Review by Anne Garber

2886 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
604-736-9517

Pet store that mainly carries small animals, fish and birds, and all the supplies you'd need to take care of them. This place is a neighbourhood-friendly, owner-operated pet store, which is as close to full-service as we could imagine. This is where we buy all the crickets for our geckos. Prices are competitive and very fair. Pets for sale appear well-fed, well-loved and healthy. We are convinced, partly because they breed their own Asian leopard geckos, a pastime that takes a great deal of patience, care and conscientious management.

Not every pet store in the Lower Mainland will stock live pet food, and this one is as reliable as they get. They deal mainly in small animals. Staff is nice, patient and knowledgeable. Owner Graham White is always ready to give knowledgeable advice about the creatures he sells. We've known him for many years, since he was but a lowly employee.

Self-effacing Graham found his calling as a pet shop owner by a roundabout route. He and his family always had lots of pets, which triggered his interest in animals. He studied Biology at university for two years, but felt a need for more contact with people, so switched majors and got a degree in Psychology. He then studied social work, and became a qualified Drug and Alcohol Addiction Counsellor. But as a student he worked part-time in the pet store owned by his fiancée's father, and in the end he decided that owning a pet store was really the life for him; it combined his love for animals with his desire for human interaction.

Behind the till, the wall is festooned with "testimonials" from school kids who have come in to tour the place, with affectionate statements like "We LOVE you guys," "Graham is number-1," and "Noah is so good to my pet."

Locations are also at Metrotown and Park Royal, West Van, but we like this one best.

Open Sun & Mon 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Tues-Thurs 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Fri & Sat 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.