Princess Grace....our store kitty

It's time to make an introduction to those of you who have not met our store cat. This is Gracie, or Princess Grace as she has come to be known. Gracie showed up at our home a few months before we moved into our new location and made it very clear that she was far superior to our other cat (she is) and could not abide residing with him. When we moved into our SE Baker St. location, we took Gracie with us. It is truly a testament to her marvelous personality that we haven't put her in a cardboard box in front of the shop. Having a store pet is interesting to say the least. Our first concern was customer response. I was worried that Gracie might scratch a child, but she has been quite good, going limp when caught, but generally managing to evade those who would handle her improperly. Allergies were also a concern, and we have lost one customer for this reason. Even with all of the potential people problems, the main issue with Gracie has been her tendency to defile the merchandise. Take the Melissa and Doug Panda she was napping on in this picture. Gracie thinks that bear is her mother. She will stand on her hind legs, put her front paws on the bears chest, and bury her face in the fur kneading and purring. We have back stock in the basement, so we have given up on trying to make her stop. Then, there was the Stephen Joseph Moses basket we had on display in the store window. A nice sunny store window, with a beautiful blanket and soft toy ...you guessed it her new favorite place to sleep. Rendered the baby bed unsaleable in a couple of minutes, positively wretched in a couple of weeks.

When we arrive in the morning it's time to pick up latex balloons with needle thin holes in them, and decapitated rubber snakes...She's quite the big game hunter. She is just as proud of her virtual kill as any barn cat is of it's field mouse, winding her way around our legs and bragging. But don't get the idea that she is a woosie pussy. One night a neighborhood cat came in through a window and when we got there in the morning, there were tufts of long white fur all over that store. Turns out my cat isn't the only cat that Princess Grace feels superior to. She keeps the place warm while we are away, gives us a warm welcome when we open up in the morning, gives us attitude when her litter box is not cleaned, and gives us a lot of entertainment.

All in all, she's far more popular with our customers than any of us are. They are all so proud to exhibit their acquaintance with her, calling for her loudly as they come through the door. As if... She'll come out for a cat call....but call they do, and that is well worth putting up with a little kitty hair for.