Francine, Richmond's famous Lowe's cat, goes national
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The one and only Francine. Photo: Ned Oliver/Axios
The Broad Street Lowe's famous feline resident, Francine, got the spotlight treatment by Lowe's corporate this month.
Why it matters: In the past, the corporate office of the North Carolina-based home improvement store has declined to comment to media on the Fan District store's laziest staffer.
Driving the news: Lowe's broke its silence last week with a story on its website about the Richmond shop cat turned "local legend" — complete with a video of Francine in her natural habitat, asleep atop store merchandise.
Zoom in: Francine wandered into the garden section of 1640 W. Broad St. circa 2017 and simply never left, store manager Michael Sida recounted in the piece.
- She quickly made herself at home, napping in luxury garden chairs, perching on boxes, guarding the entrance and worming her way into the hearts of all Richmonders.
- Lowe's associate Nick Myers is Francine's caretaker and makes sure she's up to date on her shots. Locals pitch in to help with the bills.
- The store bought up some local art of Francine, too, and displays it in the store.
What they're saying: "Everyone who comes to Richmond should come see Francine because she's a beacon of the community," Myers said.
The intrigue: Despite Francine's 7-year-long local celeb status, the HQ bosses have declined to comment when news outlets, including this one, asked about her, citing "a variety of reasons" without elaborating.
- When asked this week about their change of heart, they didn't respond by press time.
The bottom line: Francine is the best shop cat in all the world, and Lowe's just made it official.