A friend of mine who owns a lively young Boston Terrier had told me about this store on exclusive Richmond Hill – you pass it as you walk up to visit Richmond Park. So I popped by to take a peek.
The gate at the door and the well-worn wooden floor support her claims that owners are allowed to let their dogs scamper happily about while they shop. It’s interesting décor for a dog shop – there’s a rather grand fireplace (with a dog cushion in front of it of course) and two stunning chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. There’s also a rather large bird cage containing some chirping Lovebirds. You can’t see the modern ice box from the street window. And the walls are covered in grand portraits of much-loved dogs – pet commissions are taken here and there’s a lot of artwork on display.
There’s a good selection of dog goods – food, grooming, beds and lots of collars and leads in smart wooden boxes on the walls. All manner of toys are piled high in baskets arranged in a haphazard way around the perimeter and appeared to me to be dangerously close to chew level. Maybe that’s the plan – fail to remove chosen toy from dog’s mouth and therefore forced to pay for it.
You can see out to the rear of the store – where grooming takes place. And I could see a perky little Highland Terrier running around in the greenery at the back so that says good things about their day care and boarding.
A rather fine purple collar by Oscar and Hooch caught my eye and so did a smart dog bed with a sort of typographical graffiti design. And as I live nearby I was tempted by the various dog outfits bearing the “We love Richmond Rascals” tagline. I’m going to have to get Alfie his own credit card soon.
http://www.richmondrascals.com/
