Best In-Store Pet: Napoleon At Nostalgia

Runners Up: Butch (the Board Room), Colette and Valentine (Vagabondia), Henry (Lost & Found Records)

Maybe it was inevitable at a vintage store: Napoleon, a pug who’s about 10 years old, is a salvage, er, rescue dog. “He was a stray in Loudon County, we’d seen him wandering, and I brought him home—that was like six years ago,” says Nostalgia owner Amie Swanson. And since the store opened almost four years ago, Napoleon has been a fixture. “Pugs tend to have a problem with separation anxiety, so he goes everywhere I go,” says Swanson. Napoleon sports vintage bow ties from the store for special occasions, and lends a natural air to the furnishings. “He sees a sofa, he hops up. He thinks he can go wherever he wants, and he can.” Only a couple of dog-phobic customers are scared of the ever-calm pup; he stays in the office when they come around. Much more common are the fans who stop by just to visit Napoleon and bring him treats. “They don’t recognize me, just him. Or they’re like, ‘Oh, are you Napoleon’s mom?’” says Swanson. Napoleon is known by another name, too: Director of Pug-Lick Relations.

See Also: Best Antiques Store

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