Aug. 6, 2021

Essentially from the time Ryan Oakes turned the sign to “open” at Mini-Critters, pet owners began finding their way into the store’s newest location.

The store at 2621 S. Minnesota Ave. most recently was Fit My Feet, but it now has been transformed into aisles of pet food, treats, toys and accessories.

“This is a part of town we’ve been talking about coming to for five or six years,” said Oakes, who is a partner in the business. “It was too good of a site to pass up.”

Construction moved quickly, going from an empty shell to an open store in about three weeks, he said.

There’s more room to spread out merchandise compared with the store’s original location at 3509 W. 49th St. — about double the amount of space for inventory.

“Having a more open concept feel was our desire all along,” Oakes said. “Someday, we’ll find a way to make the other store do this as well.”

New retail additions likely will include human pet-themed clothing and gift items that are pet-related such as mugs.

While the new location does not carry puppies and kittens, cat adoptions might be done at some point, Oakes said.

In the meantime, fish will be stocked in the next couple of weeks along with reptiles.

There already are some small animals — hamsters, rats and rabbits — for sale.

“Having animals is a whole other job in and of itself,” Oakes said, adding that it does help in workforce attraction, especially with younger workers.

“People enjoy working with animals, so I usually have a fair influx of especially young people looking to do part-time work,” he said.

One position that’s not as easy to fill: groomers. Mini-Critters hopes to add them at this location eventually, but “it’s still on the back burner,” Oakes said. “Our professional grooming staff now is four full-time stylists, and we’re grooming 700-plus dogs a month, so I can’t ask any more of them. It’s a skill set that needs to be learned, and it’s not instantaneous.”

The store plans to hold a grand opening sometime in September.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.