Ready to serve and slumber, a fluffy and friendly trio has settled into their respective roles at a downtown Lawrence bookstore.
Their names are Sammy, Arrow and Dean. Each conveys a unique purrsonality and charm to customers and staff of the Raven Book Store, 809 Massachusetts St.
Sammy, an orange and white cat, soaks up the sun early Tuesday morning as bright rays pour through the front window.
Nearby, Arrow the dog makes a beeline for the front door. There are visitors to greet, after all.
In a quiet office away from the hustle and bustle, Dean the feline stretches himself out on a rug. His feather duster-like tail swishes lazily back and forth. Like the old saying goes: It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it.
Arrow, an approximately 8-year-old Chihuahua/Dachshund mix, began accompanying Chris Luxem to the Raven more than a year ago while the pooch recovered from surgery. Arrow has since healed and typically spends his days at the bookstore Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
Luxem, Raven co-owner and bookseller, and his partner adopted Arrow from Great Plains SPCA in Kansas City seven years ago.
Arrow rarely barks and is more of the strong, silent type. Luxem recalled how shelter staff said the tiny dog was running around with a pack of other Chiweenies before he was rescued.
“And they said that he was, not in the pack necessarily, but at the shelter, that he was the ring leader of all the small dogs,” Luxem said with a smile.
Like many former shelter animals, Arrow can be skittish at times, Luxem said, but he’s always friendly. Arrow was destined for a job at the Raven.
“Yeah, his name before was Chaucer, which is funny, because he works in a bookstore now,” Luxem said.
Arrow’s name pays tribute to Harry Nilsson’s animated musical fairy tale “The Point.” In it, the only round-headed person, Oblio, is banished from the community with his dog, Arrow. Together they find their way back.
Sammy and Dean moved into the Raven after Dashiell the cat retired in June. After two months of acclimation, the duo has proven they’re ready to continue the legacy started in 2011 by Dashiell and his sister Ngaio, who retired from bookselling three years ago. In July, the Raven announced Ngaio “has passed on after a long and happy life.”
A 3-year-old bonded pair, Sammy and Dean are lifelong pals who are well-loved. Their original owner and former foster parents visit the cats at their new home, Luxem said.
Their names pay tribute to Sam and Dean Winchester, the brothers who hail from Lawrence on the TV show “Supernatural.”
“They’re both very friendly, which is obviously a good quality for a bookstore cat,” Luxem said. “Sammy is definitely a little more playful and likes to run around the store and chase receipts or just like any wadded up piece of paper. And Dean’s a little bit more — I feel like he just likes to kind of hang back.”
Dean loves to hang out in the office with Mary Wahlmeier Bracciano, children’s manager/co-owner.
If they need to take a break from their humans, the Raven pets can chill in the basement or in the receiving room, Luxem said, but you won’t often find the trio in one spot together. Still they happily coexist, and their presence can bring calm to tense moments.
“They make us really happy, and they make our customers happy,” Wahlmeier Bracciano said.
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Tricia Masenthin (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at tmasenthin (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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