Dogs, Cats and Gentrification
First-time businesswoman Doris Wade looked around her South Harlem neighborhood two years ago and saw a need: services for pets.
“I did a little research and discovered there was a need for a little boutique like this,” she said.
Her shop, “Posh Paws,” is one of four pet-services businesses that have opened within three blocks on Frederick Douglas Boulevard in the last two years. The newest is “Harlem Hound,” a dog walking and cat-sitting service debuted this month (April) – servicing Harlem, Morningside Heights and Inwood.
“I’ve worked for [animal care] services before. They would never go beyond 101st Street,” said Oliver Rhee, the entrepreneur behind Harlem Hound. “It was as if there was an imaginary line that you just didn’t cross.”