WHY DOG & CAT PRODUCTS?

Written by Sal Salafia, Certified Avian Specialist, Founder of Exotic Pet Birds Inc.

So it's no surprise anymore that we are now the bird store that has a huge selection of dog, cat, and reptile supplies too. But why? Well, first we only embark on things we have a passion for, here at Exotic Pet Birds Inc. I'm sure this will come as no surprise to anyone; we are pet people. We all have many pets of our own, and some of them are not birds. That all said, after receiving a lot of attention from having been named one of America's coolest pet businesses in the country by Pets Magazine.

We got the opportunity to meet so many brand representatives who wanted their products here because they see we are a close-knit group of pet people, we have a highly educated, dedicated staff, and we have a beautiful facility where we can display and educate consumers on different products. Okay, so we now all understand why the brands have selected to be here, but why go this route? That is the truly big question to be answered. No doubt, there will be critics for the move, but I must answer with one simple word - Protection. As any forward-thinking business owner does, I'm forced to be conscious of the world we are a part of. To survive as a company, to be here for you all for the long haul, I MUST think ahead. I work today not to set up an amazing company, I work today to protect it, its people, its community. The pet industry is changing, and the world continues to change. Friends, we are operating our company in a state where it is now perfectly legal to smoke and buy marijuana, but we may one day not be free enough to buy a pet bird? Countless attempts to reach and meet Linda Rosenthal, assembly member in NY, who threatens this business's existence, have gone unanswered as of the day I write this blog. I am burdened to protect my employees, and my commitments made to you all to support you in grooming and boarding and overall services offered for the pets you have acquired, but none of this can happen if we are phased out of existence as a company. So, I see the addition of dog, cat + reptile merchandise sales as a way to protect that.

When we can operate stronger financially with more sources of revenue for the company to operate off of, we can survive as a company. We don't want to see a world where only Big Box Stores exist. We are watching as other Bird stores are holding firmly to maintaining "all bird store" status; it's our hope to tell their story one day. The change is happening now. As a community, we need you. Frankly, we need you all more than ever. Drive by the Big Box stores, embrace the change we are making to include more pet products, and grab them here! We promise to bring the same high-quality products you expect from us in these new territories. As you have seen in our reptile area, you can continue to count on us for valuable education on every product and amazing support to help pair you with the products to enrich your pets' lives. Fun fact - If you buy your dog food and or cat food here, you will be directly supporting the company you currently count on to support you in your other pet journeys. This will ensure you will get our support for the long term. It will ensure we will be here to support others, like rescues or rehomed birds in need, as well. I have watched closely as bird stores continue to close around our country, as Aviculture as a whole is a hobby not being replaced in growing numbers. Unfortunately, the landscape for the few bird stores that will remain for the long term continues to change. Like any successful business, we must decide if we want to adapt or hold on till we become irrelevant or now even illegal. We promise not to go anywhere-we promise to still be a huge supportive educational aviculture resource for you and our community. In fact, we hope to still operate as "business as usual until forced to make further changes! We look at the new amazing product lines as a continued growth. More national vendors being here makes us a larger community with more pet-loving folks joining us. We thank everyone who has and who plans to support the new territories in the near future for doing their part to protect their beloved "bird store". Have you already supported the new territory? Shout it out here! We thank you for doing your part.

I don't talk about money very frequently, but today I'll give some basic math for everyone. EPBI currently pays nearly $20,000 in real estate taxes. The gas + electric - that's another $2500 per month. That staff we all know and love costs the company approximately $300,000 per year. We need you more than ever, because these scary numbers are not something we like to dwell on. It's my hope that sharing with you all, you will realize just how dangerous those few stops to the big box pet store in place of EPBI/EPRI are to its existence. Please let me end this post by saying we are currently a very healthy company financially. We don't ever want to guilt anyone into shopping here. It's my goal to simply be more transparent for you all. I hope giving our community stats like above helps you to realize this is not a massive company geared to make money, it is one that works very hard to maintain, making good financial decisions, all of which is our goal to be here to support you for today and tomorrow.