Would love to say it's a solid 5 stars because the owner is really fabulous and he deserves 5 stars…read more... But it has a few points to improve upon, so 4.5 stars rounded up for still being exceptional and promoting responsible pet ownership practices.
I like the staff, they're friendly and helpful and never make u feel like youre bothering them when u need help, but they could improve with salesmanship, at least a bit, I think.
For instance I sought out a particular bird: Fiji - a green cheek conure originally being sold at 750$, (price reduced to 650$ either as a Christmas sale or perhaps because by then she had been there for almost a year if not a bit more). Every time, I visited her for anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, for almost a year at least once, but by the end 2-3 times a month (any excuse to visit her, we developed quite the bond). Despite my obvious fascination and bond with her not once did anyone ever approach me to see if maybe I'd like to handle her (this likely would have made me totally ignore the fact I could not afford her and I likely would have accrued the debt), I never bothered asking because I knew I couldn't afford her. So while I'm kind of glad they didn't, I also feel in terms of a business they missed a sales opportunity. Fiji was eventually bought by someone, much to my heartbreaking bittersweet discovery, but had they attempted any type of salesmanship I likely would have bought her much sooner.
2nd I'm quite sad about the recent renovations. Usually, renovations make things nicer, in this case they closed off the basement portion (which used to house the reptiles and fish etc) and put everything together upstairs. I find it takes away a bit of the aesthetic pleasure of this place and I no longer go visit the reptile n fish sections as often as I used to because they're more functional now and less attracting. They used to be set up and decorated so beautifully.
But staff are extremely knowledgeable and helpful, the prices are within par of other pet stores, sometimes nice discounts, the animals are well cared for and appear content. The pets frequently get shoulder perch privileges from the staff and frequent cuddle moments if it's an animal that requires this affection. Even the snakes get to hang around the staff.
Ultimately I think they should offer us customers to hold, touch, feel and interact with the pets more proactively and, most importantly, I wish they would re-open the basement set-up with the aquariums and terrariums which used to be a favorite part of our visits.
Otherwise, I think this is an excellent pet shop for healthy pets, excellent quality accessories and friendly supportive advice, help and services (like nail cutting).
