SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/304644_highmaintenance22.htmlHigh-end dog shop's sign raises neighbors' hackles
Thursday, February 22, 2007
By ANDREA JAMES
P-I REPORTER
If dogs desired sparkly jewelry, glittery makeup and sweet smells just like many little human girls, they'd feel like princesses in this newly opened Wallingford store.
Luckily for the founders of High Maintenance Bitch, which sells high-end pooch products, little princesses eventually grow into women dog owners -- preferably with spare cash and a strong affinity for double-entendres.
"Our company is probably the most high-end pet brand in the world," co-founder Lori Pacchiano said.
Though Paris Hilton and Tyra Banks may coo over products such as Gel-ous Bitch bath gel and Street Walker paw cleanser, the store has drawn the ire of some Wallingford residents who dislike the sign that hangs outside the company's flagship boutique.
"I am probably the most progressive liberal person in the world and I am personally offended by the sign," said Janet Stillman, executive director of the Wallingford Neighborhood Office. "It's so blatant and so in your face."
"Bitch" is the most prominent word on the sign, and it can be seen clearly from North 45th Street and Wallingford Avenue North -- a main intersection.
Pacchiano plans to meet today with the Wallingford Chamber of Commerce to address concerns, she said.
About a dozen people have complained, said Kara Ceriello, chamber co-president. Though she intends to support the boutique, she said that Wallingford residents are naturally educated, opinionated and vocal.
"It is going to be a hot issue again when we get to our Wallingford Kiddie Parade and Street Fair," she said.
Stillman fears that the sign will ruin family photos of the summer parade.
"It's the kind of sign that might've got by on Capitol Hill because Capitol Hill is the way it is. But Wallingford is not like that," she said.
"Walk by there with your 5-year-old and try to explain why that sign is there. Half of the sign is made up of the word 'bitch.' "
But if Pacchiano and her brother, Ryan Pacchiano, have their way, the word will be appearing in malls across the country. The company is interviewing angel investors and hopes to make the brand name as recognizable as Victoria's Secret.
Pacchiano said one of her goals is reclaiming the word "bitch" -- so that it only means female dog and not something derogatory toward women.
"Our store is a dog store, but the concept and philosophy is directed specifically toward women," she said.
At a cost of about $200,000 each, the Pacchianos hope to open 10 stores over the next three years. "We want to be known for growing from Seattle," Lori said.
Lori, 36, and Ryan, 27, started making pet feather boas in their grandmother's North Seattle garage five years ago. They were inspired by Lola, Lori's Boston terrier.
Today, the brand is sold internationally and the products are included in the celebrity gift baskets at the Golden Globe Awards. The Wallingford store displays photos of star customers such as Barbara Walters and Debra Messing. The products are all "human food grade" quality and made by Puget Sound-area manufacturers.
Through angel investors, the Pacchianos hope to grab a bigger piece of the growing luxury pet products market. American spending on pet goods and medicines grew to about $9.3 billion in 2006, much of that growth in the luxury market, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.
In January, High Maintenance Bitch moved its flagship boutique, owned by Jean Powell, from Lynnwood to Wallingford. The Pacchianos also retracted their trademark licensing agreements and closed a shop in Poulsbo and one on Capitol Hill.
Customer flow into the Wallingford boutique has been steady, they said.
On Wednesday afternoon, 3-year-old Italian greyhound Annie -- short for Princess Annabella -- ran into the store and peed on the floor. Then she looked into a stand-up oval mirror, adjusted to four-legged height.
Her owner, Suzanne Hansen, 35, of Bellevue, planned on buying a collar and body spray. But first, staffers showed off the paw nail polish and Whiskara -- a sparkly mascara for dogs.
"She's sparkly. Sparkly dog," Hansen said, bouncing Annie on each syllable.
Like most customers, Hansen said the "bitch" concept is funny. "People who are in the dog world seem to know that bitch is a female dog," she said.
To ban the sign would be a violation of free speech, said Alan Justad, spokesman for the city of Seattle's Department of Planning and Development. The city regulates size and placement, but not language, he said.
Five companies in Washington, including High Maintenance Bitch, have the word in their names, including Bimbo's Bitchin' Burrito Kitchen LLC, according to the secretary of state's corporations database.
High Maintenance's former locations drew some scrutiny, but not enough to shut down the shops.
Stuart Leidner, executive director of the Greater Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce, said that a few people complained about the store when it was located there, but there wasn't a "huge public outcry."
Lynnwood city planning manager Ron Hough said that outrage surfaced and evaporated. "It stirred the attention of a few people -- always people who'd go by and saw the sign and covered their kids' eyes real quick," Hough said. "... We didn't consider it obscene or illegal in anyway."
Wallingford residents walking by on Wednesday had mixed reactions.
"That's terrible. I don't think it should be there," said Claudia Wyman, 61, of Ballard as she passed by the sign. "Who put it there and why?"
Her grandson, Chris Elwell, 15, said, "People might get the wrong idea, but I know they're not using it, like, the wrong way."
P-I reporter Andrea James can be reached at 206-448-8124 or andreajames@seattlepi.com.
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