Zimmerman Pets
Sioux City, Iowa
Susan Zimmerman, owner

How’s business?

Good. I think sales are up this year over last year. A good variety is selling. Both small and large birds are selling.

October and November were really good over [the months] before that.

What’s new?

We have some new conures that we’ve never had before. They’re black-cap conures. We’re doing some cage and bird specials, where you buy the bird and the cage at a discount. It’s a package deal, where you get the bird and the cage and the stand all for $129.

What is your best-selling livestock?

All I do is birds. The cockatiel is my No. 1 seller, simply because it’s a really good starting bird. They’re real economical ($75 for a baby cockatiel).  --KI

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Anonymous
Full-service feed and pet-supply store
Clackamas, OR
(store and owner name withheld)

How’s business?

Everything’s selling good. The pet supplies. Pet dog food, people are still paying for premium dog foods. The people have continued with all their pets. They still buy everything. Some of them have maybe gone down if they’ve been on something that was an allergy type—say, a Natural Balance food that you can use for allergy-type dogs—but the dog really didn’t have an allergy but they really liked the food. They might have gone a little less to see if their dog could handle something different and not have such a high cost on the food. If we sold cheaper foods, we’d probably make a lot of money because you don’t make much on this high-priced food at all. It’s not a moneymaker. But [the owner] keeps it in the store because it’s a good food and the first ingredient isn’t corn meal.

What are some of your best-selling food brands?

Natural Balance. Royal Canin. The Diamond products. [The owner] recently brought in Innova and California Naturals and Eagle. They’re picking up. And, of course, Wellness. Nutro is OK. I think Nutro might have priced themselves up a bit and some of the people dropped off and went to Diamond or Professional. But all the foods—FirstMate, Taste of the Wild—all of those. They all do very well here.

Are treats must-haves or luxury items these days?

[The store] has all kinds of treats. They all sell pretty well. But people are looking at the grain-free type stuff now. The healthy treats. That’s what they want. [The owner] gives out a lot of samples. People like them and then they come back.

What about toys and clothes?

Dog toys are doing well, and clothing is selling very, very well. [The owner] put in a new line of coats, sweaters, shirts, jammies, robes, all of that stuff. She kind of dabbled in it a little bit and then decided to go with it, and she can’t believe how good clothing is selling. People are really worried about their pets. We’re having a cold spell so people have been buying it since she put it in several months ago. People spend the money, and not just for the little. The big-dog stuff is selling too.

Is the clothing high-end or budget-minded?

We laugh because we have what we call a Nordstrom side and then across the aisle we have what we call the Target side. It’s still good stuff but the price varies and in all honesty, the Nordstrom side sells better. I said, “Are they just looking that way and they’re not turning around and looking at the others?” But they do and we point it out. Because no matter what the product is, if we can save the customer money, we do. [The owner] has built her 20-year business on customer service all the way.  --JMB

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The Cats Closet
Fredericksburg, VA
Pat Preston, owner

How’s business?

It’s picking up more since Thanksgiving. People are definitely cautious but still buying—especially holiday gifts. Business is slower than last year, but it’s not off by much. I’m not too worried; I’ve been in business now for 20 years. We’re totally a cat store, so we sell clothing, jewelry and all sorts of other items.  In this current economy, people aren’t buying as many big-ticket items; it’s more of the smaller things—lots of cat toys. Not as many clothes. More gifty items, jewelry, Christmas items…stuff like that. Overall, my biggest sellers have been the smaller “gifty” items. They’ll come in and spend a little on toys for their own cats because they know we have the best selection around, or they’ll buy toys as gifts for friends. Some of them are spending on bigger items as well, but overall not as much as in the past. I think that’s just because of the way the economy is right now.

Are you doing anything new or different right now because of the economy?

I cut back on some buying. I didn’t go as heavily on supplying clothing—like sweaters, jackets and socks (for people), but I definitely kept up on the toys. Socks are still a big seller, actually, but I’ve had things like raincoats, bathrobes and pajamas in the past. Pretty much anything I find that has a cat on it. Nightshirts are also big sellers.

After so many years in business, we have a lot of loyal customers. Some will come in every month to see what new stuff we have in. Then there are even some who’ll come once a year while they’re driving through town like on vacations and such; sometimes they’ll even go out of their way to make a stop in Fredericksburg while they’re traveling. I’ve been kind of slack on putting together a newsletter mailing or email list. But I did send out over 4,000—I think about 4,400—Christmas cards to all of my mailing list. Every year, we do a Christmas open house, with a special holiday discount on our website or anything in the store. I also do cat shows. I set up a mini store—about a 10x30-foot booth—and am a vendor at various shows. So, when I’m in a particular area for a show, I’ll let my customers in that particular area know to come and see us at the show. Most of the time, I have good results at the shows. I haven’t had as many sales this year as in previous years; however, I did better this year at my best show than I had before.

Do you sell livestock or provide adoptions?

No. We work closely with the SPCA. Sometimes we’ll have a fundraiser, and some cats will come in for adoption. But we have store cats, so it can be difficult to bring in another cat, even if it’s in a cage. I do a lot to help people who are looking to find or adopt a cat. I do a lot of rescue work, and people can put up fliers in the store if they have kitties for adoption.  --LH