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Landmark Andy’s Pet Shop closes as the owner seeks alternate site.
by Mary Gottschalk
03/01/2010
Andy’s Pet Shop at the corner of The Alameda and W. Julian Street was vacated over the weekend of Feb. 27 and 28, following a year of dismal business with on-again, off-again announcements of closing.
Owner Lissa Shoun, who took over the 60-year-old store in December 2007, turning it into an animal rescue operation, is hopeful a new location will be found and she can reopen.
Plans to relocate to a space on Stockton Avenue, between The Alameda and W. Julian, fell through as she and her staff were in the midst of packing up store inventory. On March 1 she was hopeful a new place had been found on The Alameda near Stockton, but no lease had been signed.
Temporary foster homes were found for the animals in the store, and Shoun took the birds into her home.
The store’s inventory has gone into storage.
Andy’s was founded in 1950 by Andy and Geraldine Camilleri and stayed within the family until 1993 when Linda Gaetke bought it. She operated it until 2005 when JD Duncan and Dennis Thomas bought it.
Duncan and Thomas revitalized the store, bringing in new food, toys and accessories as well as puppies and birds.
When Shoun bought the store, she sold the remaining puppies and birds and changed the store’s focus to rescue animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds and even a boa constrictor.
Shoun’s decision to no longer sell animals caused a drastic drop in store income, as adoption fees on rescue animals go primarily to the rescue groups.
After news of her plight spread, a community fundraiser was organized in August 2009, bringing in $10,000. In the months that followed, additional contributions came in and many people who visited Andy’s left money in the donations jar.
Offers of free space have come in, but so far none of them seem workable, says Shoun, citing limited parking or out-of-the-way locations.
If she can find affordable space for a new store, Shoun says it will become half for profit and half for nonprofit. The nonprofit part will cover the adoption operation and she is now seeking supporters willing to pledge monthly donations to support it.
The “Help Us” page at www.andyspetshop.com has an icon to make donations to help defray moving costs.
Bertram Burns, who owns the property, had given Shoun several extensions, but decided not to give another one beyond Feb. 28.
The iconic neon scarlet macaw sign atop Andy’s will be going as well.
Shoun plans to take it down soon and says she will reinstall it at a new location when she reopens for business.