Pet Lodge Superstore Leeds: Meet the pet shop owner who is opening a Bielsa-themed animal cafe

Launched by the man who commissioned the iconic Bielsa the Redeemer mural in Wortley, Lil and Flo’s Pet Cafe in the Pet Lodge Superstore will open to customers at midday. Owner Arron Lambert is dedicating the cafe to the former Leeds United boss, with Bielsa themes running through the venue, from the music and decor to the food on offer.

Lil and Flo’s Pet Cafe, named after Arron’s daughters, will serve hot drinks and buns for humans, including Bielsa’s favourite mate tea. There will be puppuccinos and doggy ice creams for pooches, and Arron hopes to introduce raw mezze plates for dogs in the future.

Arron, 51, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “We’ve revamped the whole space, knocked through a wall and made loads of extra space.

“We want to slowly progress and have a blank canvas, so we can run with it in any direction we want to and take the feedback from the public. I’d love to do Yorkshire tapas for a Latin and Yorkshire mix.

“All sociable pets will be welcome. We have customers with many different types of pets, including reptiles, which they’re welcome to bring - as there’s no danger.”

Arron took over the Oldfield Lane pet shop almost 13 years ago and is well-known in the Wortley community, a key player in the fight to save the nearby TV Harrison sports ground.

He commissioned local artists Nicolas Dixon and ‘Burley Banksy’ Andy McVeigh to paint a piece of art for his building, and the pair re-imagined Bielsa as the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio di Janeiro.

Arron said: “Their amazing idea was better than what anybody could have expected, it’s turned into such a big thing in Leeds. There were cameras coming from all over the world - Match of the Day, Spanish news, Australian news reporters. It’s gone totally global.”

Arron is working with Nicolas to decorate the cafe with Bielsa artwork and memorabilia over the coming weeks. The cafe will soft launch at midday today, with Arron’s daughters cutting the ribbon, with the official opening to follow.

“We’re trying to get my daughters involved,” Arron added. “We were pregnant with Liliana when we opened the shop, and I’d have her in the shop with me on a Sunday in a little carry case, to give my wife a chance to sleep!

“My daughter had the idea to have pick and mix, and it morphed from there. We have a second shop down the road so we knew we needed to do something different, so the cafe fit perfectly.”

Arron is hoping to run events in the cafe on match days, as Leeds United fans looking ahead to a season in the championship.

He said: “You get your head around things pretty quickly, being a Leeds fan. You’ve seen it all before. You have to look at the positives - we’ve sorted out the ownership, which is a good thing.

“We hoped Bielsa would come back, there was unfinished business. But it was more than football. He changed the city and changed people’s thinking. He’s the biggest thing to hit Leeds in the last 20 years."