MARATHON — Exciting news for pet parents and animal caretakers alike.
The Superior North Pet Centre celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 10, welcoming residents of Marathon to their newly established storefront at 4 Stevens Ave.
Sunny Jordan, owner and manager, told Dougall Media the reception was overwhelmingly positive.
“We had a lot of people come in, (it was) very busy . . . we’re definitely excited,” she said.
She added that feedback she’s received from community members has been crucial.
“We had a few people request certain items which I wrote down and I have on my order to come.
“That’s definitely what we’re looking to do over the next little bit, is make sure we have things in-store that people actually want and need because there’s no point in having retail space taken up by something that no one wants.
“I’ve had people ask for some very specific foods. The biggest difficulty really does come from the fact that – because we’re so far away – it does take a week to get orders in,” she said.
Besides pet supplies and nutritional guidance, the Superior North Pet Centre is also offering grooming services.
The grand opening featured walk-in nail trims from 1-4 p.m., free samples of products and services with each purchase customers made, and a draw for one free grooming session – won by local resident, Jack Cole.
“We want to do what we can to make it easier for people to have access to all of that,” Jordan said.
“I don’t necessarily want to drive my dog all the way to Thunder Bay, pay $160 in gas for a round trip, and then if they’re being groomed you’re going to probably be there awhile which ends in a hotel stay – so it’s like, why would I do that when I can pick and choose a time here in town?”
Currently, grooming services can be booked online through the Superior North Pet Centre’s Facebook page, but Jordan said they are in the process of setting up an official website to make booking appointments a smoother process.
She also said the SNPC will soon have its own landline as well.
Having lived in Marathon with her husband for a couple of years now, Jordan said she has seen the increased need for pet services and supplies firsthand.
She reiterated that her goal with the SNPC is all about availability and accessibility.
“We love Marathon . . . we really want to help make Marathon a place that becomes a bit more of a permanent (location) for people to live. By closing those barriers and gaps, I’m hoping it will make this a more livable community.
“Hopefully, this also fosters growth in the pet community and might attract people who have been thinking of coming to Marathon because the life here is a lot slower, it’s a lot more scenic, and the housing prices are more affordable.
“So if pet stores are a barrier, we’d like to close that – and hopefully expand from there to address more barriers when it comes to pet care,” she said
The Superior North Pet Centre is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday to Friday and 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
“We want to be open seven days a week because we know everyone has such different working hours – especially with some people working in the mines, some in town, in hospitals, some out of town.
“Obviously, we’re happy to expand those hours as we need to but as a starting-off point that’s where we are at,” Jordan said.
