When Rachel Long spoke to The Wildest about Pet Project LAwill open in a new tabthe pet supply storewill open in a new tab in downtown Los Angeles that he has owned since 2017, one word that comes up often is “serendipity.”
Long, 30, moved to LA in 2016, with her eight-month-old Pit Bull puppy, Shakespeare, in tow. She had just graduated from college with a degree in social work and was struggling to find a job. While checking Craigslist for work one day, she saw that the pet store down the street from her house was hiring. He went in for an interview, was hired as a retail employee, and was promoted to manager a year and a half later. Two months after that, the owners told him they wanted to retire and asked if he wanted to take over the business.
“I don’t think they expected me to answer them,” Long said with a laugh as he recalled the moment. “But I did. It was really very serendipitous.”
Learning on the Fly
At age 25, Long suddenly became a business owner managing things like licenses, balance sheets, and payroll taxes. But he quickly adapted and put his stamp on the store. In addition to healthy food, treats, and supplements, Pet Project LA offers an array of stylish pet beds, toys, accessories, and clothing. Long loves fashion — fun products and bright patterns — and the store’s pet clothing is elegant enough to envy the tiny French Bulldog modeling the Saint Rue Violette Terry Cloth Pet Shirtwill open in a new tab on the site, for example.
“I really like different patterns — checkered patterns, leopard print. Any animal print, really,” Long said. “And we have a lot of different brands that will do their own prints.”
Pet Project LA sources products from small brands from around the world. When looking for products, Long said she looks for “anything stylish” and is especially interested in finding brands that focus on Maintenancewill open in a new tabalthough he says that’s still a challenge, especially when it comes to pet accessories.
“Many of the pet food, treat, and home accessory brands will do that, but for accessories it’s still harder to find,” she adds. “So, I try to find brands that use materials that are more [eco] friendly or recycling or doing things like that.”
Only the Best For LA Pets
This commitment to quality materials is especially important because, as Long says, people in LA treat their pets like their babies. “I really feel, in LA, that’s the norm treat your pet like your childwill open in a new tab,” she said. “You want to take them everywhere and take a selfie with your pet and put it on Insta. They’re your number one best friend.”
Downtown LA, where Pet Project LA is located, has a particularly vibrant pet community, Long said, and the store has become a gathering place for many of its regulars. One customer has been coming since the store opened 12 years ago.
“There are so many regulars, and they are all amazing, and their pets are so beautiful. I want to be their best friend!” says Long. “Customers will tell us personal things, and we’re like a neighborhood pet store slash therapy session. We all care about each other, and think I understand that.”
Keeping Things Together
Long fostered a sense of community and openness by prioritizing inclusivity, in terms of welcoming any and all customers, and by being careful to use inclusive language in blogs and marketing Pet Project materials. “The bottom line is we welcome anyone into our store with open arms,” Long said. “We’re really trying to be kind and good to everyone, every type of person. That’s why the community loves us, and we love the community.”
The community loves Long’s puppies, Shakespeare the Pit Bull, and Paco, the Chihuahua. The two regularly test products, though Long admits they’re not picky, and will “literally eat anything.” Shakespeare especially became a staple in the store, and if he wasn’t there, customers would ask where he was. “During the pandemic, I was often alone in the store, so it was just me and Shakespeare helping people,” Long remembers.
That a pet store has become such a warm and open place for the community to gather makes sense, Long thinks, given how helpful and supportive a presence pets are in people’s lives. “Both of my babies are listed as my emotional support animals,” she added. “So, I’m a big proponent of, if you need a friend, a pet is a great friend to have.”
A Rescue-Forward Future
Both Shakespeare and Paco were rescued, and as Pet Project LA continues to grow and expand, Long hopes to have room to partner with rescue groups around the city and host in-store adoption events. Until then, he said, the store is accepting in-kind donations from customers to be distributed to shelters. In fact, on the day we speak, a shelter representative is coming to pick up a cart of food, treats, and harnesses donated by customers.
“Rescue is really very important to me,” Long explained. “I had parents that instilled that in me at a young age. If you follow a lot of shelters like I do on Instagram, it’s a nightmare right now. They’re just too crowded. A rescue is the only way to go, in my eyes.”
This is just the beginning for Pet Project LA. Long said that in addition to expanding the current retail space, the store will be able to expand to more locations around the city over the next five years. He said to watch this space: “Stay tuned.”
