Treat your dog
to day at the Market
Chicago
Sun-Times
March 23, 2007
By Maureen Jenkins |
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If you're a dog person,
there's nothing like shopping for canine-related
merchandise in the company of your four-legged
friend. And from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday,
dogs and their owners can check out the
second Flealess Market, which will feature
about 30 vendors selling everything from
homemade pet treats to handmade greeting
cards.
The Flealess Market's held in the second-floor,
10,000-square foot day care space at Stay,
an upscale Ravenswood facility that calls
itself "a modern dog hotel." Standing
on the banks of the Chicago River, Stay—
which opened mid-December—features
110 boarding runs and suites for those canine
guests whose pet parents check them in for
overnight visits.
The market's also a way for Stay owner Michael
Heltzer, who created furniture and architectural
products for his company in the Merchandise
Mart, to stay connected to the art world.
"When I sold the business, I didn't
want to leave behind all my interest in
art," Heltzer says. "I also liked
the idea of people being able to shop with
their pets, and it's a nice opportunity
for artists to have a market that's a buying
market." And those buyers are snapping
up everything from dog apparel to kibbles,
from natural sheep-wool dog beds to pet
portrait photos.
A great extra: Heltzer's asked each vendor
to donate 10 percent of their Flealess Market
sales to PAWS Chicago, the pet charity benefiting
from this month's event.
Plus, he says, "It's nice to have people
come and see what we're doing [at Stay].
It becomes an open house, more or less."
Heltzer says shoppers at January's first
Flealess Market got to check out this state-of-the-art
facility during their visits, resulting
in 50 new dog clients after it ended.
Also on tap for Sunday: Lill Street Art
Center will host kids in doing hands-on
crafts. The Book Cellar of Lincoln Square
will have a booth, as will Cardcoctions,
which produces handmade pet-themed greeting
cards. Dogs can enjoy treats from a "biscuit
bar," while Little Miss Muffin will
sell edible treats for their humans.
The next Flealess Market—which will
be held every other month on the third Sunday—jumps
off in May. And like the first two, Heltzer
says it likely will benefit another Chicago-area
pet shelter.
Stay "2nd Flealess Market"
from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at Stay, 4130
N. Rockwell, (773) 509-0001. Admission is
free, but a portion of vendors' proceeds
will benefit PAWS Chicago.
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| About 30 vendors, including
KC Goodies with handmade hypoallergenic organic
treats, will offer items for your dog at the Flealess
Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at Stay, 4130 N. Rockwell.
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