Animal Friends of the Valleys

RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA (Press-Enterprise) - Americans spent $50.96 billion on their pets last year, according to industry statistics, and they are expected to spend even more in 2012.

The operators of a southwest Riverside County nonprofit organization are hoping local pet owners will spend a few of those dollars where they will benefit local shelter animals.

Rascal’s Boutique, a pet supply store, opened in February in the lobby of the Southwest Communities Animal Shelter at 33751 Mission Trail in Wildomar. The store is staffed by volunteers and carries basics such as pet food, shampoo, chew toys and cat boxes, as well as designer collars, froufrou outfits for dogs, wrought-iron pet beds and other less-than-essential items.

Willa Bagwell, director of Animal Friends of the Valleys, the nonprofit organization that operates the shelter, said she hopes people who adopt a shelter pet will buy some of their supplies there, too.

“People go all out for their pets,” said Priscilla Harris, one of a handful of volunteers who work in the boutique.

Why not spend the money in a place where it will benefit shelter animals, she said.

“I’d rather give them my money than Walmart and all those places,” Harris said. “It’s not too big,” she said of the boutique, “but it’s got cute things.”

The shelter was bustling Friday afternoon, but traffic in the store was sparse.

Jennifer Whitney, 26, of Murrieta, said she was surprised to find a cute pet store at an animal shelter. She bought food and toys for her dog.

“Anything that can help a nonprofit organization,” she said.

Bagwell said the inventory has come from a variety of sources, including donations and discounted purchases from stores that were going out of business.

For now, proceeds are being used to stock the boutique shelves, Bagwell said. Eventually she hopes the store will help fund Animal Friends programs such as the spay and neuter clinic.

In the meantime, they are learning the ins and outs of retail, Bagwell said. They already have had a few shoplifters, she said.

Animal Friends isn’t the first shelter in the area to open a retail store. The San Diego Humane Society and SPCA has Muttique shops at its Oceanside and San Diego locations.

And the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center (formerly the Riverside Humane Society) in Riverside has the Critter Corner pet supply store.

Executive Director Denise Perry said Critter Corner opened four years ago with the new adoption center. The main objective is to give people who adopt pets there a “one-stop shop” for necessary supplies, she said.

Perry said the center faced a learning curve in operating a retail store. It’s easy to go overboard ordering inventory, she said. After a few years, they have learned what sells and what doesn’t, scaling back to focus on basics.

“We don’t make a ton of money off of it,” she said, “but every little bit helps.”

Copyright 2013 Press-Enterprise   (Copyright Terms)
Updated 415 days ago   Article ID# 1532529

Animal Friends of the Valleys    Visit Website

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