Meet Emily Ascolillo of Quite Fetching

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Ascolillo.

Emily, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I said goodbye to my beloved dog Rags in January of 2014 and started a small organization in his name called Road Trips for Rags (RTFR). We would do small fundraisers throughout the year and with the money my husband and I would raise, we would create care packages for animal foster parents, animal rescue organizations, and shelters. Each care package had a memory card attached and donations were made in loving memory of pets who have passed.

In late November of 2016, we decided to make some holiday dog cookies as a fundraiser for RTFR. We created a recipe of sweet potato, applesauce, flour and egg and I went to the dollar store and grabbed some tins and tissue paper. We announced the fundraiser on our RTFR Facebook page and started baking. It was so much fun! Not only were there going to be a bunch of local pups with homemade treats in their stockings, all the money was going to help animals in need and the amazing humans who help save and take care of those animals. We smiled the entire time we were baking and creating the tins.

Over the course of the next few weeks, as we baked the cookies, things became increasingly more stressful in my day to day job. For the past 18 years or so I had been working as an advocate and child and family therapist with children who had been in the juvenile justice system, foster care or affected by domestic violence or sexual assault. The systems have changed a lot in the 18 years since I started.

The processes of trying to help and make real change started to become exhausting. One particular night last November as we were baking for the fundraiser I received a very disappointing letter in the mail from the state of Massachusetts. I finished reading that letter, turned to my husband and said “I think I’m done. I want to do this [pointing to the cookies]. Can I do this?” He looked at me, smiled and said “Sure. Just don’t quit your job just yet”.

The following day I researched some processes, grabbed my credit card, logged onto legal zoom and Quite Fetching was incorporated. We registered that sweet potato cookie, which is now known as Flowers Favorite (named after our finiky girl Flower) and a second cookie for her sister called Bellas Biscuit. I went down to our local pub at the Historic Grafton Inn and asked the owner, Jay Hunter about renting his function room upstairs for our first Quite Fetching pop up event. In full support of our new adventure, he gave us a pretty good deal on the room and I began advertising our event for February 2017, the weekend or so before Valentines Day.

I love puns and what better way to incorporate the love us humans have for our fur babies than with a valentines day dog boutique pop up! The timing was perfect and we began baking and packaging our cookies. I ordered some novelty plush toys, barkery items for people to buy such as dog cake mixes, punny shirts and of course pet bereavement items in memory of my boy Rags. Additionally, we thought selling pet bereavement items would become a great way to continue to support RTFR. A portion of all bereavement items we sold that day and continue to sell at Quite Fetching goes back into RTFR.

We had a great turnout. I think in the beginning my husband, though extremely supportive, was a bit skeptical. However, after that first pop up I could see him trusting the process more. We made enough money back that day for me to again ask Jay for another little investment… A good deal on the tiny 150 square foot retail space in the back of the Inn. He agreed to rent to us and to maximize our exposure when opened, we thought what better day to open at a pub than Saint Patrick’s Day! Quite Fetching officially opened its doors on March 17, 2017.

Over the next few months I began to gradually decrease my clients at the practice I was working at and starting increasing my time at Quite Fetching. I started out working just weekends at Quite Fetching and gradually increased to adding one weekday, to two, to three and eventually leaving my first career and paying job in July of 2017. In August I inquired about the vacant space at our old town hall building, which just happens to be across the street from the Inn. The building sold in September, we signed a lease and we held our grand reopening on October 21, 2017.

Our grand reopening in our beautiful new location took place about a month shy of one year to when we started that dog cookie fundraiser for RTFR. I feel so blessed and so fortunate. And happy. I am so truly happy with everything we get to do and the people and pups we get to meet with every day at Quite Fetching.

Has it been a smooth road?
It feels as though everything has gone pretty smooth, but I’m sure if you ask my husband he’ll say I’ve probably shown some signs of stress every now and again hahaha. It sounds cliché but when you love what you do it really doesn’t feel like work. And I also feel like I’ve always been pretty solution focused so if there’s a problem I don’t spend a lot of time perseverating on it. I find a solution and move forward.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Quite Fetching – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Quite Fetching, a barkery and pet boutique is a place where pet parents can come hang out, get a fresh home-baked treat for their pup and maybe find some funny and unique gifts for pups and the humans who love them. Humans talk dog while the pups sniff, play with house toys, pick out a barkery treat and get a little extra pampering and attention from the like-minded company in the boutique.

Our barkery offers a variety of baked goods, most of which are made fresh every morning. In addition to our two registered bags of cookies, Flowers Favorite and Bella’s Biscuits, dog parents and their pups can come in on any given day and find a variety of fresh muffins, mini cakes, Whoopi pies, doggy donuts, Bundt cakes and seasonal cookies ranging in flavor varieties such as carob, pumpkin, banana or peanut butter to chose from.

We also offer grain free options such as a salted caramel cheesecake or wheat, corn and soy free options with our seasonal cookies. Our barkery also offers boxes of puppy cake and puppy cookie mix for families to bake at home. Its so much fun creating different daily baked goods and themed cookies for our guests!

The boutique section of Quite Fetching offers a unique variety of items ranging from wine glasses, jewelry and apparel for the humans to doggy pajamas, sweaters, Jimmy Chew plush shoe toys, paw wax or maybe a pup fedora or bow tie for those special occasions.

There are a few things I feel sets Quite Fetching apart from other pet boutiques, but I feel one of the most unique things to Quite Fetching, at least in our area, are the specialty parties and workshops we offer. We offer Puppy Showers! A Pup shower is for those who have recently adopted or those expecting a pup from a litter. Our shower invitations announce that you “Said Yup To A Pup” and all the new parent has to do is register, pick a day and time they’d like to be showered with gifts for their new fur baby and we take care of the rest!

We also offer birthday parties packages that can include a doggy champagne toast (yes, we carry doggy champagne), cake for the birthday pup and of course a “doggy bag” of party favors for their four-legged friends to take home with them. We have regular hours where your pup can drop in for a quick massage and every Friday at 5 pm Yappy Hour begins!

Yappy Hour is literally about dogs and wine… does it get any better? Every Friday Quite Fetching offers a complimentary wine and beer tasting for the humans and there is always something fun for the pups to try (perhaps they’d like to try the Chardonnay?) We also offer monthly dog themed arts & craft workshops such as Paint Your Pet (guided by a local artist), make and take sign events, dog bone seasonal wreath making and more.

I’m proud of so many things our company offers. The positive energy that encompasses our space along with the human laughter and puppy kisses makes it a fun place to be. I literally feel like I leave one home every morning and come to another where I have the privilege of offering a dog-friendly open house all day long.

Old and new friends alike come and go all day long AND we get dog love while we chat. I can’t think of a better place to come unwind or be mindful of life’s simple pleasures maybe ahead of or after a stressful day. With everything that’s going on in the world today, I am proud we can offer a place for people to just get lost in a happy moment, wag their tail and tell a tale with like-minded people.

I’m also very proud of the fact that Quite Fetching uses local artists, craftors, and designers to fill the boutique with a collection of one of a kind dog finds. Studio Eighty-Seven designs just happened to be next to us at the Grafton Farmers market this summer and the owner Natalie now does an amazing line of cards for Quite Fetching (call a spayed a spayed get well card for example).

Friends we’ve met over the years have referred their family and friends which in turn has created our Quite Fetching family of photographers, craft vendors and local painters that reinforce our at home feel when you enter Quite Fetching. I think that’s what I’m most proud of actually. The people and pups who make up our Quite Fetching community.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the people, the scenery and most of all I love how our local community of small business owners support one another. The Grafton Country Store has been a staple in our community for years and now I get to bop in every day for a little business chatter and a delicious hot chocolate or coffee every day. I feel so fortunate.

Our local police and firefighters are always present and are always offering a kind word and help with whatever the matter may be. I could go on an on about the local businesses and their people such as the Hunters Grill and Tap, Off the Common Antiques and the list goes on and on. We support one another in our city and town. We get to know each other and we help when we can.

I’m not sure what I would say I like least about the city. I suppose its like in any city where parking for visitors tends to be a daily topic of concern or frustration. Especially during winter months. Overall though I couldn’t think of another place I’d rather call home right now. Good people, great vibe and if I may add, some of the best-dressed dogs in Worcester county.

Pricing:

• Flowers Favorite & Bellas Biscuit 6oz bag $9.99

Contact Info:

• Address: One Grafton Common Grafton, MA 01519
• Website: www.quitefetchingllc.com
• Phone: 305-304-6139
• Email: quitefetchingllc@gmail.com
• Instagram: quitefetching2017
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quitefetchingllc/

Image Credit:
Beth Oram Photography & Bel Esprit Photography

Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.