Dog fancy
It’s B.Y.O.D. at a weekly pet-centered meet-up
By Shaunacy Ferro 07/29/2010
Each week, Kris Dziak hosts a typical neighborhood cocktail party. Friends come over and sit around the kitchen, sipping wine and eating hors d’oeuvres. But a large bag of dog treats on the counter and two stainless steel water dishes on the floor betray who the shindig’s guests of honor are. At Gracie’s Closet, Dziak’s luxury pet boutique, cocktails are actually “cockertails,” and all are welcome — especially with four-legged friends in tow.
The combination pet boutique/art gallery, named after Dziak’s service Great Dane, Gracie, is hidden away in what looks like an average apartment complex in Channel Islands. At first glance, it seems like just a particularly well-decorated home, with a large kitchen surrounding a granite island, where a few women gather around to snack on low-fat smoked Gouda cheese.
But round a corner, and suddenly you’re in Gracie’s territory, surrounded by rhinestone-studded collars, dog snuggies, stuffed toys and pet beds. It is the world of a pampered pooch, with a pink and black princess theme. If your dog needs a toy in the shape of a bottle of Kennel One Vodka, or a “party collar,” this is the place to find it.
Dogs scamper around the dark hardwood floors, wandering behind tables and around the gallery underfoot. Gracie, as tall as the countertop, stands high above the rest, a black and white tower in contrast with some of tonight’s other “guests,” such as a half-blind Chihuahua and a short blond dog sporting a red vest that reads “Pimp.” But while the other dogs climb into laps and stare hopefully at the chips and salsa, Gracie hangs back, shyly sniffing at elbows.
The boutique donates a percentage of its sales to CURE PSP, an organization fighting progressive supranuclear palsy, the degenerative brain disease that afflicts Dziak’s husband. His caregiver uses skills he learned in costume design to make the bejeweled collars sold in the boutique.
But it’s a hard place to find, unless you’re looking for the art gallery, Gallery 28 at Seabridge, or know where you’re going. It’s a hidden treasure, as employee Melissa Alvarez calls it. Even if you’re not in need of any dog accessories, the artwork provides ample reason to wander the halls as you sip your wine. The gallery is currently showing paintings by Jorge Lacoste, a Ventura painter with Parkinson’s disease.
Regulars say the event allows their dogs an opportunity to learn to socialize, as well as giving owners a chance to get out with their pets.
“It’s hard to find a place to take your dogs and have fun,” says 63-year-old Holly Hoberg of Ventura. “I’m hooked. I center my Thursday night around cockertails.”
It’s a low-key event with a welcoming atmosphere, whether you have a Chihuahua or a Rottweiler or don’t bring a dog at all. Breaking the ice is a lot easier when someone’s dog starts climbing up your leg. “Where’s your dog?” they ask.
“Are you going to bring it next week?”
Dziak says that much of the time, the event turns into a sort of potluck, with as many as 15 or 20 dogs running around. The event is free, and all of the boutique’s merchandise is discounted 10 percent for the evening.
“I don’t think I’m making a lot of money at this, but I’m having a lot of fun,” Dziak says.
Cockertails happens on Thursdays, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Gracie’s Closet, 1901 S. Victoria Ave. For more information, call 985-1128 or visit www.shopatgracies.com.
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