George Offers an Aesthetic Alternative in Pet Accessories

By Josh Hagy

Twenty years ago, Bobby Wise and Lyndon Lambert adopted a newborn Wire Hair Fox Terrier from a family in the Bronx and named the little tyke George. It was a match made in the Bronx, but after four years together, Bobby and Lyndon began to have a problem. “In our search for products for George, we sensed a vacuum in the pet product market,” explains Bobby. Frustrated by the lack of “middle of the road” products for pets and their owners, Bobby and Lyndon took it upon themselves to fill the vacuum in the market.

The result of their efforts was George the company, named of course, after their loveable Terrier. The company’s aim was to provide the kind of products that were neither overly luxurious or “down market.” “Most of the products available at the time were very down market and not very interesting or they were very over designed and ‘luxurious.’ Neither aesthetic was right for us,” recalls Bobby. In their aim to hit somewhere in between the two extremes, they started out small.

George (the company) started out small with a mail order catalog and a selection of new products designed with George (the dog) as their inspiration. “We had a small selection of proprietary goods that were simply designed and had a contemporary feel, while referencing classic pet products,” said Bobby. With help from friends who acted as designers and consultants, Bobby and Lyndon managed to get their business up on its feet and running smoothly. They’ve since grown from a small mail order catalog to three shops in California and another online (www.georgesf.com). All that success doesn’t come overnight, however.

From square one, Bobby and Lyndon continued to create new and exciting products that made their way into wholesale and other shops, including our very own All Labs store. One of the big breaks for the two came in New York. “We attended our first gift show in New York in 1992, which was instrumental in the wide scale distribution of George products,” said Bobby. Business quickly started booming after that, though it would take them over three thousand miles away from the site of their first big success.

After the New York Gift Show, George relocated all the way across country in California. “Our first retail shop opened in 1995 in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, followed by our first shop in the Fourth Street shopping district of Berkeley, California, in 1998,” Bobby explained. Sadly, Lyndon passed away in 1999 and didn’t get to see George’s latest expansion into Southern California with the opening of a George store in Santa Monica on Montana Avenue. Bobby was also hit again with another heavy loss in 2002 when George, the company’s namesake, passed away, but even today he plays an active role in George’s success.

Bobby is now looking to expand George’s retail business into new markets over the course of the next five years and is even hoping to make George a household name overseas. Though he has been without George for half a decade, Bobby still looks to his deceased Terrier for inspiration. “I don’t have a pet right now and I haven’t found my next companion,” Bobby said. “But George was such a wealth of personality that he continues to inspire.” Even so, Bobby can’t help but find inspiration in other places as well. “I also get inspiration from lots of other pups in my life, as well as travel, urban life and nature among other sources.” These inspirations result in a product line that has become a huge hit.

While George may have been inspired by man’s best friend, Bobby sees that its products are not limited to just canines. In addition to an entire line of dog beds, treats, quilts and other items, including towels, collars, leads and toys, there is a complementary line designed specifically for cats. Not only is George both cat and dog friendly, but the company looks after the owners as well. There are a variety of t-shirts, bracelets and bandanas that are ideal for the animal lover on your shopping list as well as packs of stationary. With a variety of items this diverse, its no wonder George has attracted a great deal of media attention.

Publications ranging from Metropolitan Home to House & Garden, In Style and Lucky have taken notice of George’s success. In October of 2006, Design Notes wrote a review raving about the modern stylings of George. “George has a personal character that you sense immediately,” said the review. “It feels like a neighborhood bakery or newsstand, small, intimate and filled with eclectic local clientele.” With reviews like that, there’s no doubt that Bobby, and his late partners Lyndon and George, have definitely hit their mark in the fashionable world of pet accessories.

All Labs is proud to carry on the George tradition with their wonderful products in our store. Check out our Toys and Treats Dept., Collars and Leads Dept. along with our Spa and Grooming Dept. for your ‘Good Dog’s needs.