Yes, New York’s beloved Bodega Cat is internet famous. She has over 400,000 followers on her Instagram account dedicated to chronicling friendly felines who live in street corner delis and act as both exterminators and entertainers. But these aren’t the only animals in the neighborhood small businesses’ homes. A rescue parrot that hangs out with everyone at the liquor store. and a rooster that helps the barber stave off homesickness.
In tough times for small businesses, how to stay a foot (or four) ahead of your competitors is key. And store pets help with that front. They can turn their store into a community fixture. For owners, pets can bring family members to work and help fend off loneliness during the lull during the day. .
“Customers can have unforgettable experiences, and customer interactions can encourage customers to share their experiences on social channels.
The animals in the store have many fans, which gives them a marketing boost, but not everyone is delighted with the birds in Aisle 3. Zhao Social Club, a Brooklyn gift shop that is also home to Gertie the Pigeon “One of my employees is scared of feathers,” she said.
Fausto Stilo Barbershop
Fausto Stilo, owner
Dulce De Leche, Rooster
Roosters have been there since 2000, when Fausto Stilo opened a barber shop in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Each bird, he said, was a tribute to his late brother who raised roosters and gave him his first bird as a child.
Teachers at nearby Charles O. Dewey Middle School 136 use Mr. Stilo and Dulce de Leche as a subject in a class project. “It makes me so happy when my kids come to my window,” said Stilo. “They leave school and come to see the chickens first, or come say hello to me.”
Neighbors also stop by to see his birds. “When a chicken comes and sees it, it gives him a flashback to his hometown,” Stilo said.
Immigrants from all over the world, including his native Puerto Rico, Russia and Poland, told him the animals reminded them of where they came from.
“When they tell me that, it’s like I make their day,” he said.
The world of enchanted birds
Crest Hardware & Urban Garden Center
Owners Joe Francinha and Liza Francinha
pot-bellied pig, franklin
The Crest Hardware & Urban Garden Center in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is a place for animal lovers. and pork Franklin.
“People like to shop where they feel welcome,” said Joe Francinha, who owns the store with his wife, Liza. “They know, ‘Crest loves animals, so he can take the dog out and run errands.'”
And customers love one animal in particular: Franklin.
“He has a strange little cult of customers who like to come into the store to check on him and ask how he’s doing,” said Francinha.
“When we hosted the Crest Hardware Art Show, it was always artwork about hardware or made with hardware. He was a muse to a lot of people.”
Cypress Hills Taxidermy Workshop
John Youngatis, Owner
pablo, milksnake
Sparky, African gray parrot
“Sparky is like my buddy because she talks all day,” John Youngethis said of his pet parrot who spends time with him at his taxidermy studio in Queens. She’s dating me. I work and she sits on my shoulder. So yeah, it’s definitely related.”
Sparky is more talkative than Pablo.
“Snakes are just decorations,” Jangaitis said. “Something exotic and cool, and that’s kind of it.”
Pablo fits in nicely with everything else in the taxidermy. “It’s all natural to me.”
Old Village Wines and Liquor
Owner Eli Massie
9 exotic birds
Eli Mashieh sells wine and liquor from his store in Great Neck, Long Island. He also does parrot rescues from the same location.
Mashieh frequently posts to Craigslist looking for more parrots. My bird is my child and my life. ”
“Parrots are very social and intelligent animals,” he said. “Just like toddlers, they need to be with their owners when they’re awake. This keeps them mentally active and happy.”
He said, “I do bird rescue, so I get to see parrots that are left home alone in cages all day. That’s not what Mashieh does, even in stores.” I don’t put birds in cages, I only use cages when they sleep.
glow coin laundry
Owner Maria Gomez
petra, dove
Petra the pigeon came to Glo Laundromat in Ridgewood, Queens as an injured chick. Now she’s a star.
Juan Carlos Salgado, who works at a laundromat owned by his mother María Gómez, said, “She brought more tourists and customers to our store without realizing she was advertising. Guest visit just to see Petra and take pictures with her.
Gomez is known in her neighborhood as the “Pigeon Lady” and often sends birds for rehabilitation. “I bring pigeons here whenever they can’t fly,” said her son.
Petra “is part of the family. She’s always watching,” Salgado said. “My mother would tell her, ‘If I wasn’t here, Petra, you’d be a business woman.'”
Jao Social Club
Gael Mayron, owner
Gertie, Dove
A white dove outside a gift shop in Brooklyn needed help. Now she is named Gertie and lives in the store.
“I love talking to her,” said Gail Meiron, who owns a shop called Zhao Social Club. “We give her a birdbath. We make sure she’s well fed. She has freedom — she’s not locked in her cage.”
She added, “She looks happy and I just fell in love with her.”
After some research, Mayron learned that Gertie was a type of pigeon bred to be released at weddings and funerals. . “She will be killed outside.”