Dog-themed art bar Snouts and Strokes opens in downtown Fort Myers
It’s a bar. It’s an art gallery. It’s a package store.
It’s even a convenience store (sort of).
There’s a lot going on at the new Snouts and Strokes in downtown Fort Myers. But one thing ties everything together: Pets — especially dogs — and the people who love them.
Co-owner Jency Emo of Snouts and Strokes poses with her dog Kevin in front of Kevin's portrait (painted by gallery co-owner Steve Turner).
“This is a bar for pet fanatics,” says co-owner Jency Emo. “If you like pets, then you’re gonna like this, right?”
Snouts and Strokes opened Dec. 4 at 1518 Jackson St., and they’re already starting to get regulars.
“It’s the relaxed atmosphere,” says manager Wendy B. White, who runs the place with the help of her Chihuahua, Max. “It’s more like a lounge.
"You don’t have to have a dog to visit. We’ve got some groovy music that everybody loves. And the owners are incredible.”
Snouts and Strokes pitches itself as the place to go for dog lovers — and cat lovers, too, although dogs are by far the dominant theme. Emo plans to add more cat-related things in the coming weeks and months.
The business first opened last year as marine-themed art gallery Salty Strokes, co-owned by Emo and artist Steve Turner. Now the former couple have transformed the business into a pet-themed gallery and a whole lot more. Its tagline: “Pet Pub, Portraits and Provisions.”
Emo says she got the idea after noticing how many people had dogs in downtown Fort Myers.
Snouts and Strokes features dog-themed art (pictured) from co-owner Steve Turner. The gallery also sells Turner's marine-themed work and art by several other artists (both pet-themed and otherwise).
“I was like, ‘ding-ding-ding-ding!’” she says and laughs. “‘Look at all these dogs down here!’ People are so passionate about their animals. So here we are.”
Whatever you want to do you, there’s a good chance you can do it at Snouts and Strokes. The business crams a lot into its storefront space on Jackson Street, located just one block south of Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center.
You can order beer or wine and lounge on a comfortable couch painted with images of dogs (and a cat or two). You can bring your dog and sip drinks outside at a handful of chairs and tables.
You can buy paintings of dogs — or even commission a portrait of your own pet (Emo’s dog, the Chihuahua-Dachshund mix Kevin, can be seen in several big portraits in the store. “He’s our mascot,” she says). You can buy non-pet art, too, including jewelry, Key West scenes and Turner’s paintings of swordfish and other marine life (as well as his dog paintings). You can even create your own artwork with various art classes.
Snouts and Strokes features dog-themed art (pictured) from co-owner Steve Turner. The gallery also sells Turner's marine-themed work and art by several other artists (both pet-themed and otherwise).
Then there’s the non-art stuff: Pet-themed products such as backpacks and clothing. A big cooler stocked with wine and beer for drinks to go. A large-scale canvas printer in the back for anyone who needs to use it, including to make copies of any painting in the gallery. And a mini “convenience store”: Five shelves stocked with a hodgepodge of items, including salad dressing, boxed cereal, Ritz crackers, peanut butter, granola bars — even Whitman’s samplers and Ricola cough drops.
Still to come: Yoga classes, live music and more.
“We’re all kind of just working together to make it a cool place to be,” White says.
To learn more about Snouts and Strokes, visit call 628-9593 or visit facebook.com/snoutsandstrokespetpub.
— Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells (Facebook), @charlesrunnells (Twitter), @crunnells1 (Instagram)
