Scoop Masters

“I’ll go anywhere your dog goes,” puns Tim Stone, 27, owner of a dog-poop cleanup service called Scoop Masters.

Stone, whose business is based in Reseda, travels around the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Simi valleys performing a task that some dog owners don’t have the time or inclination to take care of themselves. “The base rate is $20 a month to come by once a week for one dog, and it goes up according to the number of dogs and frequency of visits,” he says.

Besides servicing homes, Stone also takes care of parks, condominiums and rooftops. “I’ve had a couple of calls for rooftops,” he notes. He mostly scoops up after dogs, although he also follows cats. (At the moment, he’s not interested in cleaning up after horses, in spite of several requests to do so.)

The idea for the business came to Stone by a rather circuitous route. “My ex-girlfriend’s mother’s cousin started a business like this in Denver,” he recalls. Or so she said. When Stone called the woman’s relative in Denver to find out more about it, he discovered that the cousin was a firefighter and had never heard of the business.

Stone opened the business in January, 1988, while employed as a welder. The following month, he was laid off from his job--the company folded--and his part-time gig became his bread-and-butter.

His sense of humor is his trademark. When asked how he disposes of what he picks up, Stone replies: “I throw it on my neighbor’s lawn and leave my business card.” And his telephone number? Why (818) 708-POOP, of course.

Fashion Update

It’s practically a law in this country that if you are female, you must own either a black skirt or a black pair of pants, preferably both.

But basic black frequently becomes boring black if it’s not freshened up occasionally with a new look. Several Valley retailers offer suggestions on what could be worn this fall with a black skirt or black pants to create some fashion pizazz.

“Try a blouse or thin sweater that is accessorized with unusual buttons,” suggests Jennifer Farrow, assistant manager of Ann Taylor at the Promenade Mall in Woodland Hills. “Buttons are very big now--especially gold buttons, or black ones with gold trim or differently shaped buttons.”

Fawnn Lank, owner of Fawnn and of Fawnn Studio, both in Calabasas, is a big fan of vests. “Any kind of vest--a tapestry or brocade, a paisley or something with gold in it,” she says. “You could wear it over a blouse or a white T-shirt, or even over a bandeau or tank top.”

Of course if you go shopping for women’s clothing during a big sale, it’s quite possible that you will experience the why-don’t-they-have-my-size dilemma.

How do stores decide how many garments, and in which sizes, to stock? An informal survey reveals that--guess what?--size 8 or 10 is the most popular. “Those are the sizes that we buy the most heavily because those are the sizes we tend to sell the most of,” says Jane Merkin, assistant manager at Loehmann’s in Reseda.

At Casual Corner in Canoga Park, the quickest-selling size is a smaller one. “We usually get two of every style in an 8 and 10, but in smaller sizes we only get one of every fourth style,” explains manager Renee Nelsen.

Most retailers agree that after 8 and 10, the next most popular size is 6, followed by 12.

“What’s missing in the fashion business is clothes for the woman who is size 14 or 16,” notes fashion consultant Joan Rubin of Joan E. Johns in Studio City. “It’s an in-between size. Lots of the larger-women’s stores start at a size 18.”

A Happy Ending

“You get kids 14 or 15 years old coming up here all alone by themselves, trying to send money back to mom and dad,” says Tim Emerick, pastor of Luz de Cristo Faith Center in Van Nuys and director of Luz de Cristo youth centers in Pacoima and Van Nuys. He is speaking of Mexican, Central and South American teen-agers.

“They have no family here, they can’t find work and they aren’t in school,” Emerick adds. “Because of their age, they’re sometimes taken advantage of by employers. Some employers pick them up on street corners and then sexually abuse them or beat them up. This is one reason why we have our youth centers.”

The centers offer crisis-intervention counseling, organized games, arts and crafts, and puppet shows and have just started a computer-programming class. Most of the money for the programs comes from the congregation at Luz de Cristo Faith Center. Last year, the budget for the two centers was $30,000.

“To be perfectly honest, if you don’t reach the kids before they’re 12, they’re pretty much gone,” Emerick says. “When a kid is 13 to 15 years old, he can be pretty hard-core by then. Most of our success is with the little ones--as young as 5--keeping them out of gangs.

“You’ll see kids 6 or 7 years old selling crack around here. But we have very limited success with the older ones. Mario and Roberto are the exception.”

He is referring to Mario Garcia, 23, and Roberto Rodriguez, 26. Both had become gang members and drug users after arriving in the Valley years ago. In June, however, they both returned to their native El Salvador to open a youth center in the small town of Soyapango. The center was officially dedicated Sunday.

“I just think it’s very uplifting to anyone who invests their time--their lives--into these kinds of centers to know that kids like Mario and Roberto can change if you work with them,” Emerick says. “These kids need more than just money thrown at them. They need someone they can run to, a shoulder to cry on. Money can’t do that--only people can.”

Archery, Anyone?

Lloyd Brown wants people to understand the broad appeal of archery. He notes that this year’s national men’s champion was 51 years old and the national women’s champion was 14.

“You’re looking at a sport where you can be at a high, competitive level for all of your life,” says the director of youth programs for the Easton Sports Development Foundation in Van Nuys. Brown also directs the archery programs at Woodley Park Archery Range in Encino.

Dave Cochran of Van Nuys, who gives free lessons at the range at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays, considers it the “safest shooting sport.”

“If you like the idea of shooting but you don’t like guns, it’s a good sport,” he says.

Some people are trading in their guns for a bow and arrow, Cochran says. “I get a lot of people who are taking it up for hunting purposes. They’re getting worried about where the bullet goes--you don’t know what’s on the other side of the hill.”

Friday nights, Brown teaches a class for youths who are in training for the Olympics. Ryan Jordan, 11, of Van Nuys is one of the newest students.

“Archery is very difficult to master but easy to learn,” Brown states, promising that “anybody can hit the target after a one-hour lesson.”

Overheard at. . . .

“California isn’t going to fall into the ocean because of the earthquake. It will be because of the weight of all the people who are moving here.”

--Woman in an office in Calabasas