Married couple Tanya Mahrous and Toby Tobias have created the perfect gathering place for animal lovers -- especially those who want to impact pet rescues.
At Second Life, an upscale thrift store in Avondale Estates, a percentage of the profits support homeless pets.
Since opening their store almost 13 years ago, the owners have given away more than $2.4 million in grants to more than 90 pet rescue groups and programs supporting medical care, community outreach, spay/neuter assistance, education, and more.
“Most people only think of the big groups and shelters with big name recognition, but there are hundreds if not thousands of groups and organizations primarily run by volunteers who want to help animals. So we want to help them,” said Tanya.
Second Life is a feel-good place for pet lovers with the mission of helping homeless pets find loving homes.
There’s always a line of shoppers waiting to get in and scour the donated like-new clothes, accessories, household goods, books, and other unique items that sell at bargain prices.
Second Life owners credit their team, a mix of employees and volunteers who are all animal lovers and want to help pet rescues and shelters.
“Our team is the reason for our success. There’s no way we could do what we do without them,” said Toby. “The creativity, the feel of the store, is because our team is absolutely amazing.”
Tanya and Toby have always loved animals and have fostered several pets over the years. But the one dog that tugged their hearts the most was a Dalmatian named Lucky – an alpha male with a sweet personality.