Twin Tails Market & Barkery

12/01/2023

Once again, we’d like to thank you all. The Market is closed up now, and we turn in keys tomorrow morning. We donated the last of the food in order to continue to take care of the community on our way out. We’d like to thank all of you for being the best customers, friends, community, and family we could’ve asked for.

“I’m gonna tell you how it’s gonna be,
You’re gonna give your love to me.
And I’m gonna love you night and day,
You know our love will not fade away
Love that’s real not fade away…”
❤️⚡️💙

We love you. Goodnight.

11/23/2023

“May your family share laughter
Your songs always play
May your wishes come true
Even those left unprayed
Hand on my shoulder
Gentle cloud on the hill
May your heart's doors be open
Forever and ever, may your glass, it be filled”

(You knew there was an encore coming right?? 🤣)

Our family wishes yours all the best, and may your glasses be filled forever more.

Love, Brian, Heather, Leo, Molly, and Carter.

Widespread Panic performs "May Your Glass Be Filled" live at Grand Targhee Resort Amphitheater in Alta, Wyoming on July 3, 2011.© Widespread Records

11/23/2023

Well, that’s a wrap folks. Literally it seems. 🤣 You know I couldn’t miss one last pun. You guys have been absolutely freakin’ excellent and we couldn’t have asked for a better goodbye. It’s time to go home. It’s time to heal. It’s time to love. We can’t thank you enough for sharing this wild wild ride with us.

“Sometimes the light’s all shining on me
Other times I can barely see
Lately it occurs to me….
What a long, strange trip it’s been…”

WE LOVE YOU GOODNIGHT TWIN TAILS!!!!

11/22/2023

“Soulshine” - The Allman Brothers Band/Gov’t Mule

I’ll just let the words speak for themselves..

When you can't find the light
That got you through a cloudy days
When the stars ain't shinin' bright
You feel like you've lost you're way
When those candle light of home
Burn so very far away
Well, you got to let your soul shine
Just like my daddy used to say

He used to say, "Soulshine
It's better than sunshine
It's better than moonshine
Damn sure better than rain
Hey, now people don't mind
We all feel this way sometime
You got to let your soul shine
Shine till the break of day"

I grew up thinkin' that I had it made
Gonna make it on my own
Life can take the strongest man
Make him feel so alone
Now someteimes I feel a cold wind
Blowin' through my achin' bones
I think back to what my daddy said
He said, "Boy, in this darkness before the dawn

Let your soul shine
It's better than sunshine
It's better than moonshine
Damn sure better than rain
Yeah, now people don't mind
We all feel this way sometimes
You gotta let your soul shine
Shine till the break of day"

Sometimes a man can feel this emptiness
Like a woman has robbed him of his very soul
A woman too, God knows, she can feel like this
And when your world seems cold
You got to let your spirit take control

Talking 'bout soulshine
It's better than sunshine
It's better than moonshine
Damn sure better than rain
And now people don't mind
We all feel this way sometimes
Gotta let your soul shine
Shine till the break of day” - W.Haynes/G. Allman

11/22/2023

“Blaze On” - Phish

We get one trip. It may be long and strange, but it’s your trip. Make the most of it. Take care of yourself. Take care of others. Love. But most importantly - Blaze On! Do it with a fire.

“And we'll be dancing in the fields, running through the moor
Tripping on the barbed wire, buried near the shore
Blazing like a comet, brighter than the full moon
So you better get ready, 'cause a change is coming soon”

But most importantly - PLAY IT LEEEEOOOOOOO!!!

From Phish's renowned Baker's Dozen run in 2017 with fully remixed audio by Elliot Scheiner. "Blaze On" is from July 29, 2017 (Cinnamon) and is part of the r...

11/22/2023

Well, today is the day. Time to say “see you further down the road” to you all. Stop in if you can. The music is going to be a little loud, molly is going to be crazy on the floor, and we’re going out havin’ a good time.

Thank you to all of you who did support us, had our backs, helped us along the way. I had plans, but plans change. I truly believe, with everything in me, that we had the greatest dog & cat supply store the sw burbs had ever seen. I didn’t try to build a store…I set out to build a community. In that, I succeeded, bc it wouldn’t hurt this bad to say goodbye if I hadn’t. No one was a customer, you were family and your pet was my pet. I treasured taking care of them like I did my own.

Thank you for the 7 best years of any business that ever existed. We love you all and will miss you beyond belief. If you see us on the street, stop us for the biggest smile and hippie hug you’ll ever see.

We will go live one or two more times here today, just to say a proper thank you and goodbye. But individually and collectively, thank you all.

Brian, Heather, Leo, Molly & Carter 🤎🤍💙💜

11/21/2023

You think anxiety could keep me from you guys? Nah, son. I may not be 100 but I’m here and I’m ready to make up for yesterday. So let’s do this. 2 more days of the best damn pet food store that ever existed. Who’s with me?

And a quick note - thank you all for the kind thoughts, messages, everything…yesterday. While I have had the store, I’ve been very open about my mental health and when it gets too much. To all the men out there, I want you to know that it’s OK to take a day and not be ok. To take 5 showers and crawl into bed. Your family loves and needs you, and that’s “being a man” (whateeeever the heck that is supposed to mean) more than anything.

So let’s do this!!!! 10-6 for two more days! I love you all! 💜

11/20/2023

Everyone, I want you to know today is too much for me. We need to be closed today bc I can’t function. I’ve spent the morning in the back office having a panic attack knowing it’s all ending. IVe tried my normal solutions. And after 7 hours of this I have to admit that I can’t do it today. I want to be here for all of you but the crushing weight of wednesday is in my head. I promise I’ll be here 10-6 tomorrow and wednesday. You guys mean the world to me and I wamt to be here to say goodbye.

So I’ll be here tomorrow. But I need a day I guess. Didn’t want to, but it’s too much for me. Love you all 💜 - B

11/20/2023

“Touch of Grey” - The Grateful Dead

This song *is* of course the only hit the Dead had, and if you know one song by them, this may be it. But even though it broke through, it still had a large amount of truth to it. Things may be crazy, not make sense, be upside down - but it’s alright. We will get by.

When COVID hit, we used this as our store’s rallying cry. Trite? Perhaps. Did I care? Naaaaah 🤣. It’s a great song. With a great message.

And yeah. We’re closing on Wednesday. For good. But you know what? You, me, us? Our community we built? Team Twin Tails?

We will get by. We will survive.

So heck, blast the radio hit. I do. This song has aged like fine wine to me, and rings true. But just do me oooone small favor 😏

When you play it? Play it loud and freakin’ DANCE. 💜💜

11/20/2023

Ok. So July 4th I was sitting in the kiddie pool with Leo, and it hit me. This was the best it was going to get, and he deserved more. The way things were, I was going to be working weekends for another 2-3 years easily, and that’s if we had the revenue to continue. I look at him and thought of everything I was going to miss. I thought of everything I’d miss with my wife. I thought of missing my dad’s retirement years. I couldn’t do it anymore. I took a deep breath and let go. I knew it was time to say goodbye.

We knew Buggs was sick, but we figured we’d have until the end of the year. We just wanted Christmas with him. Then we wanted him through September. But we realized we couldn’t let him suffer. We said goodbye to him over Labor Day, and that was a period on a sentence that was written weeks prior. The love you showed us during that time made the unbearable just a little bit better, and we can’t thank you enough for the love.

We closed out Petpalooza knowing we would be saying goodbye to you all, breathing deep and taking it as a victory lap. My brother came out with his wife and the legend Tater Tot herself, and please support them at Silly Goose Pets here on instagram.

Saying goodbye to all of you this week is hard. It’s made easier knowing the road goes on forever, and I firmly believe I will see you all down it. But it’s almost time to say goodbye for a bit. We’ll post some final times, say some thank yous, maybe go live once or twice more. But we hope you’ve enjoyed seeing 7 years of our business, one that wouldn’t have made it 7 weeks without you all. Thank you. We love you. 💜💜💜Brian, Heather, Leo, Molly, and Carter.

11/19/2023

2023 part 1. It’s been a good year, even if we have to say goodbye. Carter turned 13 and we went all out. Steak, potato, all his favorites. We had a feeling something was off with him at this point, but hoped we still had time. 😔.

But on a happy note - Palos Park had their first ever Doggie Dash!!! And even though we’re going away, I’ve told our parks director that he will have to beat me away from helping to plan the 2024 one. Maybe that’s our yearly reunion. 🤷‍♂️ Idk. But we can thank Team Twin Tails for showing out STRONG!!! if you were lucky enough to get a hand dyed T-shirt from Brian, be sure to always wear it and think of us. It was amazing to see the love and support for our store that day and it is a day we will hold in our hearts forever.

We have one more memory Lane post coming later tonight but we can’t thank you enough for spending your time here with us. 💜

11/19/2023

My customers are the greatest. Hands down. I *will* hear arguments and then decimate them because I have PHYSICAL proof my customers are better than all others through the history of time immemorial. Sarah surprised us with this absolutely breathtaking picture of Carter that she painted herself. It’s hard to even think about the kindness contained this in this gift without crying. From our whole family, thank you Sarah. 💜

And people!!! Please please PLEASE support Sarah and her art. She’s simply amazing and my superlatives won’t do justice to what her pictures actually look like. They’re amazing. She is available for commissions and has been a loyal customer here for years. We can’t thank you enough. 💜💜

11/19/2023

"Away From The Mire" - Billy Strings

I say this without hyperbole, this is one of the greatest songs ever written. I mean look, we all have our preferences and opinions, and it's my opinion that this song is one of the greatest in the history of music. Ever.

Whether you've struggled with interpersonal relationships in your family, or work so hard for something that seems an exercise in futility, this song can speak to you.. It can speak to pretty much everyone who has struggled at some point - which we know is ALL of us. Its a beautiful song punctuated by an incredible instrumental section that starts soft and rises to shake the heavens down with music.

Seeing this song live was worth the price of admission, but made better when Heather, after having Billy melt our faces off to the point we could barely comprehend time and space, looks at me and just says, "WOW....." That's why i listen to this music. For those moments.

So - Please enjoy one of the greatest songs ever written.

"Away From The Mire" off Billy Strings' new album, HOME. HOME is available now, via Rounder Records. Listen and order here: https://found.ee/StringsHOMEWe've...

11/18/2023

2022 was a pretty good year, even if this is when the slide started to occur 🤷‍♂️. It was a year filled with birthdays for Molly and Carter, leprechaun lattes, and I was able to bring in the best dog toys ever - ACTUAL LICENSED GRATEFUL DEAD TOYS!!! Leo also took some naps here, as the backroom became a nursery. Finally, we had the distinct joy and pleasure of welcoming Anna to the team. Petpalooza 2022 was phenomenal and we always loved doing it. Ill just be there as regular old Brian next year, but be sure to stop me and get the biggest smile and hug you’ll ever get in your life!! 💜💜💜

11/17/2023

There are some things we still have a lot of! So we’ve upped the discounts to 35% off all food, and 50% off everything else!! Come clean us out!! We are here until Wednesday!!

11/17/2023

Goose - "Honeybee"

This was Leo's lullaby that i would sing to him every night when he was a little man. The song is a real special one to me, and always takes me back to those sleepless nights of bouncing my baby boy until he went to sleep. As the song would peak, I would dance with him in his nursery and cradle my little Honeybee. Please enjoy this one, its a special one.

Provided to YouTube by BWSCD IncHoneybee · Goose2020.10.03 Swanzey, NH℗ 2021 GooseReleased on: 2021-03-05Main Artist: GooseProducer: GooseAssociated Perfor...

11/17/2023

Like I said, after Lil Man was born, he starts to dominate my photo reel. But we still manage to capture some great moments at the shop, like our annual Pupkin Spice Lattes! Who tried one? And of course Santa came for his favorite pups as always!!! And as always…..Teddy. 🤣

11/16/2023

In the early part of 2021, we were preparing for little man’s arrival in July. But we still find time to celebrate Carter’s 11th birthday with a nice steak, go for a great hike on Memorial Day, and announce to our family and friends that we now needed “one extra ticket” for summer tour 🥰

So, after this, pictures of the store start to get less as my phone becomes “All Leo, All the time!” We will finish out here with some great memories as well, though. 💜💜💜

Just a reminder we are open until next Wednesday the 22nd and all foods are now 35% off and everything else is 50% off!

11/15/2023

Next on our playlist is….you guessed it! More Billy Strings!!! This one is a special one to Brian and Heather, and we just ask that you give this one a listen. 3:30 of heartfelt partnership. 💜

"Must Be Seven" off Billy Strings' new album, HOME. HOME is available now, via Rounder Records. Listen and order here: https://found.ee/StringsHOMEExclusive ...

11/15/2023

We closed out 2020 big!! How big?? Last photo big.

Molly and Carter continued to be their *stoic* selves 🤣 and H&B celebrated 10 years of being together (first night pic vs how it’s going pic)

However…

We’ve done a lot of cool things at the store but when Heather randomly surprised Brian the day after Thanksgiving with the news that Twin Tails was about to have a *NEW EMPLOYEE NAMED LEO*, well…that was just about the greatest news we ever got here. The last frame is a picture of the moment Brian realized. Heather had purchased white onesies for him to tiedye. 💜💜. 2020.

11/15/2023

I need to catch up on the sharing of tunes!!

Ok Scarlet>Fire. Now this….this is perfection in musica. The interplay of all musicians during these minutes is nothing short of a 6 piston engine firing on all fronts. And there seems to be a universal truth that comes forth in the lyrics of Robert Hunter:

“Well I ain’t often right, but I’ve never been wrong
Seldom turns out the way it does in the song;
Once in a while you can get shown the light
In the strangest of places if you look at it right.”

And Fire on the Mountain? Come on, maaaan. I know NON-heads who love this song. And so?!?! ENJOY!

Scarlet / Fire Live at Barton Hall at Cornell University on 5/8/77

11/15/2023

Also, coincidentally enough today November 15, 2023 is our seven year anniversary. We opened seven years ago with a dream, and while our doors may be closing a week from today I’d like to think that while I had the ball we moved the needle here in Palos and the surrounding community. A pet community we built here at the store. One that wouldn’t have been…without YOU. 💜 I found this little breakdown and felt it was very appropriate. I’m never going to forget the seven amazing years you guys have given us. I was asked last week that if given the chance, would I do it all over again?

Faster than you guys will ever know.

I love you all, thank you for 7 years of the best community ever. I’ll miss you all. 🤎🤍💙💜🤎🤍💙💜

11/15/2023

Oh man where do we begin - 2020. I should’ve known things were going to be messed up when I saw a mosquito on the front door in February. But we got through it together, people. Carter even found a fish that fell from the sky on a walk! Molly & Carter loved the extra room available at the store for a while, but we missed all of your faces! We had great support from our distributors and did everything we could to keep things normal for your dogs throughout the pandemic. This is also the year the music changed a bit in the shop from traditional jam vehicles to psychedelic bluegrass 🤣. Billy Strings, y’all. 😉

11/14/2023

HE CAME BACK!!! Santa had such a good time that he was back for more fun in 2019!! He even convinced his two chucklehead elves to get in on the fun (last 2 pics🤣). We shared some Santa outtakes this time - because why not! 🤣🤣

11/14/2023

The fall of ‘19 was a pretty special time around here. Brian and Heather took (get this…) A WEEKEND TOGETHER for their 5 year wedding anniversary. This was the first time I really felt the weight of what was needed to even get 3 days off from the business. But it was SO worth it. We went back to the Hancock building where we had our reception, and ate (no joke) Twin Tails at Shaw’s 🤣. Heather picked out Brian’s Halloween costume and Molly and Carter were their usual playful selves. And of course, canal walks in Lemont. They were always good at the Sit/Stay, as long as no one else was around 🤣🤣 Next - more Santa!!

11/13/2023

“I’m letting go of all my troubles/
I think I’ll be right here to stay…”

Billy Strings. Let’s be real - if you were in the store in the last 3 years regularly you heard his music. From the song writing to the guitar playing, there simply isn’t a musician who has made a bigger impact on us in a long time. His music is how Brian met Anna and she came to work at the store. Brian and Heather spent Brian’s 40th throwing a huge party at one of his shows. He’ll come back in this countdown, but for now enjoy this absolute rocker

“One thing I want to know, is where will people go
When everything comes crashing to the ground?
Meet me at the Creek
Grab a beer and tap your feet
See that muddy water flowin’ down”

And to all my billyfam that came in or shopped with us online - thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart. And Cindy? Tell Mark the first one’s on me at the next show this summer. 💜💜💜💜🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐

11/13/2023

2019 started with our first twin tails corporate retreat to the winter classic in South Bend! 🤣 A good, frigid time was had by all. We had settled into Lemont and were enjoying our walks along the canal. Sampling products, and putting good wear and tear on the counter. This is also the year Brian stopped re-staining the counter 🤣. We purchased our second freezer, and had really settled into what you know now as Twin Tails. We really felt the sense of community starting to coalesce in this year. Regulars coming in, new people discovering us every month. And Brian playing music thru it all. 💜