Small Business and Culture in Flat Kip: It’s a Dog’s World!

Exploring the “Flat Kip” area for the first time was quite an experience. As someone who is not a traveler, and has only been to the city a handful of times, exploring this particular area of the lower east side was an adventure in itself. While the city is often touted as being so culturally rich and socially significant, I had trouble finding this when I went to the area. Much to my shock, this particular area of the city looked pretty much what I envision any city would look like, tall buildings, commercial stores, and people of all different backgrounds walking briskly by. Flat Kip is pretty much a typical city, aside for the incredible architecture and skyscrapers that let you know you’re in New York.
But as I walked through the area, I began to notice something quite odd. For one, it seemed like everyone walking by had a furry companion along with them! Not only that, but while glancing through the stores and shops, dog pet shops, day cares, and grooming schools were just about the only small business-esque shops I saw, save for the token dry cleaners and delis.

Just to get an idea of the massive amount of doggies we saw:

 

(To get an idea of the dog businesses, please see the map under my category!)
One of the main shops that seemed to attract a lot of people was Happy Dogs, a day care service for dogs located on east 23rd street. It’s no surprise that it attracts onlookers, considering that the dogs are actually kept in makeshift room, where onlookers can see all the cute city dogs directly from the street. We initially passed Happy Dogs early on in our survey of the area, so we decided to take a quick look and then keep it moving. I couldn’t have imagined that this trend of dog shops would continue, and that I would find dog-centered businesses to be an integral part of the community.

These really were areas where people were concentrated, and again, these were the only stores that were local, small businesses.

Considering Happy Dogs had the most business and attracted the most people, I chose to stop in and interview one of the people working there. Of course, since it was so crowded we had to wait a while for the interview. For myself and my other group members, to say the wait was not a problem would be an understatement. I got to speak with other customers and see some of the dogs at the facility.

 

After an interesting time speaking to customers and looking through the store, I got to speak with one of the employees working at the store. I spoke to her about “dog life” in the area, and asked if dogs really were such an enormous part of the area. She agreed, and noted that many people in the area frequented Happy Dogs, and that it was the leading doggie day care center in the area. In this particular part of the city as well, local restaurants were also particularly dog friendly. Most notably, one of the pizzerias had a special seating area for people with doggies.

In the Flat Kip area especially, it seemed like people really cared about their doggies, and that the dogs were able to transcend both public and private space. The sheer number of furry companions, along with their owners changed the dynamics of their neighborhood in a sense. As active patrons of these dog services, they helped these small businesses remain in the area. Additionally, they re-shaped other businesses in the area, such as the restaurant that chose to allow dogs.

While this may seem well and good, small businesses remaining in the area from support of the local community, its worth noting that the dog economy in the area is pretty niche itself. Consider Wiggly Pup’s for example, a dog “concierge” service that offers boarding, behavior training, and both dog and feline acupuncture. That’s right, acupuncture. I should also mention though that Happy Dogs offers a live stream all day of the dogs in their care, which is password protected and frequently changed for the “security” of the dogs.

This dog centered economy may seem unique, but is it really? I certainly can’t deny that it feels refreshing to see small businesses thriving within the community, but is this an example of community empowerment? Or is it simply a recurring theme within the city: niche businesses going where the pickings are good. Looking at it from another point of view, it may also be another traditional “city” story, that wealthy enough residents molded the city to fit their own needs, thus changing the landscape. Either way, it was and is refreshing to see such a dog-centric community, as a dog lover myself.

Public and Private Places: Dog Hotspots

For reference, here are some of the doggie businesses mentioned in the article “Small Business and Culture in Flat Kip: It’s a Dog’s World!”

As you can see, there is a very heavy concentration of doggie care facilities.