Animall
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What I want to tell you about now is the place we went for the Meet and Greet with Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue when we were invited to meet Riley. Any one involved in any animal rescue work will be interested in this! I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this: The AniMall.
The AniMall is in Town Center Mall in Cary, NC. It’s on the backside of the mall with an outside entrance. Inside, it’s a retail store with food and pet supplies. There’s a room for cats and a meeting room for dogs, a groomer, a private “family” room. Rabbits and guinea pigs have a permanent corner in the store; they are the only animals sold here. The animals are scheduled by rescue groups and shelters as a way for the animals to be seen. For most rescues and shelters, their biggest obstacle is visibility. We were notified Friday evening that a dog we were interested in, Riley, would be at AniMall from 10-12, with four other dogs from Neuse River Rescue the next day. A big chalkboard announces the January schedule for 50 non-profit groups visiting the store on which days and times. What an amazing concept!
This has to be a win-win. Lots of people stopped by to pet the dogs, learn about rescue, buy pet products, and move out into the mall. These events bring people to the mall; the mall brings the dogs to people.
AniMall was founded in 2005 by Dan and Talena Chavis. It’s completely funded by private donations. The director, Kim Labow, quickly acknowledges that this is a difficult business model that requires capable and experienced retail experts to run the retail part, and experienced rescue folks to run that part. AniMall shares the space in the mall with Unleashed, The Cat and Dog Store. This isn’t a “pet store.” They provide a central place, seven days a week, for rescue groups and shelters to showcase their adoptable animals, and for potential adopters to meet and observe potential pets.
The retail end offers a large selection of pet supplies including food, treats, toys, leashes and collars, training, sanitary and cleaning supplies, and networks with trainers, handlers, nutritionists, and health services. The center provides classes and programs for awareness, education, fostering, ownership, pet care, diet, and enrichment. 100% of the profits go back into the rescue community.
A difficult business model, to be sure, but a worthwhile one. As always in rescue work, the volunteers make it happen. I was so impressed! This might work in other communities.