Published: November 19, 2008 08:17 am         

Petsense to open soon

PALESTINE — A new store focused on a large variety of pet supplies will open its doors Friday in the Palestine Plaza.

A grand opening for Petsense will be held after Thanksgiving on Nov. 29 featuring Bill and Star from Flint, who were contestants on CBS’ summer reality show Greatest American Dog.

The 6,500 sq. ft. store with eight employees on its roster will offer supplies for dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles and other small animals such as hamsters, gerbils, ferrets and rabbits.

“This store is something that Palestine has needed for a long time,” Petsense General Manager Danny Andrews said.

Supplies include different size dog houses ranging from wood houses, dog igloos, standard plastic carriers, travel crates and training crates. Cat furniture in all sizes and pet strollers also are available.

A wide variety of toys — including many for Christmas — will be sold.

“We have a wide variety of dog beds and dog clothes, including coats and sweaters,” Andrews said.

Aggie and Longhorn fans can find clothing to suit their favorite team and Harley Davidson fans can dress their dog in matching biking clothing.

“We also will have some really good close-out goods that we buy straight from manufacturers and pass the savings on to the customers,” Andrews said.

Another row is dedicated to a multitude of pet treats, including gourmet baked goods. Dog training videos and DVDs, as well as pet magazines and books will be sold in the near future.

“Pets are welcome to come in with their owners,” Petsense Marketing Manager Tom Luba said. “We had one store where the dog came in, sniffed out the toys and picked one out to buy.”

Pet medication (such as the popular lines of flea/tick/mosquito repellents Advantage, Frontline and Advantix) and dental supplies can be purchased.

Pet food brands to be sold include Science Diet, Pro Pac, Wellness, Iams, Eukanuba and Nitro.

One pet food brand available will be competitive to other grocery-store brands — offering a 40 lb. bag of dog food for $13.99.

“It’s a good deal all around,” Luba said.

A state-of-the-art grooming area is already set up in the back of the Petsense store, though they are waiting to hire a groomer.

In addition, Petsense will work with BARC, The Humane Society.

“We will work closely with the Humane Society, weather permitting, to have adopt-a-pet events,” Andrews said. “Its one way to give back to the community.”

Luba also said it was a possibility that dog obedience classes would be offered in the future.

“It’s very possible,” Luba said. “As our company continues to grow, the services we offer will grow.”

Palestine was an ideal location due to its demographics, said Luba, who is over stores in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

“We were tickled to death to find this location,” Luba said.

Petsense is a fairly new company operating for three years with 25 stores nationwide.

“There are many more stores to come,” Luba said.

Store hours starting Friday will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

The grand opening on Nov. 29 from 1 to 3 p.m. will include autographed color photos with Greatest American Dog duo Bill and Star. All kinds of giveaways are planned including free samples and drawings for a year supply of dog food and a mountain bike.

“I have been part of this community since 1975, so I’m hoping that my friends and past customers from other businesses will come see what we do here,” Andrews said.

     

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