A woman with bleached hair and cuffed jeans pushes open the boutique door. She's greeted by Tulip, a chihuahua that can only be described as blonde. Tulip sports a Pepto-Bismol-pink sweater with a black faux fur neckline. Skittering across the floor, she lifts her whiskered chin and lets out a few high-pitched yips to announce her presence.The customer, who has a chihuahua of her own (this one's more of a brunette) perched on her left shoulder, browses the racks of trendy women's clothing. She rifles through printed jackets, wool sweaters and sequined handbags. Rounding the corner, she comes to a halt."Oh, my gosh!" she squeals. "I didn't know you had dog clothes!"Welcome to Sweet Pea Tulip, a boutique offering both women's wear and diminutive doggie duds. It opened Oct. 7 and is located at 112 Waterman St., but this Providence store is not the original - New Orleans houses three more branches.Co-owners Mignon Parent-Perrotta and John Perrotta had been running their boutique in New Orleans for five years, with two locations in the French Quarter and one in the Uptown-University area. They'd long had their eye on Providence, an area they knew because Perrotta has family here. It was Hurricane Katrina that set the idea of a Rhode Island expansion into motion. The Perrottas were lucky that their stores escaped flooding and looting, but they knew business would take time to revive. While visiting Providence a few weeks ago, they happened to see a space in the Thayer Street area open for rent."Every time I've been here, I was not able to find anything open or for rent," Parent-Perrotta said. "We just happened to be driving around, and saw this little space open, and decided to go for it because it's hard to find something in this small, concentrated area."Within three weeks, the Perrottas had finished decorating the store and all merchandise had arrived. Parent-Perrotta said the Providence branch is permanent, and added that the community has already shown a positive reaction."So far, we've gotten great response from people," she said. "Everybody's really excited. We've had a lot of people who've stopped by and told us they've visited our stores in New Orleans."Parent-Perrotta said the boutiques in New Orleans receive many tourists, but the Providence store is aiming for more of a local clientele. She said Sweet Pea Tulip draws a college-age crowd, so she's hoping for success in attracting both Brown and RISD students. The merchandise is "very affordable and very up-to-date on what's out there, fashion-wise," she said. Prices in the store range from $18 T-shirts, Parent-Perrotta said, to a $142 dress.The upbeat response has not been limited to Sweet Pea Tulip's women's clothing. Parent-Perrotta said the dog clothes, including T-shirts with attached scratch-and-sniff stickers, have also received attention."We've sold some Halloween costumes, some little outfits," she said. "A lot of people have been excited. It's cold here, you know, so the dogs need their sweaters and coats. There are some real cute fashion pieces for the girls, like fancy little dresses. The little polos for the boys are popular."And, of course, Tulip herself is quite the attraction. Parent-Perrotta found her when she was "a scraggly little stray" in the New Orleans French Market six years ago, but she's now reached a level of celebrity in the French Quarter. Visitors sometimes stop by just to see her."She walks the French Quarter, always dressed," Parent-Perrotta said. "She has to have her outfit on. She loves it when people come up to her and know who she is. I'm trying to get her used to this area. I think she's going to like it. She loves to walk around, prance around. She's a priss."Although the Perrottas are optimistic about business in Providence, they are also concerned with checking up on their New Orleans stores. Parent-Perrotta will return at the end of this month to see how the area looks and to determine when re-opening will be possible."They're trying to get people to open up in November, but it's going to be a tough one," she said. "We really want people to come back to New Orleans. It's going to come back bigger and better."
