Business is booming for Bonilla Pet Studio, which moved into MacArthur Mall in March of last year and has been serving pet parents throughout Hampton Roads with high-end family portraiture – specializing in families with fur babies. The studio has seen a tripling of staff since moving downtown, has doubled the number of available portrait slots in the schedule, has hired a chief operations officer, and is planning a new location to be ready in Williamsburg later this fall.

Erin Bonilla is an award-winning Certified Professional Photographer and owner of the studios, excited for the recent changes she explained, “…we are operating at full capacity and are ready to expand our services to Williamsburg and the surrounding area! We look forward to offering even more appointments to all the wonderful pet parents of Hampton Roads. We believe pets deserve to be remembered in the best way possible, because of how much joy they bring to our lives and how much we love them.”

Erin Bonilla’s studios cater specifically to families with pets – those pets and families however come in all shapes and sizes. Dogs, cats, birds, and reptiles are all welcome and given special consideration (and encouraged to bring their human parents). There is a trained animal handler on staff with every appointment, treats are kept on hand, and photographers are trained in dealing with anxious and timid pets. “Our clients love the experience we offer. There are so many pet parents in our community who love the idea of honoring their fur babies with beautiful wall art, and they are excited to bring their pets somewhere designed just for them,” remarked Bonilla, considering the client’s experience.

To serve as many pet parents as possible, Bonilla Pet Studio has expanded it’s Norfolk staff several times to accommodate new demand as pandemic restrictions begin to relax. The newest addition is Oswaldo Bonilla, husband to the owner now also her chief business partner and COO of both locations. Oswaldo brings more than 20 years of managerial and leadership experience from his time in the United States Air Force as an officer. 

On the horizon for the studio is a new location in Williamsburg at 1430 High St. to be opening this fall. The new studio has been a long-time goal for Erin and is made possible not only with the support of our amazing clients but also with the assistance of other local businesses including Carlton Building Services, Jinal Kothari of 1 Space Design Studio and Janice Brown of DIR Brokers Commercial Real Estate.