LuLu & Luigi is named for two rescued pets: LuLu (a Maltese) and Luigi (a ragamuffin). This mother- and daughter-owned and operated pet boutique is the first of its kind in the Upper-Midwest. With trend-setting items and premium quality foods, LuLu & Luigi offers unique, high-end gifts and accessories “for discriminating pets and the people who love them.®”

Our Owners

Liz Sand, Owner
Liz spent six years working in direct marketing for several leading commercial and retail companies in Chicago, most recently as Manager of Consumer Card Acquisitions for Citicorp. After returning to Minneapolis, she tapped into her passion for pets and proposed a business venture with her mother, Karen. With an eye for unique retail venues, Liz enjoys attending the pet markets in search of the perfect items for LuLu & Luigi, and building relationships with vendors that share her ideals for quality pet care and products. She is singularly devoted to raising and maintaining a lifestyle for pets that is both holistic and trend-setting. As mother of her fur-baby LuLu (her adorable Maltese) and of Caroline (her gorgeous baby girl), she is very busy juggling wifedom, motherhood and the marketing and buying responsibilities at LuLu & Luigi.

Karen L. Howe, President and CEO
Karen ‘s years of design and retail management include a prestigious firm at Minneapolis’ International Market Square, a prominent role in the creation and management of the successful woman’s retail clothing store of Ann Taylor, and a as an account director for Yamamoto Moss. As a member of Alpha Phi Fraternity International, Karen has served on several local and district levels, and for the past 20 years has sat as a member of the Fraternity’s House Corporation Board at the University of Minnesota. Karen is married to Tom – Vice President, Finance, Lulu & Luigi – and has supported him in more than 30 years of business ownership and management of two other family-owned corporations: The Howe Company and Swanson Flo-Systems. Karen and Tom live in Minnetonka. They have two children: Jon, a successful investment banker who lives in Manhattan and Liz, her business partner.