New owners for Sonoma’s pet store

Couple will not sell animals; focus solely on adoptions, food and supplies.|

It all started with a mini-shnauzer named Barry.

Adopting Barry from a North Bay schnauzer rescue center got Eric and Lauren Warddrip interested in fostering dogs. Today, they are fostering four. From their research into fostering, they became intrigued by the idea of owning a pet store, and facilitating adoptions from the store.

Karen Shaw, the former owner, had just put Sonoma Pet and Aquatics up for sale. Lauren saw the listing online.

'We jumped at the chance and here we are,' Eric said.

Five years ago, the couple was living in San Francisco and occasionally coming up to Sonoma on weekends to enjoy the peace and quiet. Eric, 40, spent the past 20 year in digital advertising sales. Lauren, 37, has a small corporate accounting office.

'One day we were having brunch at Sunflower Caffe and I turned to Laura and said, 'We should move up here,'' Eric recounted with a laugh. 'And she said, 'Yes.''

'We love the vibe here,' Eric said. 'We love the small town feel and the accessibility of everything.' They live on the west side, walking distance to the store.

Outside of wanting to help with local adoptions and to own a pet store, being a small business owner in Sonoma seemed like an 'impactful' way to get involved in the community.

'This is a great opportunity for us to combine something we're really interested in and to offer a fun, communal place in the community,' said Lauren.

'It's a place where people go to hang out with animals, and trust the ownership will give good advice about pet care,' Eric added. 'So this was the opportunity to do all those things.'

The couple bought the pet store in mid-July, renovated for a month, and has been doing a soft opening for the past few weeks. They plan a 'grand opening' celebration on Saturday, Sept. 22.

'One of the things that is really important to us is advocating for adopting rescue animals and animals that are in shelters,' Eric said.

They are not going to sell any pets, except fish. Sonoma Pet Center will feature cats, kittens, dogs and puppies from Pets Lifeline and from the Napa County Rescue. They will also facilitate small-animal adoptions. They have one rabbit now and expect to occasionally have several bunnies, hamsters and Guinea pigs.

'We put a couch in right away to create an environment where people interested in adopting can hang out and see if it's the right fit,' said Eric.

The Warddrips expect the nutritious and natural pet foods they stock to be strong sellers, as well as harnesses and toys, and quirky 'for my human' accessories. Eric said that he has enjoyed learning about the pet food world.

'We're learning the right things to recommend for someone based on the symptoms and need.'

A new, large glass-front freezer is on its way that will showcase a fast-growing brand of small-batch frozen raw food.

'That's a really fast-growing category for cats and dogs because it's very, very healthy,' said Eric. 'So we want to be able to display the product very visually.'

The Warddrips expect to offer a variety of services, as well, including dog walking and pet sitting. Down the road, they expect to renovate their self-service washing area.

The Sonoma Pet Center grand opening event will run all day on Saturday, Sept. 22. Lyon Ranch Exotic Animals will be onsite from 10 a.m. to noon; Pets Lifeline Adorable Adoptables from noon to 3 pm.; and fish expert Carlos Rodriguez from 3 to 5 p.m. There will be product raffles, discounts and prizes.

You can find Eric Warddrip at the 201 W. Napa St. store in Sonoma Marketplace from Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Email Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.

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