Expert Pet
About Expert Pets
They opened their doors during one of the hardest economic times small businesses have had in a long time. At the beginning of 2021, Expert Pets started in a 2000 square foot facility. With no retail experience and no big game plan, they took a leap of faith because of a simple observation – a need in the community.
Living in San Francisco, they didn’t have any local pet stores and if they did want to go to one, it was out of town. But for the most part, they were just ordering their pet’s products online right to their door without really knowing what they were buying. So, as pet lovers themselves, they saw a need for a pet store in their community and knew others would too. They didn’t know what they were doing but took the chance that others would agree that a local pet store would benefit the community.
They now occupy a 7,500 square foot facility with 4,000 dedicated to pet products, 10 freezers of raw pet food, a pet hotel, a pet daycare with concierge service, and a new vet clinic coming very soon.
Mike and his partner dove head first into making this a success. What was supposed to be a part-time job, now occupies most of his time – in a good way! With management at the store 24/7 consumers can ensure that things run smoothly and things are taken care of. They are able to hand-select products for their sustainability and sourcing that they believe can benefit a pet’s life.
What Makes them Unique?
Besides the fact that they are one of the only local retail destinations in San Francisco, they value high-quality products and helping people get their hands on them. “We love educating people on quality pet food for a happy healthy pet” Mike, one of the owners said, “We will have everything under woof, for your animals. There isn’t another independent store with retail space, grooming, daycare, and a vet clinic near us. They also hand-select products to ensure only the highest quality food occupies their store.
Community
“Let’s Make A Difference. Together, We Can Affect Change in San Francisco.”
“Before we ever conceived of Ocean Paws, our team was guided by one principle: To help make our local community better. With that in mind, we thought of ways to make San Francisco’s OMI neighborhoods more equitable places to live. Our first good is to provide quality foods and services at prices that can support our staff’s living wage, without excluding our neighbors who can’t always afford to shop locally. We want to be the best, friendliest, and most welcoming pet boutique to ever come to San Francisco.”
“Our second initiative is to improve the Ocean Avenue corridor by adding pet waste containers on every block.”
“We set a reasonable number of 10 pet waste containers. We sought to get support from our neighbors – yes even our neighbors – to our local businesses and organizations. As of June, we have six containers ready to go.”
The following businesses and individuals have donated to this effort:
- Ocean Paws: 1 container
- Sorelli Home Services: 1 container
- Ocean Ale House: 2 containers
- Mike K. and Wendi I.: 1 container
- Ocean Avenue Association: 1 container
Shopping Local
Expert Pets also hosted a Pet Expo twice last year in May and October. They had a bunch of vendors, like Northwest Naturals, go to San Francisco, set up booths, and show off their amazing products. These expos are a great way for the store and their employees to learn, but also for the community. Shopping local at stores like Expert Pets allows them to keep employee locals, serve locals, and give back to the locals.
Employees
Expert Pets is locally owned and operated and they hire in the neighborhood and community. “We believe in the community – it’s where we find out staff and loyal customers. We are here for the community” (Mike). They are growing in all aspects including their staff which allows them to do more. Working at Expert Pets is a happy and fun place where you get to play with dogs all day!
Favorite Northwest Naturals Products
“Northwest Naturals is the number one pet food and treat sold here at Expert Pets” (Mike). They have an awesome treat bar where Northwestnaturals is also featured. They are very health conscious and focus on where the ingredients come from when picking a product to carry in-store. With our treats being single-ingredient, it fits into their store and values perfectly. Some of their favorite products are the Frozen Raw Meaty Bones for Dogs and the Chicken Freeze Dried Treats.