Alpine Shop

December 28, 2014 Joelle Hahn

Hi there! Jackie here. The canine voice behind the duo that is the Eat, Drink, Be Hairy blog. I write this blog along with my Humom (Human Mom), Joelle.

Shopping on the down-low. — Shopping on the Down-Low

When you think of torture, does shopping the day after Christmas come to mind? Rest assured you are in good company. The torture is real for me, also.

But the promise of sales on December 26 lures Humom to the Alpine Shop (440 N. Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood, MO 63122 | 314-962-7715), and she had decided I must come along. She had seen a beautiful, well-behaved German Shepherd at the store on her previous visit, but didn’t want to assume dogs are welcome. The Alpine Shop is, in fact, “definitely” dog-friendly, as Humom was told when she called the store prior to our visit.

Perhaps you have a gift card burning a hole in your pocket. Perhaps you have a return. Perhaps Santa didn’t quite deliver. Whatever your reason for venturing into retail hell, whatever your reason for joining in the infinitely long “returns” line, you are not alone. December 26 is the second biggest shopping day of the year, with Black Friday taking the top prize.

But, as it turns out, the Alpine Shop was not torture. There was no endless “returns” line, as is typically present at other stores after the holidays. Customers were shuffling about, shopping the after-Christmas sales. They were not returning thoughtless gifts, purchased at the last minute from, perhaps, convenience stores. They seemed to be gifting themselves. Not torturing themselves.

And it definitely was not torture for me. As I lazily sprawled in front of the store’s Christmas tree while Humom shopped for a treat for me in the doggy section of the store, a friendly employee commented that they “love” Pit Bulls at their store, a welcomed reaction considering the unfair bad rap we sometimes are forced to endure. Another employee was overheard informing a customer of the store’s dog-friendly status, after the customer noticed me exiting the restrooms with Humom. Never one to pass up a treat, I gladly accepted a small doggy treat pulled from the pocket of yet another employee – presumably a reward for my laziness, cleverly disguised as respectable behavior.

In the end, my laziness was rewarded with a Snowball chew toy. It is sure to go nicely with the new bed I received for Christmas, which I certainly will not be returning.

~ Jackie Brown

The Alpine Shop has been locally owned since 1973 and now operates in three locations. The Kirkwood location is open Monday-Saturday from 9-10 and on Sunday from 10-7.

Knitorious

November 30, 2014December 7, 2014 Joelle Hahn

Hi there! Jackie here. The canine voice behind the duo that is the Eat, Drink, Be Hairy blog. I write this blog along with my Humom (Human Mom), Joelle.

Balls of yarn are for cats. But when we’re told, because of its meditative qualities, knitting is the new yoga, Humom and I decide do a little investigating into the kitting scene. On this Small Business Saturday our investigation takes us to locally-owned yarn store, Knitorious.

Set on the corner of a busy intersection, the scene inside Knitorious (3268 Watson Rd., St. Louis Mo., 63139 | (314) 646-8276) is equally as bustling. The floor-to-ceiling kaleidoscope of colors keeps customers moving throughout the isles in search of materials for their latest project. The walls are filled with sweaters and scarves – finished products seen as motivators for those with no previous experience, or an impossibility for those of us lacking opposable thumbs. As yarn is being spun into balls, the staff of kitting experts answer customers’ questions, while extoling the benefits of knitting.

According to a 2013 survey of more than 3,500 knitters worldwide, 81.5 percent of respondents rated themselves as feeling happier after knitting. Mind-stimulating activities such as knitting have been used by occupational therapists to alleviate symptoms of depression and to help improve motor functions in people with illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease, said Sharon Gutman, an occupational therapist at Columbia University in New York.

But it’s not just women who have experienced the benefits of knitting. For many men, knitting has had a positive impact their job performance. Male pilots and engineers have seen their dexterity improve as a result of knitting, said Sandy Kulash, owner of Knitorious. She said she has met a doctor who started crocheting, at the urging of his nurses, to improve his knot-tying during surgery.

While Knitorious offers a variety of classes for all skill levels of knitters, it’s not just knitting for which they offer classes. Crocheting classes are offered, and even classes on felting. This Sunday, December 7, 2014, Knitorious employee Ariel Gardner is teaching a felted soap class. The $30 class fee includes handmade soap from Dyeabolical and hand-dyed wool. No knitting experience is required. Call the store for more details.

Felted Soap (photo credit: Ariel Gardner) — Felted Soap
(photo credit: Ariel Gardner)

Though I did not see any cats in the store during my visit, I did make a new friend named Max. Max was also visiting the store with his human and seemed as equally excited about yarn. Or, at least, more excited than the cat I met yesterday, which is not saying much.

~ Jackie Brown

Knitorious is open Tuesday through Sunday. See their website for specific hours.

STL Style

November 29, 2014November 30, 2014 Joelle Hahn

Hi there! Jackie here. The canine voice behind the duo that is the Eat, Drink, Be Hairy blog. I write this blog along with my Humom (Human Mom), Joelle.

STL Style (photo credit: stl-style.com) — STL Style
(photo credit: stl-style.com)

What do you do with a city experiencing turmoil? You support it. It is for this reason Humom and I head to perhaps the most well-known locally-owned apparel store in St. Louis, STL Style House.

A call to STL Style (3159 Cherokee St., St. Louis, Mo. 63118 | (314) 898-0001) prior to our visit confirmed dogs are welcome in their store. They did caution us, however, there is a cat in residence at the store. So visiting dogs must be cat-friendly.

But dogs are not the only animals to make their way into the store. Our visit has been preceded by a chinchilla, a ferret and an ostrich, said Max Wright, a style consultant at the store. Though he was admittedly joking about the ostrich, it’s safe to say they are pet-friendly. “We get dogs in here all the time,” said Randy Vines, part-owner of STL Style.

Randy and his identical twin brother, Jeff, are the creative minds behind STL Style. What started as a hobby for them, turned into a full-fledged business in 2001. At that time, according to Randy, “there weren’t any cool t-shirts that really reflected the city.” But when some of their first designs sold out at a local festival, they knew they were on to something. Together with the help of designer Kadie Foppiano, they would go on to create some of the most unique and recognizable designs in St. Louis – designs that include not just t-shirts, but stickers, messenger bags and hats. Their minds are always thinking of the next cool design, Randy said.

Cool designs are an understatement. Each neighborhood and area within St. Louis has its own design, unique to the area. Even catchphrases unique to St. Louis have their own design, such as “Highway Farty”. At the store, once you choose your design, it is printed on the t-shirt, baby onesie or undergarment of your choice while you wait – a mere two minutes for your custom-made garment.

The design of our choice, printed by Jeff on a doggie t-shirt, is for a neighborhood that has been in the news quite a bit recently. The “Hands Up for Ferguson” design was created in support of the City of Ferguson, where a young, unarmed black man was killed on Aug. 9. Proceeds from the sale of this particular design are being donated to the United Way Helping Ferguson Fund.

I’m proud to say I shopped locally on Black Friday this year. And I’m equally as proud to wear my new shirt.

~ Jackie Brown

Rural King

November 16, 2014November 21, 2014 Joelle Hahn

Hi there! Jackie here. The canine voice behind the duo that is the Eat, Drink, Be Hairy blog. I write this blog along with my Humom (Human Mom), Joelle.

Humom says it is sometimes good for me to act like a normal dog. It is for this reason I am expected to head out today into the cold and snow. Naked.

But the promise of a new sweater motivates me to go along with these shenanigans. My new sweater awaits at Rural King Supply (740 N Market St., Waterloo, Ill., | (618) 939-0011).

Humom and I have been there before and are always welcome, as are all animals. In fact, a local woman has been known to shop at this Rural King accompanied by her goat.

There are no goats in the store today, but we did see rabbits for sale. I am reminded I have a bunny-like object at home, my brother the Shih Tzu.

Rural King is a farm supply store that sells bunnies, as well as baby chicks and a variety of other items such as food for pets and livestock; tools; auto parts; and apparel for both work and casual wear. If you can’t find it at Rural King, you aren’t looking hard enough.

Alex Melvin, president of Rural King, believes in offering ownership to key employees to keep them engaged and focused. “An investment of $2,500 in private Rural King stock four years ago is now worth $50,000,” he said. Melvin opened his first Rural King store in Wentzville, Mo., outside of St. Louis. Based on that store’s success, he was promoted to president of Rural King in 2011.

At the checkout, I was obsessed with a young girl eating the free popcorn Rural King offers to its customers. She was not sharing so I settled for licking her popcorn-laced face instead.

I did get my new sweater – a green and brown turtleneck that appeared large enough to fit my buxom body. It did not and had to be forcibly removed from my torso. Our next trip to Rural King will be to return the miniature sweater. Perhaps the bunny can wear it.

Rural King is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

~ Jackie Brown

Bunny wants to be my friend, I just know it.

Home Depot

November 13, 2014November 30, 2014 Joelle Hahn

Hi there! Jackie here. The canine voice behind the duo that is the Eat, Drink, Be Hairy blog. I write this blog along with my Humom (Human Mom), Joelle.

If Old Navy is the Chihuahua of dog-friendly clothing stores, then Home Depot is the Great Dane of dog-friendly home improvement stores. Most everyone we encountered on this outing was delighted to see me.

A call to the South St. Louis County Home Depot location (7481 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, Mo. 63125 | (314) 894-6099) prior to our visit confirmed I am welcome in their store. “Of course! People bring their pooches in here all the time,” the employee gleefully exclaimed.

When we arrived, no one batted an eye at the brown creature breezing into the store on all fours. We eventually encountered Wendy, a store associate who had treats for me in her orange apron. “I volunteer for Stray Rescue,” Wendy said, as she reached into her delicious-smelling apron. She has fostered dogs for them, but hasn’t done so lately, she said.

Stray Rescue was founded in 1998 by Randy Grim. The organization has a state-of-the-art shelter that houses as many as 200 dogs; a staff of more than 50 paid workers; and 2,000 to 3,000 local volunteers who walk, hike, run with and help to train Stray Rescue’s dogs. “It doesn’t take a village, it takes an army,” Grim says. But thanks to the organization’s partnership with Best Friends Animal Society, Stray Rescue’s adoption fee in November has been reduced to $25. See their website for details.

As we headed to the checkout with a rug – not at all what we came for, but close enough – I was greeted at the checkout by a nice man named Cal. He had treats also and was unable to resist my (fake) starving-dog expression, even though it is obvious I have eaten one too many treats in my three years on this planet. Research for this blog is not helping.

~ Jackie Brown

Old Navy

November 7, 2014November 21, 2014 Joelle Hahn

Hi there! Jackie Here. The canine voice behind the duo that is the Eat, Drink, Be Hairy blog. I write this blog along with my Humom (Human Mom), Joelle.

I am not at all responsible for this mess in the leggings isle.

Girlfriend is a shopper. While the most dog-friendly place for Humom to shop is online in our own home, after learning that Old Navy may be dog-friendly, she resolved to test the waters for anyone interested in clothes shopping with their dog in tow.

An initial call to the South St. Louis County Old Navy location resulted in us being told I was not allowed in their store. The Ladue location (Ladue Crossing, 8881 Ladue Rd., Ladue, Mo. 63124 | (314) 863-9119), however, was a different story. The manager there confirmed their location does allow dogs.

I must admit, we were a bit apprehensive when we approached the Ladue store. Humom said she has never seen a dog in any Old Navy store. We were also apprehensive because, well, Ladue. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in the City of Ladue is $160,270. Comparatively, the median income in the State of Missouri is $47,333. The median value of owner-occupied housing units in Ladue is $725,700. This is seemingly no place for shenanigans, nor perhaps my breed of dog, a breed that is grossly misunderstood and unfairly judged.

But perhaps Ladue is also unfairly judged. In this average-sized Old Navy store, situated in a strip mall just off I-170 at Ladue Rd., I was perhaps the highlight of many of the Old Navy’s workers’ day. Unnoticed at first, I mostly lounged on the concrete floor while Humom did her thing. “That is a Pit!” exclaimed one shopper, with glee, as she spotted me on the floor in the clearance isle. Fearful she would wet herself with excitement, we quickly moved on to other bargains – on this particular day, “everything is on sale”.

At the checkout, we overheard the gentleman in front of us ask the sales associate if dogs are allowed in the store. “They certainly are,” she happily replied.

Humom said that while it was not easy shopping with a dog on one arm and clothes in the other, she is fortunate to have me by her side. You never know what kind of hoodlums you’ll run into in Ladue, Mo.

~ Jackie Brown

Bean Tree Cafe

October 30, 2014November 21, 2014 Joelle Hahn

Hi there! Jackie here. The canine voice behind the duo that is the Eat, Drink, Be Hairy blog. I write this blog along with my Humom (Human Mom), Joelle.

Bitches love to eat outdoors; particularly on an unseasonably warm Sunday in late-October.

So how could I possibly resist when Humom suggested breakfast at the Bean Tree Café (219 S Main St, Waterloo, IL 62298 | (618) 939–5330). Open since 2012, Bean Tree is a local favorite, serving breakfast and lunch daily until 2:30 PM.

There’s something for every human on the menu at the Bean Tree Café, from traditional breakfast items to more exotic breakfast items, such as Blueberry Lemon Pancakes and Hawaiian French Toast.

On the lunch side, select from favorites such as a Havarti Dill sandwich, a Portabella Burger, a Reuben Sandwich or a Bean Tree Grilled Cheese with three cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms and pesto. For salad lovers, there is one for every taste.

Not one to step out of her comfort zone by (gasp!) trying something new, Humom ordered her breakfast favorite. The Skillet is a comforting mound of scrambled eggs and bacon atop peppered milk gravy, crowned by shredded cheddar cheese, all straddling two pillowy biscuits. Humom devours most of The Skillet, with occasional pinches of eggs and bacon funneled my way.

The City of Waterloo does not have an ordinance prohibiting dogs on public property, unless where indicated, such as the public school athletic fields. But it is those visits on which I am privileged to accompany my human in this growing Illinois town that aid in the acceptance of dogs like me in more public places.

“I thoroughly enjoy well-behaved animals in public places,” said Lynne Mitchell, a researcher at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who holds a degree in animal science.

Mitchell lives on a farm near Waterloo and said she has witnessed a goat in a cart at the local farm store in town, as well as a donkey in church on Sunday.

As I laid on the toasty sidewalk on an Indian Summer day, I was reminded by passersby that I am a “good girl”. Humom says that is why I have my own blog.

~Jackie Brown

Dog Friendly

in the St. Louis Metro Area

Alpine Shop

Knitorious

STL Style

Rural King

Home Depot

Old Navy

Bean Tree Cafe