A Dose of Southern Charm with Aarf Pet Central
Take a trip to the South this week with Grandma Lucy’s Southeast Territory Sales Representative, Jess, as she visits our friends at Aarf Pet Central. Nestled in the stunning city of Stone Mountain, Georgia, Aarf Pet Central always puts pets first and first got their start as a pet rescue. Owners, Brooke and Susan, carry only the best products and still keep rescue work as their main focus. Brooke and Susan truly understand that pets are family members, and do their best to educate pet parents, and also offer a pet pantry and low-cost clinic services, like vaccinations and neuter, to help keep pets and their families together.
Staying true to their passion for rescue, Aarf Pet Central continues to work to help homeless cats and dogs. In addition to their retail store, Aarf Pet Central also has a cat adoption center which houses 10 to 12 cats at any one time while they wait for their forever homes. The cat adoption center features individual rooms with a common play area, so that cats who are positive for FIV or require special housing have a safe place as they wait to be adopted. Aarf Pet Central also works alongside local fosters to provide a second chance for adoptable dogs.
Q: When did you open Aarf Pet Central?
A: “July 2011.”
Q: Why did you decide to open a pet retail location?
A: “Before opening the store we were a rescue group. At the start of the recession, all our grants and donations dried up and we were in danger of closing our efforts. We decided to open a store as a hail Mary to try and create funding for the rescue.”
Q: Why did you choose to carry Grandma Lucy’s products?
A: “We loved the ability to provide our customers [with] another method of feeding a fresh diet that is not necessarily frozen.”
Q: What is the most popular Grandma Lucy’s product with your customers?
A: “As of right now, Macanna Salmon. We have a customer who purchases three bags of Macanna Turkey at one time and think it would be the most popular if it came in a larger [size] bag.”
Q: What is your favorite Grandma Lucy’s product?
A: “Macanna Pre-Mix! We love the versatility and ability to build a customized meal for your dog around it.”
Q: What is your favorite flavor of our Organic Oven-Baked Treats?
A: “Lemon Honey!”
Q: What is your favorite part of the industry?
A: “This one is complicated for us. We started as a rescue first and try to always keep that as our focus. We love the ability to help customers problem solve for their pets and keep them healthy, which in turn helps keep them in homes because they aren’t creating unnecessary vet bills [and] makes it easier to prevent them from ending up in a shelter because the home cannot afford the animal.”
Thank you Aarf Pet Central, and Brooke and Susan, for taking the time to share your story with Grandma Lucy’s, and for all you do to better pets’ lives. From providing nutritional advice to providing food to pets in need, the Aarf Pet Central team is dedicated to helping pets and understands that all fur-kids are family members. If you know of an inspiring retailer worth barking about, let your local Grandma Lucy’s rep know to highlight them.