Retail pet stores like Petco are a dime a dozen, but Baton Rouge’s premiere pet shop, The Buddy Loft, offers pets and their human companions a more personal experience.
The Buddy Loft is a specialty store that caters to the needs of “pets and their people.”
The store was opened by proprietor Amy Traylor in 2013 and is named for Traylor’s deceased basset hound Buddy.
Traylor found Buddy on her porch, neglected and afflicted with cancer in the summer of 2011. As an animal lover, Traylor could not bear to leave the dog to die alone, so she adopted and cared for him until he passed away a year and a half later.
Although Buddy was perpetually ill, he was a friendly dog who loved to jump, twirl and cuddle with people. Traylor said he had a rare affinity for detecting human emotion. His companionship with Traylor helped her persevere through what she described as one of the hardest times of her life.
“We really rescued each other,” Traylor said.
Traylor opened the store to honor Buddy’s memory and to help people connect with and care for their animal friends.
Just as Buddy was not a typical dog, The Buddy Loft is not a typical pet store. Traylor goes to painstaking lengths to stock the store’s shelves with as many locally made items as she can. If she cannot find an item that’s made locally, she’ll search for artisan goods in the rest of the country and will only sell goods that meet her stringent criteria for quality.
In her eyes, a person’s friendship with a pet is special, and only special purchases can adequately reflect this.
“I really look for craftsmanship when I look for things to sell,” Traylor said.
Traylor sells pet-related items for both animals and humans. People can purchase custom-made, animal-themed items, which Traylor describes as “people clothes,” that match the collars and outfits they can buy for their pets. They can also buy art, mugs and other home decorations to showcase their love for their animals.
Animals can indulge in the many specially prepared foods, toys and clothes available for purchase. The Buddy Loft stocks shirts, dresses, costumes and backpacks in different sizes for cats and dogs, and many customers bring their pets to the store to get them fitted for custom outfits and to treat them to new food and toys.
“People love coming here and watching their pets have fun, and if there’s something someone wants that we don’t have, we’ll make it happen,” Traylor said.
Traylor also uses her resources at The Buddy Loft to help pets in need. She often donates toys and treats to local shelters and helps run pet adoption events when she’s not running the store.
“I was lucky to find Buddy, and I don’t want any animal to ever feel like it’s neglected,” Traylor said.
The Buddy Loft is located on Jefferson Highway and is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Pull Quote: “People love coming here and watching their pets have fun, and if there’s something someone wants that we don’t have, we’ll make it happen.”