Larchmont is going to the dogs (and cats): Tailwaggers to open in Flywheel spot

| March 4, 2021 | 0 Comments

OWNER Todd Warner prepares for Tailwaggers’ big opening, slated for March.

Every dog has its day, and the dogs and cats of Larchmont will get their lucky day in March. That’s when Tailwaggers, the locally-owned small business of former Brookside resident Todd Warner, will open its doors in the former site of Flywheel and Blockbuster and Security Pacific Bank, and — once upon a time — the Larchmont movie theater, located at 147 N. Larchmont Blvd.

Tailwaggers’ move to Larchmont has been years in the making.

Blockbuster days

“Back when the building was a Blockbuster, I reached out to the landlord to inquire about the space, but it wasn’t in the cards for us at that time,” explains Warner. “Then, when Flywheel closed, the landlord reached out to us. He wanted to fill the space with a neighborhood shop that would be a huge part of the community. That was really important to him, since he had grown up in the area.”

Warner has two other Tailwaggers locations, one on Bronson Avenue and another on Fairfax Avenue. The two stores are a far cry from Warner’s previous line of work, which just goes to show that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

New tricks

“I worked in post-editing. I would sit for hours on end in an editing room with no windows, and I realized that I’m such a social person and needed to find something else,” Warner remembers. “I had always worked with animal rescue organizations, and the Bronson spot was open, so I decided to go for it.”

Warner opened the retail pet store, believing that was the end of the story. Customers begged him to open a daycare and grooming space, so he opened Tailwashers next door. Then, Warner opened the second location on Fairfax.

And now … the cat’s meow: Larchmont.

“We are planning to open in two phases,” says Warner. “First we will open retail, and then, as we get settled and the pandemic goes away, we will open Tailwashers, the daycare and grooming spaces.”

Warner has been hard at work transforming the former Flywheel into a space that will accommodate all of your Larchmont pets’ needs. He is warming up the exterior with new paint and flower boxes; the parking lot will be resurfaced; and the interior will be divided into retail, daycare and grooming areas that include self-washing stations. Warner’s favorite spot will be located right up front, near the cash registers.

“There will be a special counter for the dogs, where they can jump up to get a treat,” Warner explains happily. “We will have one built for small dogs and one built for big dogs.”

Once Los Angeles is Covid-clear, Warner plans to hold many community events, including pet-themed Santa Paws and Mrs. Claws holiday pictures, a Valentine’s Day kissing booth, a Halloween pet costume event and adoption days for animal rescue organizations.

TAILWAGGERS CLUB has a long history of animal philanthropy.

In fact, the moniker of Warner’s store, Tailwaggers, has a long history of animal philanthropy.

“The Tail-Waggers’ Club was founded in England in 1928,” reveals Warner. “It was one of the first animal rescue organizations to create dog ID tags. Back then, if you found a lost pet, you would write a letter to the foundation, and the foundation would write you back. Reuniting with your dog could take a month!”

Hollywood royalty

Stars such as Bette Davis put the Tail-Waggers’ Club on the map in the United States. Fundraisers were held at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and Hollywood royalty such as Howard Hughes, Walt Disney, Greta Garbo and Judy Garland showed up to support.
The original foundation gradually faded out of existence, and Warner was lucky enough to snap up the name.

“Not only are we a pet store, but we also have the Tailwaggers’ Foundation, which supports 25 different dog and cat rescue organizations around Los Angeles,” says Warner. “Over the last several years, we have granted over $100,000 to help hundreds of dogs and cats.”

Some of those organizations include Sante D’Or Foundation rescue for cats, Paws for Life Prison Program, LA Animal Rescue and Pug Nation Rescue of Los Angeles.

With no time to take a cat nap, Warner will be working like a dog to ready the store for its big Larchmont debut, and he is thrilled to finally be a part of Los Angeles’ “ultimate community.”

“We’re really looking forward to being your neighborhood-friendly pet store,” says Warner enthusiastically, “and we can’t wait to get to know you and your companions.”

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Category: People

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