GRAVETTE -- Gravette opens the new year with a new business on Main Street. The opening of Pet Pop, a supplier of all kinds of quality pet supplies, is good news for pet owners in the area who have had to travel out of town to do their shopping.
Pet Pop, located at 128 Main Street N.E., hosted the monthly Chamber of Commerce Chamber After Hours event Thursday, Dec. 4, and held a soft opening on Saturday, Dec. 6, the day of the Gravette Christmas parade. Owner Joey Cannon says a big grand opening event is being planned in the spring when the weather has warmed enough to include some outdoor activities.
The Cannons purchased the building, at the corner of Main Street and Second Avenue N.E., in 2015 and have rented it out to other businesses in the meantime. In more recent years it has been a meeting place for the Beacon Baptist Church and the home of the Dynamic Rhythm Dance Studio. After the dance studio moved, it sat empty for several months and, seeing the great number of pet owners in the area and the lack of places offering pet products, Joey decided a pet supply store was needed and he was going to make it happen.
Cannon spent several months doing extensive remodeling both inside and outside the building. Interior walls were reconfigured and new paint was put on both exterior and interior walls. Some of the interior walls have been decorated in a textured design and this, along with black lighting focused on the walls, adds a unique atmosphere to the main
display room. The front part of the store features purple walls, a checkout counter decorated in purple and black wavy stripes and a pink and yellow check-designed floor, making it reminiscent of the '50s and '60s.
Cannon emphasizes that he has made it a point to stock only high-quality pet food brands, including dog and cat foods from Taste of the Wild, NutriSource, Diamond, and Chicken Soup for the Soul. Other brands, like Hunter's Special, Valupak and Purina Pro Plan, are still available in the farm supply section at Can-Do Hardware. In addition to pet foods, a large variety of dog biscuits and other treats for both dogs and cats is available.
New pet owners just setting up a home for their new furry friends can come to Pet Pop and find all they need. Dog houses and pet carriers are available, as well as pet beds and bedding, harnesses, leashes and collars and toys of all kinds. Pet health is not ignored either and pet vitamins, shampoos and skin treatments, even pet toothbrushes and toothpaste are available.
Rabbit food and bedding are available, as well as a limited supply of products for reptiles and fish. Cannon said he did not realize how many bird, reptile and fish owners lived in the area but, since he has had several requests for supplies for these animals, he plans to greatly expand that section of the store. He said he welcomes input from customers about items they would like to see in his inventory. He invites folks to come in and, if they don't find what they're looking for on his shelves, to let him know what they want and he'll try to find it.
However Pet Pop is not just about pets. Cannon says he wants it to be not just a place where customers can readily find pet supplies but a place where it's fun to shop. The front room at the store features a variety of gift items with candies, clothing items (some pet-related), and a large supply of toys for children and adults. Large coolers contain a variety of specialty soft drinks. Plans are to develop a themed area in the back of the store, similar to the themed areas at the family's Can-Do Hardware store, which is expected to open in the fall of 2022. Another area on the west end of the store, just down a ramp from the main business building, is to be developed as a soda fountain and will offer carbonated drinks and other treats.
Open hours for the new business are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Pet Pop can be reached by telephone at 479-344-2121. Cannon invites everyone to come in and visit, see what the store has to offer and stock up on supplies for all their pets.
Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND
The main display room at Pet Pop, the new pet supply store on Gravette Main Street, has shelves and bins filled with a wide variety of quality pet foods and supplies. Pet owners can find beds and bedding, collars and leashes, toys and treats, health aids and more for their pets without having to travel out of town to do their shopping.
Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND
A couple of customers shop at Pet Pop on the evening of Saturday, December 6, when the store held its soft opening. Here they are browsing in the pet toys section of the store where they can find a wide variety of playthings to amuse their furry friends.
Treats, soft beds, scratching posts and special houses can all be used to reward their pets.
Westside Eagle Observer/SUSAN HOLLAND
Joey Cannon (right) poses with his mother, Rhonda Cannon, at the soft opening of Pet Pop, his new pet supply street on Gravette Main Street. The soft opening was held December 6 in conjunction with Gravette's annual Christmas parade but Cannon says a grand opening celebration is being planned for early spring when the weather is warmer.