Does Fluffy need a chair?
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in Chief -- Furniture Today, March 10, 2008
When people tell you that this business is going to the dogs, they may not be kidding.
A growing number of retailers, including Wal-Mart, Target and Pottery Barn, are hot on the scent of a new category: pet furniture.
Think I'm kidding? Check out Target's Web site. You can buy one of 147 pet products, including a Barn Pet House, priced at $322.99, or a pet couch for a mere $83.99. Personally, I was enamored by the Cleopatra Pet Chaise at $129.99. I might have bought it, too, but I don't have animals. Well, that's not totally true, since three of my four sons, who range in age from 17 to 23, live with me.
Probably one of the more cleverly designed pieces hails from Pottery Barn. Called an Entryway Dog Bed Cubby, it provides storage for the family's gear on top and has a sleep section on the bottom that will house a medium-size dog bed.
Best of all, the cubby is on sale for $499. If you hurry, Fido can soon be sleeping like a king. And you can also purchase one of Pottery Barn's Sherpa dog bed covers and throws for $79.
Now, those are just the products I found from furniture retailers. There are also tons of online retailers such as CatsPlay.com that sell pet beds that look like yours. As the company's ad says, "Why spare any expense when it comes to your pet? The Regal pet bed is designed just like a human bed because it's designed for a member of your family, your dog."
Hey, for under $200, I'm sold. But the real takeaway is this: Last year, Americans happily forked over more than $41 billion on pets and pet products, almost twice of what they spent 10 years ago.
If that's not enough to make you sit up, fetch this: This year, while many consumers are expected to spend less on themselves, they are expected to increase spending on their pets by almost 6%, raising the market to some $43.4 billion, according to the American Pet Product Manufacturers Assn.
I may be barking up the wrong tree, but this might be something to chew on.
