By CLAYTON PARK

Sharon Kempler-Jones, media darling?

Becoming famous isn't exactly something Kempler-Jones asked for, but last month the owner of Gypsy Trader Consignment Boutique in Wallingford wound up being the subject of an article in the Seattle Times, a guest on five Seattle-area radio talk shows and an interviewee on National Public Radio.

She also found herself $700 lighter in the wallet.

It's all because Kempler-Jones told a customer she doesn't allow dogs in her shop.

The customer told Kempler-Jones: "You have to let it in because it's a special dog."

Kempler-Jones continued to refuse the dog, noting that the customer didn't appear to be physically disabled.

The customer wasn't but she responded by slapping Kempler-Jones with a lawsuit anyway, claiming she was "emotionally-dependent" on the dog.

Kempler-Jones hired an attorney who advised her to settle out of court to the tune of $250. Of course, she also received the bill for the lawyer's services: $450.

She told her woeful tale to one of her regular customers who just so happened to be a Seattle Times reporter. The result was a front page article on April 16 that generated interest from other media as well as an outpouring of sympathy from angered readers, some of whom have offered to help pay her fine.

Kempler-Jones, who refuses all donation offers, invites her new-found fans to become customers at her shop instead. Gypsy Trader is located at 252 NE 45th.