Unsung People of Wallyhood: Paul Brown of Wally Pets

This is the second of a completely ad hoc string of stories about the special aspects of Wallyhood that hide in plain sight.  The first was about the late night/early morning hours in Wallyhood.

Paul Brown, “Brownie”, has quietly run Wally Pets (4411 Wallingford Ave N) for close to seven years.  He has been showcased in Wallyhood multiple times ( 2011, 2013, 2017).  Many of you shop at Wally Pets as do I.  I started shopping at Wally Pets because my dog enjoyed going there so much that I had no choice but to shopping.  I would guess many customers had a similar introduction to Wally Pets.

The first introduction was because of my dog, but I keep coming back because of Brownie.   The above stories capture the story of his store.  Just beyond those stories are the stories of Paul himself. NextDoor and the Wallyhood forums capture his personality and warmth.

This is an unauthorized story about Paul as he demurred on an official story.  I cannot read his mind but I would imagine he declined because he did not want to draw that much attention to himself.   He is a great person who runs a great business that quietly gives the community much more than the items on his shelf.

I count Brownie as one of the best and brightest of Wallyhood.  There are many others.  As we all witness the changes in the community and debate the impacts of those changes, Wally Pets has quietly succeeded as a small, local business.   So I offer a quiet, unsolicited tip of the hat to Brownie and all the other small business owners like him in the community.

Feel free to list other small businesses in the comments that quietly serve the community.