By Sam Skopp
Animal Kingdom held a grand opening Saturday for its new retail space, expanding from their small 3rd Street storefront in the location next door that was formerly Vidiots. The new, larger store now offers a wider inventory as well as an expanded range of services for animals.
The grand opening event was held in what used to be a screening room, and featured a number of pet product vendors discussing pet care and handing out samples to attendees, many of whom brought their furry companions. The reception also included refreshments and raffle prize baskets.
Store co-owner Christine Najera-Davis explained that the space will be used as the store’s enrichment center, in which they can hold a variety of pet care workshops and seminars. For example, one service they plan on offering is dog care training for those who want to enter into the pet care industry.
“There are a lot of people who want to do dog sitting and dog walking and don’t have the training,” said Najera-Davis.
She explained that the room will also be used for anything from vets talking about animal health, like flea season or rattlesnake bite prevention in the summer, to meet ups for animal owners in the community and other community-oriented activities.
“I’m hoping it will raise awareness and help those in the pet care industry understand pet care and pet nutrition down to the very basics,” Najera-Davis said.
The store also offers daycare and grooming services for cats and dogs, and focuses on stocking a pet food inventory that can meet a number of pet dietary needs.
“We want to show our community that we care,” Najera-Davis said.
For more information about Animal Kingdom, visit animalkingdomsm.com.
