Sitting Down With Emily Conley, Co-Founder of Grit N Glory and New York City Pet Parent

Today we are thrilled to chat with Emily Conley, a longtime member of our TOC Family, the co-founder of the badass clothing boutique and tattoo studio in New York City, “Grit N Glory,” and her dog, Boss’s, human. In our chat, Emily told us all about life with a dog in Manhattan, what it’s like working with her business partner, the tattoo artist and star, Megan Massacre, and how you should prep if you want to get a tattoo.

Tell us about your dog, Boss. 

Boss is 4 years old. My husband and I adopted him a little over 3 years ago from Arkansas. He is a smart, sweet, sensitive, and engaged dog. He loves to learn new things and train together, he really lights up. He has taught me so much over our few years together. 

Boss, above, is allowed to come to Grit N Glory, which is located near Washington Square Park in New York City.

What’s it like having a dog in NYC? 

Having a dog in NYC has lots of big challenges and so many benefits. As a sensitive guy, Boss can get overwhelmed and a bit shut down in the city. He's come so far in working through his urban anxiety but we still let him guide us as far as what he's comfortable with. We're lucky to be surrounded by a lot of parks, both large and small, and dog friendly businesses that create big rewarding checkpoints for Boss. 

Tell us about your store, Grit N Glory?

Grit N Glory is a rock-n-roll-inspired online clothing boutique and tattoo studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. We've been open for 13 years. We feature tattoo artists from all around the world, of all different styles, that are the best at what they do. One of the biggest draws to our shop is pet portrait tattoos. Clients travel from all over the world to seek out our artists to tattoo their cats, dogs, gerbils, snakes, you name it! 

What is it like working with tattoo artist and tv star, Megan Massacre?

My favorite tattoo is a portrait of my previous dog, Candy, done by Megan Massacre my business partner and one of the co-founders of Grit N Glory. Working with Megan is great, not just for my own pet portrait tattoos, but getting to hear so many people's stories about the impact a pet has had on their lives. 

Does Boss ever come to the store?

Boss does come to work and is a great shop dog! We're located near Washington Square Park so he gets lots of work breaks to go sniff and roll in the grass. He may greet clients but mostly loves to hang out in the office away from the tattoo areas.

Emily shared this photo of the tattoo of Candy done by Megan Massacre.

You are so cool. How did you find out about our community? 

I've been following the TOC community for a while, Boss and I had a blast partaking in the camp series both last summer and this summer. He loved practicing recall and retrieving! 

If someone in our community wants to get a tattoo, how do you suggest they get started with the process?

If someone were interested in getting a tattoo I would recommend starting by getting a good idea of what they want, including style, size, and placement. From there, taking the time to look into which artist they may like to work with.