Bill Mikolajczyk has gone from selling 700-pound motorcycles to selling sparkling, silver jewelry to poodles.
The retired Harley-Davidson dealer has opened a doggy boutique in Anthem with another planned for Cave Creek.
Dusty Paws Pet Boutique opened in April. The store specializes in holistic foods and accessories.
"It's not too upscale," said Mikolajczyk, 45, a transplant from Massachusetts. "It's more middle of the road, not too froufrou or over the top. The store is not something you would find in Scottsdale."
Mikolajczyk grew up around dogs and he and his wife dreamed of opening the shop. He recently retired as a Harley-Davidson dealer in Cape Cod and moved to Arizona.
"It is wild, but you will find that most Harley guys love their pets," Mikolajczyk said. "It is not as far apart as you think."
The store is a first for the community.
"We decided to open a store in Anthem because there was nothing else around in the community," said Jamie Mikolajczyk, 31, a partner in the store and owner of an American bulldog named Chase. "Most people have pets. We decided to sell healthy, all-natural, holistic food and then we brought in accessories like beds, clothing, jewelry and collars. We sell everything, but half of the store is for food and treats."
Dusty Paws is also part of a growing trend of treating pets to the same pure foods that humans appreciate.
But the accessories, including bling-bling shirts, jewelry and sweaters are what set the store apart from other pet places.
One-of-a-kind sweaters are knitted by a local woman and resemble human sweaters. Unlike other pet sweaters, these come in sizes for bigger dogs.
The store also carries jewelry created by L.A. designer Tarina Tarrentino,who started out designing jewelry for people but discovered there was a demand for high-end pieces for pets.
Categories: Clothing Dogs Health Quirky Spoilt