March 3, 2004

Stores share Lincoln Avenue address
Dog boutique, things for the home—two stores, one shop

By Carol Rosen
Editor

Lincoln Avenue is going to the dogs—not in the traditional sense, but with a new boutique especially for dogs that celebrates its grand opening on March 13. And, the store is sharing space with Seasons in the Glen, a new idea that is boosting the economy for both shops.

Seasons in the Glen has been run for nearly two years by Irma Garcia. The store offers items for the home, candles, dishware, garden accessories and art works of various kinds. Seasons has taken over the right hand side of the shop to make room for Gussied Up Dog Boutique on the left. A unique idea in today’s economic malaise, customers are finding things on both sides of the store for their homes and their dogs while the owners share low overhead and have some room to grow.

Recently, Shoni Kern from Los Gatos, came to the store to buy items for her dog and while there also found some unique candles for her home.

Kimberly Lipsett, who runs Gussied Up with her husband Robert, has a miniature pinscher they rescued living with them in their Willow Glen home. The dog boutique is named after their dog Gus, whose framed photo sits on an easel near the cash register. The Lipsetts both have other jobs, although Kimberly is now working part time in the shop. Her cousin, Jennifer Slocum, a recent graduate from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo with a major in animal science, helps staff the boutique.

The idea for a dog boutique came from Kimberly and a friend who has a Maltese. “We were looking for cute dog outfits and couldn’t find things we liked,” said Kimberly. So she and her husband decided to open a boutique. Choosing to share retail space with another store allowed “us to introduce the boutique to the avenue. “We want to succeed and the low overhead and room to grow” is a great way to start, she added.

The dog clothes are unique offering a variety of styles. The shop also offers other doggie duds such as bone shaped towels and lines of sweet smelling—to humans anyway—grooming products. Other items include collars, leashes, leads, brushes, beds, toys and treats. The treats are different from those in most other dog stores, with tooth-brush shaped chlorophyll treats to clean teeth and get rid of ‘dog breath’ and a number of organic, but tasty—according to my dog—healthy snacks.

There’s also a “barkery” filled with incredible looking doggie pastries. These treats, which run $1.90 to $3, appear to be yummy people desserts with chocolate (carob) and raspberry sauce and “whipped cream.” They are actually dog friendly treats that just look like people pastries. My dog devoured the best of show, which is a brownie-sized Napoleon-like treat with several layers of “whipped cream” sandwiched between pastry.

Dog owners are welcome to bring their pets to Gussied Up for treats. The dogs will be especially welcome on Saturday, March 13, when the store celebrates its grand opening from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., “with special treats for dogs,” said Kimberly.

Gussied Up Dog Boutique is located at 1310 Lincoln Avenue, phone (408) 279-2229. A Web page currently is being designed. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Seasons in the Glen also is located at 1310 Lincoln Avenue, phone (408) 292-0333. It is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.