Overview:
Several businesses in Franklin County, including a hardware store, a bookstore, and the county sheriff's office, have adopted cats as their mascots. The cats have become community staples, providing comfort and joy to employees and customers alike.
It may be surprising to know that there is something in common between a local bookstore, a hardware store chain and the county sheriff’s office. And it has four legs and purrs.
Inspired by a New York Times profile of the TikTok page “Shop Cats” showcasing the iconic bodega cats of New York City, this article highlights the famous felines of Franklin County that have been embraced for their unique personalities and place of residence.
The Mayor of Aubuchon Hardware
Amid a busy day of visiting customers, in-store renovations and visiting higher-ups, Merlin, a 7-year-old black cat, remains content in his cardboard box near his favorite person at the Aubuchon Hardware paint counter, accepting scritches and pets with ease.
“He hangs out with me when I’m working. When I’m not working, I don’t know what he does, but he hangs out with me because he knows I’m his buddy,” Rich Rhodes said about his kitty colleague.
Rhodes is semi-retired and works part-time at Aubuchon, and self-describes his role now as being Merlin’s buddy. Their friendship began seven years ago this month when Merlin was adopted from the Dakin Humane Society in Springfield to be the mouser for the shop. The store owners gravitated to Merlin, and Rhodes said they wanted to give him a chance when others may have been hesitant to a black cat.
“Black cats don’t normally get adopted. So my way of thinking is, we gave him a home and we kept him alive, because God knows what would have happened to him,” he said.
Without knowing his temperament around other people in an environment like a hardware store, adopting Merlin for the store was a shot in the dark, Rhodes said. However, the black cat has warmed his way into the hearts of the community and Rhodes’s in particular.
When Merlin isn’t dozing off, Assistant Manager Jeff Churchill said his feline employee is outgoing and interested in those who come in to shop. In many cases, people come into the store looking for Merlin specifically.
“He’s just a laid-back cat, but he’ll find a new spot, and everyone is always looking for him,” Churchill said. “He’s kind of the ‘Mayor of Aubuchon’ around here.”
While Merlin oversees the Greenfield store, Beatrice, a 3-year-old tuxedo cat, serves as the overseer of the Turners Falls Aubuchon Hardware on Avenue A.
Employees John Keith and Jeremiah Shepard said that Beatrice has a big personality that’s amplified with the large size of the store. Shepard said Beatrice has grown her own following of regulars who come in to see her, some of whom come in yelling for her, or bearing treats to gift.
Shepard and Keith speak of how Beatrice is the type of cat to make her presence known, whether that is bolting out of the store just to sit outside and watch the world go by, or “hauling it” to see someone as they walk in the side door and not the front.
“She’s not shy. She’s very acquainted with anybody and everybody. Anybody who walks through that door, she’ll come right up to you,” Shepard said.
While both Greenfield and Turners Falls stores have their own four-legged king and queen, respectively, the Mohawk Trail in Shelburne Falls location requires the public’s attention be given to sister tabby cats, Lacy and Macy, who came from a litter of kittens an employee’s family member had. The duo is only differentiated by the color of their noses.
Lisa Hartley, a senior sales associate at Aubuchon, said she’s the main caretaker for the two sisters. She said that the two tend to be spunky and energetic in the morning, then settle down throughout the day.
Hartley said that while people shop around, the pair will sometimes jump up onto customers, or crawl into shopping baskets while guests shop. She says that the two girls draw people in.
“We have customers who come in just to see the cats. I’ll be like, ‘Can I help you?’ and they’re like, ‘No, just here to see the cats,'” Hartley said.
Besides demonstrating excellent customer service, these cats also provide a benefit to the employees, who all said that the cats impart a calming presence. Indeed, studies show that cats provide various health benefits.
“It’s therapy without the certification,” Keith said of Beatrice.
If there is one Aubuchon employee who exemplifies that impact, its Merlin’s buddy, Rhodes.
“I wouldn’t be here without him. I wouldn’t, I swear to God,” Rhodes said about the impact Merlin has had on him as he works part-time while being retired. “I can’t leave him, because I’d never sleep if I just all of a sudden didn’t come in, he would be like, ‘Where’s my friend?’ and I can’t do that.”
Flowery purr-sonalities
The Mohawk Trail Aubuchon is not the only store on the block with furry friends. A stone’s throw from the hardware store is Shelburne Farm & Garden, owned by Maria Topitzer, with two competing personalities ready to greet those coming through the door.
Tulip, a small silver American shorthair, has an affinity for jumping up onto people’s shoulders while they shop, and takes special interest in anyone who comes in smelling like livestock or a barn, employee Anna Maclay said. She’s an effective hunter with a squeaky meow to counterbalance her brother, she added.
Tansy, a big Russian blue, is described as a “brusier” by Maclay, who said he is accepting of any and all attention.
“He wants food and attention, and he talks a lot,” Maclay said, adding that while Tansy is up people’s faces, Tulip picks and chooses who she’ll attach herself to.
“If she finds someone she likes, she’s gonna come and jump on their shoulders. People aren’t always expecting that. I can tell when she’s gonna do it. She gets a certain look,” she said.
These two cats joined the garden store last year, owner Maria Topitzer said, having been inspired by another in-store cat at the Greenfield Farmers Cooperative Exchange in Greenfield.
“I used to just love going in and seeing [the cat] sleeping in some random places,” she said. “And I was just like, ‘I want store pets.'”
Topitzer said that the pair grew up socializing with people and enjoy the garden store environment. In her perspective, she’s seen people get a lot of joy out of having the cats in the store, noting one experience of Tulip taking a ride in a shopper’s basket.
“She was just so ecstatic,” Topitzer said of the shopper’s reaction. “I know not everybody likes cats, but I think that they bring a lot of joy.”
Boswell, the patron saint of Shelburne Falls
Since the opening of the Shelburne Falls bookstore Boswell’s Books in 1991, generations of cats have held the name “Boswell,” inspired by the author James Boswell.
This three-decade-long tradition of shop cats lives on through the fifth generation of Boswell, who is a 16-year-old tuxedo named Miss Boswell, whose likeness is designed for the store’s logo on postcards, bookmarks and decorative motifs across the store.
Despite the change in ownership to Raymond Neal from the founders Ken and Nancy Eisenstein in 2021, the love for Boswell has remained, and she’s continues to make help make the bookstore a destination for many visitors.
“She gets a lot of love,” Neal said. “I call her a patron saint, because people come from all over to see Boswell.”
Boswell was adopted from Dakin around 2012 when she was around 2 years old. She’s lived at the bookstore since she was young, and remained at the store as Neal came in as the new owner.
Book seller and Boswell’s main caretaker, Hallie Twiss, said that they understand from speaking with the previous owners that Boswell was destined for the shop cat life. Going back to the time of her adoption, Twiss said another cat was already chosen for the role, but was accidentally adopted to another person.
“Boswell was there, and she was such a charming tuxedo. They were like, ‘That’s perfect,'” Twiss recalled.
Twiss said that they asked how Boswell was trained for the titular role as Boswell No. 5, and the answer was seemingly just “destiny.”
“I asked Ken, ‘What was it like to train a cat who came from the humane society to be a shop cat? That sounds really hard,’ and he was like, ‘We literally didn’t have to,'” Twiss said. “She just took to it. It was her destiny to be Boswell.”
Today, Boswell remains a fixture of the bookstore, accepting unlimited treats and attention from her favorite place in the window of the cozy bookery.
Paw-sitive patrol
While the presence of a prison warden may stoke anxiety in some, the new Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has found its Warden to be a loving companion and an effective stress relief for staff.
Interim Franklin County Sheriff Lori Streeter said she had an idea that was floated with her colleagues about getting a comfort cat for the office.
In working with the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control & Adoption Center in Springfield and Dakin for adopting a cat, the 3-year-old tuxedo cat named Warden was chosen for the job as an executive conference office companion and a new face for continued community outreach. Streeter and other members of her staff take turns paying for Warden’s expenses out of their own pockets, including his food, litter and extra purchases. No tax payer dollars are collected for his maintenance.
As the executive conference companion, the staff have learned his day-to-day routine which includes “desk surfing” and making the rounds to each of the different offices, according to Streeter. During the evening shifts, staff have observed that he’s more playful and outgoing, and is quieter during the daytime.
“When we first got him, he would be up here, and he stayed really close in this one spot,” Streeter said, gesturing to the large cat tower next to her desk. “And then [in] a couple of weeks, he started meandering out a little bit, and then we carry him everywhere we go.”
Assistant Superintendent Chris Pelletier said when he’d visit Warden would sleep in his lap, but has become more adventurous since he’s settled in. Now, he said, officers bring in their children and family members to visit with the tuxedo cat, including his granddaughter.
Warden also provides an opportunity for public outreach from the Sheriff’s Office. Lisa Jean, assistant deputy superintendent, said he’s become the subject of a children’s coloring book page, a sticker that reads “Warden is all about community safety.” The cat is also the new face of trading cards as the “FSCO Catporal Warden.”
While Warden is a full-time, indoor cat housed at the Sheriff’s Office, the appreciation for his presence has been made clear by the staff, who expressed their love for his natural comfort capabilities.
Corrections Officer Jake Bryant has developed an affinity for Warden since he first arrived. Warden helps de-stress Bryant and his colleagues. Many of them now have the playing cards for Warden in their lockers, Bryant said.
“It’s definitely a positive for us. The job is stressful sometimes, and he definitely provides a huge relief factor for a lot of us here,” Bryant said. “He doesn’t ever fail to provide a smile.”
While we tried to spotlight several shop cats in the area, we know we may not have met them all. If you know of any others we should profile, email ehoffman@recorder.com.
