Two friends, who have worked together in the pet trade for 10 years, have opened their own pet store in Warwickshire.

Charlotte Stowe and Georgia Orr welcomed customers at the grand opening of Bridge Street Pets in the village of Wellesbourne on the weekend of November 5-6, and already the new store is proving to be a big hit.

Charlotte took time out from a busy trading period to speak to Pet Trade Xtra about the new venture. 

How long have you worked in the pet trade?

Both myself and Georgia have worked together in the pet trade for 10 years. I have worked in pet stores for 13 years and Georgia for 11. Prior to our shop opening, we were the manager and assistant manager at Charlecote Pet Store. Having worked together for the last 10 years, we are really close friends. We met through work and have been friends ever since. 

How long have you been planning the new store?

The idea of our own store has been in the pipeline for a couple of years. After leaving our previous roles in March 2022, the planning and organisation of the store has been in full effect.

Was it easy to find premises?

The location was very important to us as we wanted to stay close to Charlecote. We wanted to be in a prime position with access and parking. The premises has been in my family for nearly 100 years. The property was previously a car and motorbike garage run by the family since June 1925. My parents retired earlier this year. We have carried out many alternations, including adding a disabled access ramp, new shop front, painting, new flooring and knocking through walls and chimneys to create a spacious retail store. 

Was it hard to finance this new venture?

Financially, it took the majority of our personal savings to start the venture, but we are pleased with the results. 

When did you open to the public?

We opened on November 5. Our opening weekend involved a charity ‘pup cake’ bake sale on the Saturday. The proceeds of the cake sales were donated to Rushton Dog Rescue. On the Sunday we were joined by local photographer Martin Fox, who offered free sitting for pet photographs. He offered 20% discount to our customers who wished to purchase prints or downloads. Our African Grey parrot Harry was also a popular attraction over the weekend.

What has been the response been like from local pet owners?

The response has been absolutely brilliant. The community has been very welcoming and supportive, commenting on how much a pet store is needed locally. Customers are very pleased with our service, prices and convenience, saying that they are so pleased to not to have to travel further into towns and use larger chain stores. Local people are keen to support small businesses. 

What will give your store a competitive edge?

We want to put all attention and focus on providing the best advice and customer service. We are more than happy to help and advise to the best of our abilities, and will always give an honest answer. We are focusing on natural dog treats and products, however, we do understand that different customers do have different needs, so we want to be accommodating to everyone. We offer a large range of caged bird products (seed, treats, toys and bedding etc), as we know this is something that is not readily available in chain pet stores. Similarly, we offer a generous range of wild bird seeds, feeders and treats. We are aware that the local community are very keen to feed and look after wildlife. 

Are you taking a stance on the products you sell?

We support local suppliers, and want to continue to expand our products this way. Hay and straw is locally grown and hand bagged. Similarly, our bird tables and nest boxes are hand made locally. We want to promote sustainability – our wild bird seed packaging is bio-degradable and there more things we are looking into, to become eco-friendly. We promote British dog food companies, who source their dried food ingredients from the UK.

Who works in the store?

Currently, there are just the two of us. However, when such a time comes for when we are in a position to employ more staff, we have a couple of experienced staff in mind. 

What are your hopes for the future?

We would like to expand and offer more services like delivery, online shopping, and dog grooming. These are all things which customers have enquired about and expressed interest in.

Take a look inside Bridge Street Pets with our gallery of pictures below...