you eat, when are you going to take your human there next?"
Zoomies' biscuits ($12.99 a pound) are specially made for the store by a local baker, in flavors ranging from apple-cinnamon to liver. Dog cookies ($2.25) come in shapes like the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower. Another baker provides the organic biscuits, and the owners themselves bake special frosted pet "cakes" -- which look more like cookies -- and can be personalized with a pet's name.
Other standout products are the fashionable pet carriers. The store stocks a number of options from the pet-product design company Celltei that resemble Manhattan Portage backpacks and range from $75 to $190. More chichi carriers come from PetTotes ($90-$270), in a red leather roll and various Prada-esque bowling-bag-styles. "It's important to carry a lot of different price points," said Ms. Bartholomew, her fashion background revealing itself. And you can find various squeaky pet toys, such as a catnip mouse and a G.O.P. elephant ($10) -- just in time for the Republican convention -- for sale in the lower digits. There is also a corner of the shop called "the pet spa," but these products, such as the dog and cat shampoo and pet perfume, are as much for owners' comfort as for pets. Zoomies, it must be noted, doesn't smell like a pet store, partly because Chouchou is kept immaculately groomed using the store's products; the owners also burn a figscented candle ($28) during store hours. "Maybe people come in for their pets, and come out with something for themselves or their kids, too," Ms. Bartholomew said.
For example, one customer recently came into their shop and loved the pet beds ($145, $165, and $185 for small, medium, and large) which Ms. Bartholomew designs using durable, non-fading Sunbrella fabrics. The man liked the beds so much he used them as cushions for a couple of Adirondack chairs at his beach house. A number of "educational" pet toys double as children's toys. And Zoomies also offers T-shirts ($25) and tank tops emblazoned with its charming graphic logo and baseball T-shirts that come with matching dog-andcat tees ($20). What could be more soigné than pet and owner wearing matching outfits?