Two Legs or Four, all are Welcome at Oliver's Place

In the beginning of 2011, the married couple of Bob “Butch” Baltuck and Joanne Steiner opened up the pet shop to the Wilton community. Named after their 12-year-old cocker spaniel, the business has been an endeavor that caters to the droopy-tongued taste buds of dogs and pets around the area.  

Perhaps surprisingly, given the harsh economic climate, business has been steadily flowing—and that might be because Steiner has put some serious work into shaping this pet shop into its current condition.

After working her full-time insurance agency job, Steiner dedicates yet another 20-plus hours-a-week to keeping the shop’s financial books in order and decorating everything from the finest details of the displays to deciding on the perfect bench to sit by the entrance.  Aiming to keep Oliver’s Place a second home for pets and their owners, she works harmoniously with her husband, who is responsible for the basic day-to-day needs of the store.

“The store supports itself,” said Steiner.

Steiner said that people are indeed spending, especially when they see what she calls the “great value” behind keeping their pets living a long and healthy life. The couple even brings in enough revenue to comfortably donate to local charities such as Paws shelter of Norwalk and Roar of Ridgefield.   

On the beautiful late April day of the store’s grand opening, pets and their owners packed the store, after receiving a promotional coupon mailer, ‘personalized’ by Oliver himself.  Oliver and his family – Steiner; Baltuck; their daughter, Kristine; Kristine’s husband, Dan, and grandson Aaron – said they greeted everyone as not customers, but friends.

Amid the excitement, Ridgefield’s famous hot dog man, Chez Lenerd, gave out coupons in promotional support that was appropriately named “Dogs for Dogs.” As the family answered questions about natural pet food, all tail-wagging friends were welcomed to sample the store’s various nutritional treats.

Steiner said she is so up-to-date on her pet food products that she even provides a weekly FDA pet food recall list, as she is sometimes pulls bad batches before news announcements have been released to the general public.

Their love of animals and each other

At an early age, Steiner owned two horses. Realizing the importance of learning about love and responsibility, she later shared her growing knowledge and joy of animals with her daughter; this, she said, is one of the best ways for adolescents to avoid trouble. When her daughter turned twelve, Steiner moved from Bronx, New York, to Connecticut, seeing it as a better financial fit for housing the family horses. 

Once there, Steiner met her fellow pet admirer and current husband, Butch, at Norwalk’s Oyster Festival. 

“It was love at first sight,” Steiner recalled, although she said she gave Butch quite a chase, initially ignoring his dire attempts to impress her. His persistence eventually paid off; sharing a love of life, family, and pets, the couple eventually formed their own family and business partnership, marrying on October 31, 2009.  They moved their residency to Ridgefield and started their business venture not long afterward.

While many people do not like to bring their work home, Steiner begs to differ, seeing Oliver’s Place as not merely a place of work, but the “joy” of her life. At home, Steiner and Butch can often be found doing much of the same things that they do at the store: taking care of their family members – both human and furry. They recently welcomed a new cocker spaniel puppy, thirteen month-old Blaze, into their family. 

With a growing acquirement of pet knowledge, the couple intends to give Blaze only the finest care, the way all pets – from puppies to older dogs like Oliver – need to be treated, as Steiner says. This is especially important when your pets require specialized care, as is the case with Oliver, who is afflicted with a heart condition.

American Dream realized

Viewing herself as an “eternal optimist,” Steiner said she feels that she is living a good life, a dream which many share and that may even be categorized as a realistic version of the “American Dream”: One with the normal ups and downs of life. In the face of adversity, Steiner and Baltuck said that their philosophy is to “never regret the things in life you don’t have and to truly appreciate that which you do.”

In early October, during their first ‘Grooming Day,’ the family will be sending invitations to all pooches to experience a day of hair cuts and coifs by scheduled appointment, located in the store’s soon-to-be salon.

Midweek, at 3:30 p.m., Oliver’s Place did seem to be a popular site; customers arrived with inquires and product requests on a regular basis.  One woman had just adopted a dog, and asked for some pointers on being a first-time pet owner. After advising her to pay close attention to the first ten ingredients of the pet food she chose, Steiner concluded that the best advice would be to acknowledge that since pets give unconditional love, a beloved pet owner (such as herself) would abide by a basic motto:

 “It’s common sense. How would you treat your children?”

By Lisa Marie Ackerly