Most pet owners have a hard time leaving their dogs behind every day to go to work, but for Lisa Owen-Jones from Stoke Newington, north London, leaving her dog Florence home alone was just heart breaking. The 20-year marketing veteran decided her Wire Fox Terrier and their happiness came first, so she quit her job and opened her own coffee shop where she is able to bring her dog to work every day.
“When I got Florence in 2012 it really was love at first sight. Florence came everywhere with me, on the tube, to the pub, I’d have a beer and Florence would have an ice cube,” said Owen-Jones. “Over time I found it harder and harder leaving her to go to my day job. Florence would sit next to the door with sad eyes, I felt so guilty.”
Whenever the pet owner had free time to spend with her dog, she tried bringing her to all the places she would normally go alone, but many of those places didn’t allow dogs.
“I was tired of waving outside coffee shops trying to get the attendant to notice us. I got tired of standing in the rain drinking my coffee, there was no reason why we couldn’t go in we just weren’t allowed. I started thinking about ways I could spend more time with her and Scooby’s was born.”
Scooby’s Boutique Coffee Bar is located in Muswell Hill and it serves drinks and snacks for humans and four-legged friends alike. All two- and four-legged legs customers are welcome.
On the menu you will find dog-gestives and puppaccinos, doggy lollypups, cheese bone biscuits and flap Jack Russels.
Owning and managing her own business has not been an easy task, but Owen-Jones doesn’t regret leaving her corporate job behind to do what she loves most, spend time with her dog. The coffee shop has been well received by local residents and it is a popular spot to hang out.
