West Chester, PA August 2024

The Power of Paws

There is no mistake about our love of pets from this editorial team. We have a soft spot in our hearts for our furry (and not-so-furry) friends. There is nothing quite like the love you give and receive from a pet. They hype you up on your good days and provide comfort when you need it the most. Pets are a constant companion that often knows you better than you know yourself.

This month we are highlighting a new dog groomer located in West Chester - Pupperazzi Grooming. We are very impressed with their caring approach to dog grooming and their wonderful support of animal rescue organizations. It's not every day you meet a dog groomer like Divina Saenz, who takes time out of her busy day to offer free grooming services to shelter and foster dogs to aid in their adoption! We think that is amazing! Take a moment to learn more about her new business and what services she offers her furry clients.

We would love to put a photo spread together of our readers and their favorite pets. Send us a photo of you and your pet and we will publish it in our upcoming issue!

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

DOUGLAS MCDERMOTT, PUBLISHER

August 2024

PUBLISHER

Douglas Mcdermott

douglas.mcdermott@citylifestyle.com

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR

Jamie Agamalian | jamie.agamalian@citylifestyle.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Pupperazzi Grooming, The Studio of Valley Forge

Corporate Team

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Steven Schowengerdt

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Matthew Perry

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HR Janeane Thompson

AD DESIGNER Andrew Sapad

LAYOUT DESIGNER Kelsi Southard

Learn how to start your own publication at citylifestyle.com/franchise.

Proverbs 3:5-6

inside the issue

Red Carpet Ready Pups

One-Stop Performing Shop

The

Hoshiko poses for his photo at Pupperazzi Grooming in West Chester. Hoshi is a rescue dog from Lucky Dawg Rescue and the furry companion to owner Divina Saenz.

STAY CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY

WEST CHESTER SALON OFFERS A SPA DAY FOR YOUR DOG!

Red Carpet Ready Pups

At Pupperazzi Grooming, owners

can expect their dog to be treated like a celebrity!

We treat our dogs like royalty, so it only makes sense to take them to a groomer where every dog is a VIPup! This is the treatment you can expect at Pupperazzi Grooming in West Chester! This unique salon is truly a spa day for your four-legged friend! From the moment they are dropped off until you are reunited again, your dog is in for a wonderful, loving, and stylish experience.

Owner Divina Saenz has always envisioned opening a dog salon in West Chester and thoughtfully designed Pupperazzi Grooming to be as stress-free as possible for both the dogs and their owners.

“Pupperazzi Grooming is unique in the fact that we provide a customizable VIP experience. We know that every pet is different and needs different things to feel comfortable. We thoughtfully designed the salon and scheduling process to be as stress-free as possible by grooming one-on-one and providing stress-relieving crates to hang out in while waiting to be picked up,” said Saenz.

This stress-free environment has certainly taken off in the community with Pupperazzi Grooming becoming THE place to take your pets. Offering three main services including Spa Bath, Mini Spa, and Full Spa packages to choose from, each service can be tailored to your dog’s needs. The Spa Bath package includes a bath using shampoo and conditioner thoughtfully chosen depending on each dog's coat type and skin condition, head-to-tail massage, hand blow dry (never cage dried) brush out, nail trim, ear cleaning, breath spray, paw/nose balm, and a spritz of perfume. The Mini Spa includes everything in the Spa Bath package plus a face, paw, and sanitary trim. For a truly pampered experience, the Full Spa package includes the Spa Bath services plus a head-to-tail customized haircut. Pupperazzi also offers a large variety of add-on services including a nail buff, ear plucking, nail polish, hair dye, and more. To finish off the experience, every Pupperazzi dog leaves looking its best in a stylish bow or bandana!

“At Pupperazzi, owners can expect their dog to be treated like a celebrity! We treat every dog as a VIPup! This means we give them love and treats throughout the grooming process. They can expect to get a thorough shampoo and conditioning treatment paired with a sudsy massage. They will get the highest quality products used on them as well as a quality haircut that accentuates their best features. Our groomers truly listen to what you, as the pet parent, want them to look like and we will try our best to achieve that look if doable. They'll be looking so good after their spa day, they'll be walking out feeling like a star,” said Saenz.

With over 10 years in the pet care industry and the last seven dedicated to grooming dogs, Saenz says that this is not only her career but a hobby and a passion. You can see this passion from the moment you drop your dog off. She truly cares about each of her furry clients.

“What I love most about my job is the relationship I build with each of my fur kids. They become family and feeling them trust me more and more each groom gives me so much joy,” explained Saenz. “Groomers not only make your dog smell and look beautiful, but we are healthcare advocates as well. We look for concerning lumps and bumps on their skin during the bathing and drying process. I believe it's the most important part of my job and I've caught cancerous bumps on my clients before.”

The groomers at Pupperazzi recommend regular grooming every six to eight weeks. If you have a dog with a lot of fluff or if you like to have your dog fluffy throughout the year, it is recommended to bring the dog in every four weeks for grooming so you can stay on top of their care. Saenz also explained that brushing at home is crucial as well to help keep your pets tangle-free. The groomers at the salon really enjoy educating new dog parents on how to properly brush their dogs and will recommend the right tools necessary to maintain their coats, as each dog breed is different.

We are a grooming salon who truly LOVES animals and our community. “ ”

If your dog is prone to anxiety during grooming, the Pupperazzi team will be there to help ease the tension. They have some great tips on how to get through a grooming appointment stress-free, which includes some advice for owners too!

“For owners that have dogs with grooming anxiety, my advice is that a tired dog is a happy dog. Exercise them A LOT before a spa treatment. This has helped a lot with dogs with hyper anxiety,” explained Saenz. “A huge help is that pet parents don't 'fuss' during drop-offs, as they feed off of you. If you're anxious about the appointment, they'll be anxious about it as well. At drop off, act like it's no big deal and leave them with confidence!”

When picking a location for Pupperazzi Grooming, Saenz found the Marketplace at the Westtown Shopping Center to be the best location to serve multiple communities. Located directly next door to Three Dog Bakery, it truly is a one-stop shop for your pets in our pet-friendly community!

“I always envisioned opening a dog salon in West Chester! I've always loved this area and how pet/dog-positive it is here. I feel our location is centralized to a variety of different communities which makes me feel like we can cater to them all. We have all types of dogs and people walking in which makes me absolutely love this area,” said Saenz. “Being next door to Three Dog Bakery is a perk as well, they're the best neighbors a groomer could ask for!”

CONTINUED >

Seanz’s dog Hoshiko (which means ‘Star Child’ in Japanese) is the logo inspiration of Pupperazzi Grooming and comes to the salon a few days a week! Hoshi (her nickname for short) is part Australian Cattle and Australian Shephard breed and was a rescue from Lucky Dog Rescue. Saenz said she is a ball of anxiety but extremely intelligent and lives at home with her three cat sisters.  Pupperazzi Grooming has a special love for shelter and foster dogs. For any of these dogs that have not been adopted yet, Pupperazzi offers free makeovers to help

them get adopted quickly. Owners who adopt a dog that was groomed for free as a shelter dog will get 10% off grooming for the rest of the dog’s life. Pupperazzi Grooming has worked closely with Lucky Dawg Rescue and Furever Home Rescue.

“We are a grooming salon who truly LOVES animals and our community,” said Saenz.

Pupperazzi Grooming is located at 1502 West Chester Pike in West Chester. They can be reached at (484) 947-0981. Find them online at https://pupperazzigrooming.com/

What I love most about my job is the relationship I build with each of my fur kids. “

O N ESTOPPER FORMINGSH O P

THE STUDIO OF VALLEY FORGE OFFERS STUDENTS A CHANCE TO HONE BOTH THEIR DANCE AND VOICE SKILLS IN ONE PLACE!

“Never Give Up! Ever! If performing is your passion, do the work, hone your technique, practice, practice, practice!”

It’s not very often that you come across a performing arts studio that offers both music and dance classes. For a performer, this combination is a dream scenario that many wait until college to experience. However, at The Studio of Valley Forge, young students can begin their training in both areas taught by a highly-trained team!

Established in 1988, The Studio of Valley Forge’s faculty includes Sarah Vogan and Janellen Farmer. This mother-daughter duo is a powerhouse in the Philadelphia region. Both ladies are well-respected in their field and widely known for their contributions to the arts, making them a highly-desired teaching team for your young performer.

“What truly sets us apart is that we are both recognized professionals in our respective art forms,” said Vogan. “We count among our colleagues acting coaches, accompanists, photographers, and others who can assist in audition preparation. This means helping to prepare

a complete package: voice, dance, acting, as well as headshots and videography.”

Vogan has been dancing since the age of 3 and has her B.A. in Dance from Mount Holyoke College. After college, she began teaching dance at several local studios throughout the greater Philadelphia area and taught master classes in tap in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. She is currently part of the professional tap ensemble, the Lady Hoofers. Since 2016, Vogan has performed with the ensemble at the Kimmel Center, the Suzanne Roberts Theater, City Hall, and most recently, the East Wing Rotunda at the Capitol. While she has had the opportunity to perform as a soloist many times over the years, her biggest role has been with The Lady Hoofers performing as the Queen of Versailles in “The Tapcracker” for the last three years. In addition to her professional dance career, Vogan also choreographs for various community theaters and local schools and co-coaches a local high school dance team.

“Our goal from the beginning has been to offer a one-stop shop for students looking for instruction in the performing arts.”

Farmer is a graduate of the Opera program from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Villanova University, Westminster Choir College of Rider University, and has done a summer fellowship in choral conducting at Oxford University. She has a Master's in Opera, as well as a Master’s in Voice Pedagogy with a Musical Theater concentration, and is currently a Professor of Voice in the Performing Arts Division at DeSales University.  Farmer is actively involved in preparing young musical theater artists for their careers by teaching healthy, holistic singing techniques covering all genres of music. In addition to teaching, as a professional singer, Farmer has sung in opera companies in the US, appeared five times in solo recital at Carnegie Hall, sung jazz at the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton hotels, and was a regular soldout performer at the legendary Cabaret at Odette’s for many years. As a teacher, Farmer’s students perform in concerts, cabarets, and churches. She has also worked with patients of various laryngologists doing voice rehabilitation and has had great success working with students with pitch difficulty.

With impressive backgrounds in the arts, Vogan and Farmer knew that combining their respective backgrounds would save students a lot of headache going between voice lessons to multiple dance lessons throughout the week. The duo began thinking of ways to combine forces more than 15 years ago.

“Our goal from the beginning has been to offer a one-stop shop for students looking for instruction in the performing arts. Our students over the years have had to piecemeal their education and travel between different studios in order to gain the instruction needed to become a triple threat.”

“This has been a dream of ours for as long as I can remember,” continued Vogan. “We started collaborating on and off over 15 years ago, preparing students for various auditions and we even offered a small summer musical theater camp. I wanted to build my reputation and gain as much experience as possible before joining forces with Janellen and developing the dance program for The Studio.”

The Studio offers private lessons in voice (ages 12 and up) and dance, group dance classes for ages 3 to adult in ballet, tap, jazz, and musical theater, and even birthday parties!

In addition to regular classes and private lessons, the team has offered audition prep for students seeking to be cast in performance companies, shows from the community theater to professional levels, as well as admission to universities.

“Looking to the future, making the studio a leading force for the arts is our dream,” said Vogan. “As it grows, adding faculty and programs for all ages, encouraging students of all levels of ability to find their voices, their dance skills, their outlets to express themselves freely, and to find joy in creativity.”

This fall, the voice studio will be hosting a few master classes for their students as well as their annual holiday soiree! The dance studio will be hosting an open house at the end of August for students to meet their instructors, register for classes, and see the dance space. Holiday events for Halloween and Winter are also being scheduled.

"We are thrilled to see our dream of running a performing art studio become a reality,” said Vogan. “We want to share our love of voice and dance with students of all levels and ages. There is room for everyone at our studio to find their joy in the arts.”

Vogan leaves our readers with a few words of advice for any performer: “Never Give Up! Ever! If performing is your passion, do the work, hone your technique, practice, practice, practice!”

For new dancers, Vogan says not to expect to be perfect!

“When you take class, you do not have to be perfect. This is something that should bring you joy without judgment (from yourself or from others) for making a mistake. We have to be patient with ourselves as we learn new things and give ourselves the room to grow and get better. The steps will come, but the fun is in the learning process.”

Want to get more information or to sign your kids up for their one-stop performing shop? Email the Studio at studiovf.dance@ gmail.com. While you’re at it, make sure to check out their social media pages, as all of the Studio’s new information and events are posted regularly.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Our team of professionals take a full-service approach to delivering a breathtaking landscape from concept to completion.

• Design & Planting

• Drainage & Grading

• Boulder Walls

• Walkways

• Patios

GARDEN CENTER

Our Garden Center has been meeting the everchanging needs of gardeners and landscapers with one of the largest selections of plant materials in the area.

• Annuals

• Perennials

• Trees & Shrubs

• Garden Accents

• Pottery

• Mulch, Soil, & Stone

FORWARD MOVING AND STORAGE

Dedicated

summer is POPSICLE SEASON

KIDS AND POPSICLES ARE THE PERFECT SUMMERTIME PAIR

ARTICLE BY LINDA DITCH PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED

As temperatures rise, children race to the freezer for this frosty treat or wait anxiously for the approach of the musical ice cream truck. Making homemade popsicles is a fun, kidfriendly activity. These recipes feature kid-favorite flavors with an added taste twist. The only tricky part is waiting for them to freeze.

SPICED GRAPE POPSICLES

ingredients:

Makes 18 to 24

• 2 quarts Concord grape juice

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 12 whole cloves

• 4 cinnamon sticks

• 3 tablespoons whole allspice

directions:

Put all of the ingredients into a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to barely a simmer and let it cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the juice through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a bowl or pitcher to remove the spices. Allow the juice to cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate until well chilled. Pour mixture into popsicle molds. Freeze until firm.

CHERRY LIMEADE POPSICLES ingredients:

Makes 18 to 24

• 2 cups sugar

• 2 cups water

• 1 cup lime juice

• 2 cups tart cherry juice

directions:

In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat. Add the cherry juice and taste. Add additional sugar or water if needed. Let come to room temperature and then refrigerate until well chilled. Pour mixture into popsicle molds. Freeze until firm.

Whether your pup has the obedience of a dog show finalist, or social behavior that makes you want to play dead around others, you can develop more owner confidence with help from this expert trainer.

ARTICLE BY LISA MOYER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANIE JONES

STYLED BY ANGELA BROOCKERD

“Socializing your dog is beneficial for both dogs and their owners,” says Taryn Tyler, a certified dog trainer. “It creates confidence for both dogs and owners and displaces the anxiety we feel when our dogs aren’t behaving like we want them to.”

Taryn stresses that teaching a dog to sit or stay is less about tricks and more about the relationship that builds between animal and owner. “That, in turn, fosters an environment where the next time a family hosts Thanksgiving or has friends over, the owner and their dogs fall into the habit of obeying commands because of the confidence built through all the work put in beforehand.”

Even dogs with a troubled history can achieve improvement.

“We all love our dogs, but they can be stressful when they can’t seem to click in our home environments.

• Socializing is more than taking your dog in public. A guy can dump a bunch of mulch in your driveway and spread it , but he’s not a landscaper until he’s following a plan. When the doorbell rings or a visitor comes into the house, what’s our expectation for the dog? When we’re in public and the dog’s attention is diverted, what’s our plan to refocus them? Socialization is 99 percent working on small steps as part of a larger plan.

• Socializing isn’t about our dogs being the center of attention in public. Everyone loves seeing a dog, but our best outcome for the dog is to go unnoticed. Sitting by our side, ignoring external stimuli, remaining calm—those are things we strive for when socializing a dog.

DOG

SOCIALIZING TIPS:

• When socializing dogs with other dogs, start small. Take a walk with another dog to get them to just exist in the same vicinity. Once they’re able to not be excited by the other dog, work on limited playing in controlled environments.

• If someone comes into your home, let them know what boundaries you’re working on with your dog. You can even suggest asking them to carry a few treats and work on some of the behaviors your dog is already comfortable with.

Once your dog is able to socialize with other pets, playdates are a great way to encourage good play behavior. One way to celebrate your pup’s birthday is to celebrate with their favorite furry friends. Here are a few helpful tips for making your gathering a success.

• Set up play areas for your furry guests to enjoy. This can include a doggy pool or splash pad, chew toys, frisbees, and don’t forget the pet-friendly bubbles.

• Offer party guests birthday attire such as a birthday hat, bandana or party outfit. Set up a photo wall for pet owners to get photos with their furry friends in their birthday outfits. Better yet, make it a costume competition, and invite guests to come dressed up ready to show off their pup’s attire.

• Create a treat display with a pet-friendly birthday cake and various chewy snacks for guests to give their pups.

• Party favors are a must to end your festivities with a bang. Fill party bags with bouncy balls, treats, and pet-friendly bubbles to send your guests off with a smile.

HOW TO THROW A BIRTHDAY BASH FOR YOUR FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS:

AUGUST 1ST

Music at Marshall

Marshall Square Park | 5:00 PM

Come out to Marshall Park to enjoy live music. Food trucks begin at 5 pm. Bands start at 6:30 pm. This is a free event.

AUGUST 2ND

First Friday

Downtown West Chester | 5:30 PM

Come listen to live music in Downtown West Chester from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Music will be performed throughout multiple spots downtown.

AUGUST 6TH

Touch a Truck Day/National Night Out Against Crime

Henderson High School | 6:00 PM

Come out and join the West Chester and West Goshen police departments for the National Night Out Against Crime. There will be trucks, kid activities, food trucks and more.

AUGUST 16TH

Beer Garden and Live Music at the Uptown!

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center - West Chester

Join the Uptown! group for their summer Pop-Up Beer Garden Series with a food truck, live acoustic music, and fun lawn games! Stick around to watch the Classic Stones Live Tribute band at 7:30 on the main stage!

AUGUST 23RD

Movie in the Park

The Barclay | 7:30 PM

Join the West Chester community for Movies in the Park. The movie will start at dusk. Visit the West Chester Parks and Recreation department for more information.

AUGUST 24TH

Look Around Music & Arts Festival

The Moose Lodge | 12:00 PM

Come out to listen to local West Chester bands. All ages from 12 - 9 pm. After 9 pm - all event goers must be 21 and over.

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