Groomer's expanded space has all the tails wagging
By Jason Eisenberg
jeisenberg@riverdalepress.com
Nearly a dozen dogs of all types, colors and sizes were happily at play with each other last week at Capipets, a grooming, boarding and daycare center for pets on Mosholu Avenue.
Traveling in a pack, the tonguewagging dogs ran out into the sun, dashed up a flight of steps and began their exercise regimen: laps around the backyard. Then, like a game of follow-the-leader, the group strolled back inside the store to take a breather or to play with a selection of chew toys.
There wasn’t always this much room at Capipets to wag a tail or two — or 12, for that matter. That’s why the owners of Capipets decided to expand.
The business is now located in two adjoining spaces, at 5795-5797 Tyndall Ave., near the corner of Mosholu Avenue, directly across the street from the original building where it has operated since 2005. They celebrated their grand opening last weekend.
“It got to the point last summer where we simply outgrew the old place. There just was not enough room for us to meet the demand for our service and we were forced to say no to customers far too often,” said Magali Capi, who co-owns the new location, business with her partner, Vivian Rivas. “We knew we had to expand and luckily we were able to move right into this brand new property, which was custom built specifically for our needs.”
The new center features four bathing tubs and eight grooming stations, up from one and two, respectively, at the previous location. According to the owners, the daycare can now comfortably accommodate at least 30 dogs, about three times as many as they could previously hold.
“The pet’s comfort has always been our top priority,” said Ms. Rivas. “So now that we have stateof-the-art grooming equipment and tools, as well as plenty of indoor and outdoor space for the boarding and daycare, we feel like we can provide the best quality care for each and every pet that comes in.”
Capipets offers a full list of grooming services for both dogs and cats, including a bath, fluff dry, nail clipping, ear, eye and teeth cleaning and more. Trims and haircuts are also available for cats upon the owner’s request. Appointments are required for these grooming services and usually must be made at least a week in advance.
“Most people are actually unaware how important bathing and grooming is for their pet’s health and happiness,” explained Ms. Rivas. “Then, there are the others who either do not have the time or are uncomfortable about doing it themselves. It is funny how many people try to do the haircut at home and then bring their pet here and ask us to fix it.”
According to the owners of Capipets, animals with long hair should be groomed every four to six weeks, while those with short hair should be brought in at least every two to three months. As an additional convenience, Capipets will hold educational seminars in mid-April to teach local residents about grooming and bathing their pets.
While there are many places around that offer this kind of grooming, it is the daycare that really makes Capipets unique, especially within the local area. “There are a lot of dog daycares in Manhattan, but none that we know of in Riverdale or the surrounding areas,” said Ms. Capi, who, along with Ms. Rivas, has been a Kingsbridge resident for the past nine years. “It seems like there are a lot of pets in this area and we are happy to provide these people with a place to bring their dogs so they will not be lonely and depressed, or destroying the home while the owner is at work.”
Capipets uses a mandatory screening process for new customers who want to use the daycare service. This is to ensure that each dog has been vaccinated and will not pose any threat to the other dogs or the Capipets employees. Once a dog has been accepted into the program, the owner can drop their pet off on any day, Monday through Friday, between 7:30 a.m. and noon and then pick it up anytime between 2:30 and 7 p.m.
During this time, the dogs interact and play with each other. There are beds for them to sleep in, they can go outside to run through the private, fenced-in dog run and they are taken out for a walk through the neighborhood. Most importantly, the dogs are under supervision at all times by Ms. Capi, Ms. Rivas or one of their assistants, but will never be kept locked in a cage.
“Many of our regular customers bring their dogs just about every day of the work week,” said Ms. Rivas. “They really seem to appreciate the peace of mind that comes with knowing their dogs are happy and safe, as well as the added bonus of the dogs usually being tired out by the time they are done with a long day at their job.”
Boarding is also available at Capipets for both dogs and cats. This service allows people to conveniently leave their pet with licensed professionals for weeks or even, if necessary, months at a time, while they are out of town, on vacation or traveling for an extended period.
“Many people might think it would get boring doing this day after day, but not for us,” says Ms. Capi, “We love all of these dogs and treat them as if they were our own. We get to meet new pets all the time and get the instant gratification of seeing the before and after when we groom cats and dogs. So, with all things considered, I don’t think we could ask for a better job.”
Capipets currently serves residents from Riverdale and Kingsbridge, as well as Inwood and Yonkers. The center also sells Wellness-brand cat and dog food as well as grooming supplies, brushes, all-natural and medicated shampoos and pet clothes. Call 718-432-8091 or go to www. capipets.com.
Riverdale movers
City 2 City Van Lines, a new moving company, just opened for business. With its main office located at 1 Riverdale Ave., just off West 230th Street, the company offers local, long distance, commercial and even international moving services.
“I was shocked to see that, for some reason, there is a serious lack of movers in Riverdale,” said Jordan Ross, the owner of City 2 City Van Lines. “Obviously this is good for us, but based on how busy we have been in just the first month, I also think the public must be glad to finally have someone provide this service within their local community.”
Mr. Ross has more than 20 years of experience in the moving industry and had been previously working with Mayflower. However, the belief that he could supply better quality service than the big companies recently led to his decision to branch out and launch a private business.
According to Mr. Ross, one of the biggest differences between City 2 City Van Lines and the national moving companies is that he will not “low ball” when giving an estimate for a job and then hike the price up at the end. In fact, he is currently offering in-person estimates to potential customers for free.
“I really want to do this thing right and I am looking to be a good neighbor, so I have no interest in misleading or ripping people off,” said Mr. Ross, who currently lives in Pelham Bay, but is planning a move to Riverdale in the near future. “If you hire us, you will not have to drive the van yourself or be surprised with unreasonable rates. We do all of the work — we will pack your dishes, books and everything else, do the labeling and then the moving — at whatever time of day is convenient for you.”
For more information or to make an appointment for a free estimate, call 718-884-7777.
A taste of the Bronx
Paperbacks Plus, located at 3718 Riverdale Ave., will now sell products from the catalog of Mainland Media, a souvenir and apparel company created in 2006 by Bronx natives John Martin and Anthony Ramirez II. Previously, these items were only available for purchase through the company’s online store.
The group specializes in designing its own Bronx-themed merchandise, including coffee mugs, bumper stickers and T-shirts, as well as posters, prints and postcards that feature reproductions of photography and artwork by local artists.
Mr. Martin, a graduate of the Robert J. Christen School, PS 81, met Mr. Ramirez while they were students at Horace Mann School in the 1990s. After college, the pair reunited to launch this new business as a response to the apparent shortage of modern Bronx-themed postcards, posters and other souvenirs.
One of the popular items currently on sale at Paperbacks Plus is a replica of an original painting by Riverdale artist Daniel Hauben, which depicts Yankee Stadium and its surrounding area. Each copy of Mr. Hauben’s work is printed on special 100-pound Gloss Text Stock and has been signed by the artist.
For more information, go to www.bronxposters.com or call Paperbacks Plus at 718-796-3119.
Summer oasis
With the summer months just a few pages away on the calendar, registration is currently underway for many children’s day camps. This year, local families have a new option to consider as Oasis Children’s Services presents “Oasis at Van Cortlandt Park,” a summer day camp for boys and girls, ages 5 to 13.
This first-year program, which runs from Monday, June 30 through Friday, Aug. 22, will be headquartered at AmPark Neighborhood School in Van Cortlandt Village and has access to the school’s gym and other indoor facilities, as well as to Van Cortlandt Park.
Children will participate in a wide range of activities, including sports and recreation, arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, hiking, swimming and more. Each week, kids will also be taken on a supervised field trip to attractions like the Bronx Zoo, the American Museum of Natural History, local beaches or a baseball game.
Campers bring their own lunch from home and will have a picnic in the park every day. Oasis will provide plenty of water, a morning and afternoon snack as well as refrigeration for each child’s lunch.
The camp is held on weekdays and runs for a full day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Enrollment requires a minimum of two consecutive weeks and for an additional fee, families will be provided with bus service and an early drop-off/late-stay option.
Oasis has been holding summer day camps since 2000, when the first camp opened in Manhattan’s Central Park. This is the group’s first foray into the Bronx. “Camp is a philosophy, not a facility,” said Adam Weiss, the founder and chief executive of Oasis. “With highly trained staff, robust programming and an almost fanatical commitment to organization, we create camp programs that compare favorably to camps that usually cost three times as much.”
Special open houses, for prospective campers and their families, will be held on Monday, April 28 and Wednesday, May 21, at 6:30 p.m., in the AmPark Neighborhood School, 3990 Hillman Ave. On each of these dates, parents can meet the staff and ask questions about the camp, while their kids participate in numerous fun activities.
For more information, call 718-596-4900 or go to www.oasischildren. com.
Opening a new business or adding to an old one? Offering a new line of clothing, latenight menu or takeout service? Been in business for 30 years? ‘The Press’ wants to know. Merchants or shoppers with interesting information should write to: Window shopper, ‘The Riverdale Press,’ 6155 Broadway, Bronx, New York 10471, or e-mail newsroom@riverdalepress. com
