Pet Pantry to open store in New Canaan

Pet Pantry Warehouse, a company that began all the way back in 1945, now plans to open up a store in New Canaan.

When asked why they chose to open up a store New Canaan, Vice President Joshua Roth said, "New Canaan is a wonderful community that lines up with the type of business we are."

The company originally opened its doors in Greenwich, but has been expanding since 2005 to towns that Roth calls "well-suited" for Pet Pantry's product line. It has stores in Rye, N.Y., and Larchmont, N.Y., and plans to open a fifth in Wilton in the near future.

When the subject of Village Critters, an existing pet store in New Canaan, was brought up, Roth said, "We do the best that we can and we focus on ourselves ... I'm sure we will both be able to happily coexist in this community."

Upon asking him what he feels is the strongest asset of this now-chain of pet supply stores, he said, "We focus on carrying the highest quality of food and products ... Our staff also must go through nutritional training to make sure they are knowledgeable enough to answer any question a customer might have."

Pet Pantry Warehouse is expected to open this fall in what used to be Weed and Duryea's entrance, where the future store is currently under construction.

Harrison Thompson is a freelance writer.