Things to Know in the South End Today, Feb. 28: Grand Opening at K9strolls Shop and Play
1. Weather: The National Weather Service is a cloudy day with a chance of rain in the morning. Temperatures will hover around 47 degrees. 2. K9strolls Shop and Play Opening: Check out the new space for your four-legged companions at K9strolls Shop and Play (83 Pembroke St.) Daniel and Jim Avila-Batty, the owners, had run their business out of their South End home for several years, and recently opened up on Pembroke Street. Tonight they are holding a grand opening celebration from 6-8 p.m. See here for more information. 3. Live Music at Darryl’s: Elevation Theory, who got their start at Berklee College of Music, will be playing will tonight at 7 p.m. at Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen (604 Columbus Ave.) Their style is described as “definitive tones and sweet, pocketed grooves.” See here for more information. 4. For Middle Schoolers: An “Art Journaling for Fifth-graders and Up” workshop will be held today at the South End branch library between 4 and 5 p.m. It’s free and materials will be provided. See here for more information. 5. Poetry Competition: Happening this weekend in the South End is the Boston edition of the statewide “Poetry Outloud” competition for teens. Poetry Out Loud (POL) is a national recitation competition that celebrates the power of the spoken word and a mastery of public speaking skills while cultivating self-confidence and an appreciation of students’ literary heritage as they take poetry from the page to the stage. You can catch the action at the Boston Center for The Arts 539 Tremont St. starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Things you can do every day on South End Patch: Share your news with the rest of the community. Click here to add an announcement. Add your events to our events calendar. Click here to sign up for breaking news updates. Want up-to-the-minute news? Click here to follow us on Facebook or Twitter. Share your thoughts on your community in a blog. Click here to get started. South End Patch
K9strolls Dog Daycare Opens on Pembroke Street
If you had asked Daniel Avila eight years ago if he would own his own dog care business — “I would have said, ‘What!?’” he said. But what started out as a side job as a dog walker for Avila turned into k9strolls, a South End doggie daycare, walking, grooming and retail service. Avila and his husband, Jim, started the buiness in 2009, and for the last three years, have been running the business out of their home. “We used to have the dogs in the living room and put blankets down, and it was this big routine,” said Avila. “It was great because our neighbors were teachers and doctors and they were gone all day and would come back when teh dogs were gone, so they didn’t even know we had 18 dogs there,” he said. “We swept and mopped and cleaned — and it was cleaner then than it is now,” he said with a laugh. The business opened in its Pembroke Street location in November. The bigger space is lending itself to an expanded business; the couple now can offer grooming and retail for dog owners. “We focus on products made in the USA and I do a lot of research for products made in Massachusetts,” Jim Batty said. “We really value small businesses and locals, and locals helped push us along, so we want to do the same thing for others,” he said. Batty said what the couple specalizes in is helping dog owners provide an extension of their own home for their pets when they can’t care for them themselves, complete with comfy chairs and a TV. “The pet population is huge in the South End, and I know how well we treat the dogs, so we hope to be able to provide that continually while the owner is at work or out doing errands,” he said. “We focus in on that one-on-one relationship, and it helps so much. A lot of the time dogs haven’t been socialized so it helps them a lot, and we’ve seen a lot of dogs really come out of their shell,” he said. The two will celebrate the business’ grand opening on Thursday night at the 83 Pembroke St. store, with a “We Love Locals” party from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the store. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch