Local Business Spotlight - Lazy Dog Antiques
Meet Lisa and Rudy Piemonte, owners of Lazy Dog Antiques in Roscoe Village. One thing many people don’t know about their shop is that they have been on two HGTV shows and sell many products to TV and film sets, such as Chicago Fire, Empire and Public Enemies. Read on to learn more about how their business started and some of Lisa’s favorite moments of running her business.
Give us a small backstory of how your business started.
My mother must have dragged me to every estate sale, antique shop, garage sale, you name it! Because of my upbringing and living amongst antiques all of my life, I grew to love the thrill of the hunt as much as she did. I had always dreamed of opening my own antique shop and while I had no idea how to go about it, I wanted to give it a whirl. My husband and I looked at the 1903 W. Belmont space and without hesitation, my husband said: "Sign the lease!" Sixteen years later...thanks to the support of our neighborhood we are still going strong!
What are some of your favorite moments of running your business?
One of my favorite moments was when one of our customers discovered a painting painted by her Grandfather in our shop! It was one of those serendipitous occurrences that just gives you a thrill! He was a WPA artist in Chicago and his works were very sought after, and she just wandered in one day and found one of his works, of course she bought it and brought it home to it's rightful place. I love that!
What is one thing that many people may not know about you or your business?
One thing most people wouldn't know about our business is our ties to the TV and film industry. We rent and sell many of our pieces to TV show and movie sets such as Chicago Fire, Empire, Michael Bay's Victoria's Secret commercials, Public Enemies and so on. We also sell to many Restaurant owners for their interiors. On a side note our shop also had the opportunity to be featured on some TV shows including two HGTV productions and one on the History Channel and one local Chicago design show.
Do you have any hobbies that you do outside of running your business?
Outside of the business, which takes up most of our time, we love to spend time outdoors fishing, boating, dune buggying, swimming and hiking as much as we can. We also love to travel which is part work and part fun. Wherever we go, we are always on the hunt for great pieces for the shop.
What are some businesses you love in Lakeview or Roscoe Village?
We love to go out to eat in our neighborhood, with so many great places to choose from, why go anywhere else? We go to Turquoise, Commonwealth and The Reveler on a regular basis. We always have to pop into Shangri La whenever I get a chance, because they find such great vintage clothing and accessories!
What are the best ways people can support your business right now?
The best ways to support any local business right now is to shop local! We rely on our neighbors support. Please don't walk by and not pop in because you never know what you'll find on any given day. Our inventory changes almost daily and if you like the thrill of the hunt as much as we do, you should pop in! Word of mouth is also one of our best advertisements, if you tell people where you got that beautiful painting hanging over your fireplace, more people will come in looking for their own treasures! Also if you don't find something, you can always support small businesses by purchasing gift certificates.
