By Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor
With the Christmas season upon us, many have been busy bustling from store to store, picking up gifts, stocking stuffers and decorations. But, unlike massive chain stores and corporate retailers, five shops in Historic Downtown Plant City have a special furry friend greeting the customers — a shop pet. Four of the stores have dogs and one has two cats. Have you seen these little helpers while out shopping?
Brown’s Floral Shop: Lucky and Spooky
The cats at Brown’s Floral Shop, 106 E. Reynolds St., are dressed appropriately for the holiday season. The two step-brothers wear red and green collars made of dainty ribbon and bells that jingle wherever they paw around.
It’s hard to miss black and white Lucky when visiting the store. He’s the first of the two to come up to the front of the store and greet the customers.
“He’s our greeter,” employee Robyn Robinson says. “He greets everybody. He hears that door open and comes up. He’s very friendly and talks to you.”
Lucky was found when he was 6 months old outside of the old Brown’s Floral Shop near South Florida Baptist Hospital. He came around, because owner Debbie Clark fed the feral cats. Lucky, always friendly, was taken into the store after Clark’s old shop cat, Sassy, died. Now 3, Lucky is a perfect liaison between the customers and employees.
“He can tell when a customer is sad,” Clark says. “He always comes up to them and tries to comfort them.”
Lucky’s companion, Spooky, is a shy, black cat. Spooky and his sibling were left in a box at the field next to the old floral shop around Halloween. Clark heard them crying and took them in. She bottle-fed Spooky and his sibling. The sibling died, but Spooky survived.
“Customers love them,” Clark says.
The Corner Store: Ben
The first greeter at The Corner Store, 121 E. Reynolds St., isn’t an employee manning the register or standing at the door. Rather, it’s a relaxed beagle named Ben, who snoozes outside on the sidewalk in front of the café on most sunny days.
The 18-month-old dog was a birthday present for owner Cynthia Diaz’s son, Joe Thunder. The 5-year-old was promised a dog for his birthday by his grandfather.
“We pretty much had to follow through,” Diaz says.
The family got Ben from a breeder off State Road 60. A friend advised Joe to pick up each dog by the scruff of the neck and see which one doesn’t yelp.
And that’s exactly what he did.
“He’s like our mascot now,” Diaz says. “We do have people who just come in to see him.”
Named after a cartoon show, Ben is a well-known downtown icon. According to Diaz, a customer during this year’s Christmas Parade asked Diaz if they still had the little beagle. She hadn’t been to Plant City in a year and still remembered Ben.
Ben draws a crowd of admirers. During November’s Strawberry Classic Car Show, Ben drew the biggest crowd yet, when four 12-year-old boys stole him from in front of the store. Within minutes, customers, employees and car show attendees were out looking for the dog, which they found with the boys six blocks away.
Happy that he’s back, Diaz no longer takes him to the store on busier days. But on most days, he’s outside enjoying the attention.
Lark Photo and Framing: Lucky
It was an accident that the owners of Lark Photo and Framing, 102 W. Reynolds St., ended up owning a cheerful Havanese dog. One day this spring, Lucy Schultz was trying to cross the intersection at Reynolds and Collins streets. She saw a dog running in the street.
At first, she tried to call him over, but he didn’t come. After bending down and calling again, the puppy came. He was groomed, wasn’t hungry and had no microchip or tags, leading Schultz to believe he was lost or abandoned.
“We’ve never seen him,” Schultz said. “It’s a small town. We see people walking their dogs, and I’ve never seen him.”
Schultz and her husband, Mark, took the dog to numerous groomers and veterinarians in the area to see if they recognized the dog. They also posted flyers. But no one claimed the canine.
It’s been seven months since they found the white furball, and the Schultzes have happily adopted the dog into their home, naming him Lucky.
“I never wanted to get a dog, (because) we’re always working,” Schultz said. “But, when he’s here, it works. People come here just to meet him. They bring him treats.”
At 18 months old, Lucky is so well known with Lark Photo and Framing’s customers that Lucky recently had a play date with one customer’s cocker spaniels.
“He’s a perfect companion dog,” Schultz says.
Millie’s Gift Shop: Oliver
Another rescue dog, a Yorkshire terrier named Oliver, captured Millie’s Gift Shop owner Dina Williams’ heart when she rescued and adopted him. He was abused and underweight.
Now, Oliver has his own bed, perched up on the counter next to the register at Millie’s, 111 S. Collins St., where he can watch for customers entering the store. Once the bells on the door jingle, his head perks up immediately followed by friendly and curious barks.
“I’m a huge animal person,” Williams says. “Between Oliver and my cats, decorating and antiques — those are my biggest passions.”
Before Oliver, Williams had another Yorkie named Mugsy, who would come to the shop with her. When Mugsy died at 17, Williams adopted Oliver and began taking him to her shop in Valrico.
“He was right in there,” Williams said. “I got him in the swing of things.”
Williams’ customers love seeing Oliver, named after Oliver Twist. He’s come a long way from his shy self, according to his owner. Now, instead of peeking his head around the corner when customers come in, the eight-pound pup greets them at the door or watches them from his bed, front and center.
“They so look forward to seeing him,” Williams says. “They always ask how he is. It seems to brighten their day when they see him.”
Steven L. Sparkman Law Firm: Kali
There’s another perfect companion dog at 102 W. Reynolds St. Upstairs from Photo Lark and Framing is the Steven L. Sparkman Law Firm, where a Jack Russell terrier/beagle mix named Kali sits with her adopted mother, Terry Sparkman, at the front desk.
“She loves to come up here,” Sparkman says. “She thinks this is her job.”
The couple’s son rescued her from the pound in Tennessee. He kept her for four years until he could no longer care for her. That’s when the Sparkmans stepped in.
The 8-year-old likes to chase the squirrels in the parking lot before heading up to the office. On the way to the office, Kali walks by the back door of Photo Lark and Framing, where the dogs greet each other through the glass. Then, she heads up to her cozy bed behind the receptionist’s desk.
Kali wears her feelings on her sleeves and is protective of her owners. She will jump in Sparkman’s lap to see what’s going on when clients come into the office.
The Sparkmans have her at the office most days for about a half-day. But they don’t take her to the office on days when they have to meet with clients for will signings and other business matters.
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.“>http://scottmcrae.net/kreditnie-karti-hom-kredit-banka.php