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Chris Stewart is a huge animal lover, and after managing a pet food store for seven years, he decided to go out on his own and open his own store.
Peoria’s Pet Market, 8978 W. Union Hills Dr., Suite 102, opened Sept. 3, offering natural, biologically appropriate pet food and supplies.
The retailer specializes in high quality pet food for dogs, cats, and birds.
Mr. Stewart said he opened the shop to educate consumers on better food for their pets.
“Too many of these large companies and big box stores are only focused on profits and quality control plummets as a result,” he said. “After hearing too many stories about pets suffering from the common, low quality, grocery store pet foods, I decided to make a difference by opening my own store that focuses on high quality, all natural, 5-star foods that are proven to better your animal’s life.”
The shop focuses on pet diets and nutrition and the concept that these things affect everything from allergies to behavior.
Mr. Stewart said he got into the industry because he noticed his pets and friends’ pets getting sick.
“After doing a little more research while attending ASU, I dove more into proper nutrition for dogs,” he said. “I, like a lot of people, was unaware of the ingredients big box companies and grocery store brands were putting into dog food. Seeing the difference better quality food did for my friends’ animals and mine, I knew at that point I wanted to share my knowledge with pet parents all around.”
Mr. Stewart was born and raised in Peoria and felt there was a need to start a more natural, family-owned pet food store where customers can come and ask questions about their pets.
“I want to focus on the immediate area here in my home town,” he said.
Peoria’s Pet Market rewards program offers $100 to spend in the store for every $600 a customer spends.
Here are a few diet and nutrition tips Mr. Stewart offers to keep a pet healthy and happy:
Dental care: “The most important thing I learned as a pet store manager was that dental care is extremely important for dogs. Dogs that eat only kibble everyday build up plaque and tartar very fast because of the high amount of carbohydrates (sugars) in dry dog food.”
Moisture: “Dogs and cats need adequate moisture in their diet to process high protein levels in dry food. Cats especially! Some cats will eat dry food and then won’t drink water. Incorporating moist food to your pet’s diet will help them to thrive.”
Philip Haldiman can be reached at 623-876-3697, phaldiman@newszap.com, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.
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