Amelia Robinson Clive must suspect life is for the birds.
Bird feeders, birdseed and a heap of other bird doodads surround the black and white feline at the shop he calls home -- Wild Bird Unlimited in Kettering.
Store franchise owner Carole Stephens considers him a star attraction. "A lot of customers come in here and say 'I just came in to pet the cat'," Stephens said.
Clive is one of several kitty cats that live in Miami Valley businesses. They've purred and meowed their way into their owners' hearts and work at softening up customers, too.
"He loves sitting on the counter. I've caught him with a paw in customers' purses," employee Pat Schneider said.
County health departments ban cats from restaurants and grocery stores, but nothing typically stops them from prowling other businesses.
Tad Cleveland, manager of Dark Star Bookstore in Yellow Springs, said the store cat, Bart, gives the shop a personal touch. Besides, cats and bookstores go hand-in-hand, he added.
"There is just something about cats and paper," he said.
Still, having a cat in a store isn't always easy. Some people are afraid of them and, in Valerie Spinning case at least, cats can make a mess.
Spinning, owner of Bonadies Glassstudio in Yellow Springs, said 3-year-old Emmy's propensity to jump on counters has led to broken stained-glass projects. Still Spinning said having cats helps make her business homey.
Looking pretty and being sweet isn't a shop cat's only job.
Muriel Meray, program director at K12 Art Gallery for Young People, said the gallery's cat, Twombly, serves as an ambassador for cat-kind to some of the art school's young students.
Twombly also "helps" students with their art project, executive director and founder Jerri Stanard said. "Viridian green is really hard to get out," she said. The cat has also been painted pink, blue and purple.
Cats can be a great comfort, said Lisa George, an employee at Pines Pet Cemetery and Cremation Center in Lebanon.
"They make great grief counselors," she said of the business' two cats.
----
To see more of the Dayton Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.daytondailynews.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Dayton Daily News, Ohio Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.
Post a Comment | Share | Print
No comments:
Post a Comment
Keep a civil tongue.