The Tailored Pet is back from the dead — reborn as “Rocco and Jezebel.”
Former employees of beloved pet shop owner Serena Bellino, whose 35-year-old store closed after she died in December, will reopen this Saturday with a new name, a new look, but a commitment to the same service that Bellino provided for decades.
“We’re just trying to keep her memory and her name alive with this store,” said William Johnson, who worked for Bellino for 16 years and will work at the renamed store.
The store needed a new name — which honors the new owners pets — because Bellino’s estate owns her “Tailored Pet” logos and copyrights, Johnson said, but he wasn’t concerned about attracting Bellino’s former customers.
“The old customers have been asking for us for months when we were going to reopen,” he said.
Co-owner Andrea Demetropoulos said the store had made some minor changes — “We’ve painted it out totally white and put in less merchandise so it’s less cluttered” — but the store would still do boarding and grooming.
New services (for the dogs, alas) include stuffed chairs — “for the animals to hang out on,” said Demetropoulos, who worked for Bellino for four years.
There will also be a dog-walking service and in-house dog playdates.
Makes you wish you were a dog sometimes.
Rocco and Jezebel [89 Pineapple Walk, between Cadman Plaza West and Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 855-8686] will be open Monday through Saturday, 8:30 am to 6:30 pm.
