On days when he’s not sprawled out on the couch wooing shoppers that pass by, Joplin can be found riding shotgun in his special Chihuahua-sized car seat, hunting for vintage goods across the Midwest with mom, Tiffany Paige.
“You just kind of know when you see that perfect companion,” said Paige. “He’s a total love bug. All he really wants to do is be next to you, sit in your lap and lick your hand.”
But Joplin also doesn’t mind posing for pictures atop Mid-Century Modern furniture for his Facebook fans, and entertaining anyone who stops in at mom’s Chicago store, Modern Cooperative.
Paige opened the Pilsen neighborhood store with partner Mike Biersma, who not only shares her love of mid-century modern furniture, but also comes from a family of thrift shoppers and collectors. Their shop is a hodgepodge of vintage Mad Men-esque furniture and home decor, reclaimed wood pieces and work made by Midwest artists.
Joplin, a rescue dog who bears the same name as the Missouri town from which he hails, has been next to the pair’s side from the start. Paige adopted him after the town was hit by a tornado nearly three years ago. Now he’s out to pay that love forward to anyone who visits Modern Cooperative. Here’s what’s got this stylish dog barking at the store right now.
“He’s used to me getting him to pose. He thinks that’s kind of his job now.”Tiffany Paige
Joplin knows what it’s like to wait for a forever home. So until this Danish style daybed can find a home of its own, he plans to help keep the new upholstery warm. These pillows by Elytra Design (hand woven in Pilsen by Modern Cooperative employee Chelcie Laggis) are some of his favorite to sit on too, but we hear that mom Tiffany does not approve.
This gorgeous Danish style lounge chair calls for an equally adorable pooch, right? It’s the least Joplin can do to show his support for one of his favorite designers, Jens Risom. But Joplin is more than just a pretty face. This Chihuahua has a sense of humor, too, and helps Paige pick out the locally designed and printed cards he thinks the store should stock.
Let Joplin be your hero, just for one day, and give you a tip on how to store your favorite records. He keeps his prized Bowie classic “Heroes” in this handmade reclaimed wood case that doubles as a carrier from Chicago-based company called What We Make.
When he’s putting in long hours at the store, Joplin likes to keep things snazzy with this fabric bowtie from Chicago-based maker Keelan Rogue. This recycled fabric flask doesn’t hurt either.
If Joplin had opposable thumbs, he would push this 1970s brass bar cart (and all the great vintage barware atop it) right into your life. But since he can’t, he’ll just take up his normal post on another one of his favorite sofas (a 1950s small sectional), complete with a screen-printed pillow from Chicago’s Earth Cadets.
Joplin knows how important it is to be carried in style. If these bags from Pilsen’s Munie Designa and Madison’s Milkhaus Design were meant for dogs, Joplin would jump right in. But instead he’s content to put his paws up and simply admire them from his perch on this reclaimed wood coffee table from Chicago Salvage Works.
When Joplin’s not being carried around the store by legions of adoring shoppers, he likes to hang out in style on this Adrian Pearsall sectional. From here he can greet customers and still admire the work of Emmy Star Brown, a Chicago artist who paints reclaimed windowpanes and frames.
