Espeso

Espeso is under the radar when it comes to press. No Chronicle. No Best of Boston. No Boston Phoenix. Or any other local accolades with which I’m familiar. Being across the street from Peter’s Park hasn’t seemed to help this store either. Each time we’re in the dog park every person I encounter mentions Polka Dog, never Espeso. When we walk by, it’s empty. Espeso is especially bright, clean, and well organized. It seems minimalist in comparison to other Boston pet stores. Perhaps, a bit too minimalist for South End dog lovers. The bonus is items are easier to find, like atomizing dog perfume bottles, and dog bowls that nestle in works of modern, natural art. There are leashes that cost more than your monthly car insurance payment, and lots of other bling for your bitch. Espeso is really after the customer looking for something different, and perhaps over the top, to distinguish their dog from the middle income pack. The Espeso dog would never be seen dead in a dog park. It has a handler, or is privately walked, quietly fussed over, and groomed monthly. Espeso caters to an exclusive club, it’s not canine, it’s pedigree.

Small but jam-​packed store full of stuff for the furbabies in your life. Because it’s the South End (and located conveniently across from the dog park) the store focuses mostly on canine accoutrements – but purr-​babies are not entirely left out in the rain. Great organic toys, food, and supplies like portioned feeder bowls to put your pudgy love on a diet regimen (again, this is the South End, you must look as fine as your owner).
Service was polite but distant: I must have had my «I’m just browsing» face on. Prices are a bit high: a similar pack of catnip mice would probably be one-​third the cost at Petco.

I really wanted to give this store five stars. The owner was very friendly and helpful, and gave my doggie a treat as we browsed the store, which is clean and bright. Their toy collection was pretty good, and I liked one of their dog coats, but they didn’t have the right size for my dog. They had some nice grooming products as well. The main problem with this place is that it’s outshined by Polka Dog right around the corner — Polka Dog has an overall better selection of collar/​leases, toys, and most importantly dog foods and treats. If they expanded the store to carry a few brands of quality dog foods, treats and bones, I think I would add another star. I ended up buying a brush, a new toy and some paw lotion, all of which I’m happy with.

This little store is only six months old, but I found some gourmet dog treats (around $ 9, but there was a sale on) as well as some lotion to rub over my poor pooches’ paws from the salt. This shop specializes in canine couture and lots of organic products that range in price (organic, all natural stuff is pricier). Lots of fun collars and leashes, as well as other things that you surely don’t need for your dog but you can convince yourself otherwise. The sales clerk was friendly and helpful, and when I asked him a question about the paw lotion, he gave me options and didn’t necessarily steer me towards the highest price item: he instead told me what customers said about the products and what they tended to buy.