They Made the Fun
of Loving Pets Their
Business

Many Brown County visitors are pet lovers. And some visitors are pets, here to shop and have fun with their owners. If you come here in July you might see the Border collie that cruises Nashville in a pink motorcycle sidecar.

Three Nashville shops cater to pet lovers that have a sense of humor and appreciate the "funner" things in life. Finicky Feline features toys for the kitties and whimsical cat lover attire and gifts. Bone Appetit Bakery specializes in natural, fun treats for dogs and cats. J.A.R.'S Pet Palace carries unusual pet products. All three provide items not found in the large pet store chains.

Gracie Johnson, the "purr-prietor" of Finicky Feline, started her business at the Calvin Place complex back in September of 1992. Tired of the corporate routine she endured for twenty years, she searched for a different career. Everything she thought of kept coming back to cats. At the time she was living in Mooresville, but she and her husband Russ often visited Brown County. Nashville seemed like the purr-fect place to open up a shop.

Gracie and Russ invested their life's savings in the shop with the belief that if it didn't work out in a year or so they could pull out. But happily, the business was a success and the two moved to Brown County.

With virtually no retail experience, Gracie operated on her instincts, stocking the items she enjoyed the most. "I have a real sense of whimsy. If you look in the shop you can see that I like humorous and fun stuff. The shop reflects my tastes," she says with a smile.

You'll find jewelry, books, mugs, denim jackets and other clothing, hats, figurines, cat beds, mats, dishes, lamps, some artwork and pottery. She doesn't carry pet supplies except for a pet hair lifter.

Finicky Feline's biggest sellers are shirts and cat toys. "We have some very good cat toys and that was something I had to learn along the way. From the day I opened my doors they said `Where are the cat toys?'" Gracie tests the toys on her own nine cats before she decides which ones to sell.

An album filled with photos of the Johnsons' kitties sits on the counter. Many of those pictures are of Cosmos, a stray that made the shop its home for the past four years. He recently retired from downtown life to the quiet of the Brown County hills. He will be missed by Finicky Feline's fellow cat lovers.

Pet lovers who prefer the canine persuasion should check out the treats and novelties at the Bone Appetit Bakery.

Owner Susan Rice has always been a dog lover. "I can't remember a time when I didn't have a dog. I always thought that people who have dogs share a camaraderie. We live in the city and when we walk our dogs, people will talk to us that ordinarily would not."

Susan saw a piece about the Bone Appetit Bakery franchise on an evening syndicated TV show. She thought, "This looks like fun."

Susan considered locating Bone Appetit in Indianapolis where she owns a travel school business, but chose to startup in Nashville instead. She is familiar with Nashville because she has been coming here since she was a youngster and owns a house in Brown County.

Susan works at the store two days a week and the "other Susan," Susie Prather, manages the store.

Chipper, Susan's black Labrador retriever, came along to keep her company on the rainy February afternoon of our interview. He gets excited as Susan shows me some of her pet items. The Wiggly Giggly ball is his favorite.

About half of Bone Appetit's sales are from the franchise's all natural treats for dogs and cats. In addition to being healthy, the products are fun. Even the names are fun like "Bark-B-Q-Ribs" and "Bite Size Kitties," or "Bite My Hand" (shaped like hands). Your pet can choose from flavors like chicken parmesan and vegetable beef. Susan laughs as she points out the different treats. "Kids will say `Look, Mom. Look at the bagels!'"

Bone Appetit also offers a variety of novelty items. Some of the more popular items are the dog breed picture frames and magnets, college logo doggie attire, Cool Pooch sport water bottles and "no home should be without" a doggie fart extinguisher.

Susan and Susie were surprised to discover how many people travel with their pets. They take a picture of each animal that visits the store. Collages of the more than 600 photos are posted on the outer wall.

Susan enjoys talking with the customers about their pets. "It's a happy place. People love their animals and when they come in here they want to do something nice for their animals."

The store is located behind the Big Foot station at South Van Buren and Washington Streets.

J.A.R.'S (pronounced "jars") Pet Palace is at the other end of town, just off North Van Buren Street. The letters abbreviate the owners names, Jim and Angie Rispoli, and the "S" is for their Siberian husky, Spartan. Their store carries unusual pet products for dogs, cats, birds and even ferrets.

This spring begins their third year of business in Nashville. Before that, Jim and Angie traveled all over the country selling their pet products at shows and festivals.

They are originally from Chicago. Jim was a truck driver for 20 years and Angie managed a maid service. They decided to quit and go on the road to have some fun. "But…" Angie says, "it really was work, a lot of work." They started out by setting up big tents and later bought a concession trailer. She learned to make the hats, bandanas and identification tags.

They expanded their animal clothing line when they opened the shop. Some of the outfits are geared for the season such as Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus suits and Halloween costumes. There are handmade animal sweaters and even bird shirts to protect you from "bird accidents."

The animal lover signs are popular. The yellow diamond-shaped signs can be custom ordered to say something special. The signs sell well at the Internet auction sites and through their own website www.jarspetpalace.com.

Angie tells me there is a growing demand for ferret products. So much so that J.A.R.'S carries ferret spray shampoos, de-wormers, and harnesses.

You'll find other animal supplies like ear mite medicine, flea and tick shampoos and collars, and hygiene products.

This summer J.A.R.'S will sponsor their third "Adopt a Greyhound" event. The Greyhound Companions of Indiana bring dogs to show the public and give out adoption information.

If you can't bring your pet along to shop in Nashville, then bring your pet photos and share your experiences with Jim, Angie, Gracie and the Susans. And if you can't get back here soon enough, you can buy their products by mail order.