MATT STILLMAN, owner of Main Street Pet, closed his storefront on July 31 and began offering a delivery-only service to residents in Battle Ground, Vancouver, Amboy , Yacolt, Hockinson, Ridgefield and La Center. His trusted companion Nigel, shown here, will be his co-pilot. Photo courtesy of Viki Eierdam
On Aug. 1 Main Street Pet closed its storefront, in part, to offer greater convenience to its customers. Main Street is reinventing itself as an online retailer, offering delivery within a 15-mile radius of the City of Battle Ground.
“I can give better service in more flexible ways (being an online retailer) than I can being tied to a store,’’ said Matt Stillman, owner of Main Street Pet. “We aren’t bound by what I have space for (and) store hours. You order and it shows up at your house.”
Through the month of August all orders will be delivered free of charge, after which a nominal delivery fee will be added. The actual delivery fee has yet to be determined.
Stillman shared that he may have been a bit overzealous in his estimation of space when he moved from a smaller store front in 2013 that he had occupied since 2001, but the greater issue is education. According to Stillman, Main Street Pet is the only natural food store for animals in the area. When people venture into his store, it’s easy to convert a browser into a customer with his immense knowledge about and passion for pet health. The challenge is taking that first step.
Main Street Pet offers several lines of food for dogs, cats and poultry though they service some small animals, as well, like rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas. The average cost of a 30-pound bag of dry dog food is between $40-$79. When competing with animal foods that pack their bags with lesser quality ingredients, the numbers just don’t make sense to a lot of consumers. Take some time to talk with Stillman about the price difference and it becomes quite clear.
The original business direction that Stillman was pursuing was poultry science. As a result, he spent time in slaughterhouses and learned that animals that are not deemed human-grade quality (birds and cows that died from an illness, for example) go into animal food.
Although he’s a believer in veterinarians, further research uncovered that approximately 90 percent of animal issues can be traced back to diet. He offered that chronic hotspots and constant itching are typically caused by an allergy to soy, corn or wheat. None of the foods carried at Main Street Pet contain those top three dog and cat allergens. Habitual paw licking, recurring ear infections and urinary tract infections are just a few of the other most common pet ailments. Veterinarians are also advocates of quality pet diets as evidenced by the customers who come to Main Street via their referrals.
Stillman went on to explain that even some behavioral issues will go away with proper diet. Anxiety or hyper-activity, for instance, can be brought on or perpetuated by the sugar in low-quality pet food much like research has shown in humans that high amounts of soda intake can affect a child’s attention span in school.
Another thing Stillman does not advocate is the idea that cat and dog health can be properly sustained on a primarily vegetarian diet. The food lines that Main Street carries emphasize quality meats first followed up with good fats like olive and salmon oil, eggs, real cheese and brown rice. Stillman says that he maintains the strictest quality for ingredients in the Northwest among pet food suppliers. High quality food, while appearing more expensive, can easily save money in veterinary bills over the life of a loved pet.
Area residents should note that items ordered from Main Street Pet cannot be shipped. It is a local delivery business where customers can order online and receive cat and dog food (both canned and dried) cat litter, treats, poultry feed and supplies, supplements and grooming supplies. People also have the option to set up routine deliveries (i.e. once each month), set it and forget about it. Main Street Pet charges the credit card provided and automatically delivers the order.
Area pet owners can keep an eye out for educational seminars which will be posted on Main Street Pet’s Facebook page. Stillman has conducted nutritional seminars focused on dogs, cats and poultry at kennel clubs and for 4-H clubs in the past but now, without a physical storefront, he’ll be flexible to accept offers he’s had to turn down over the years.
Main Street Pet’s flexibility with extend to the options they’re able to offer the public, as well.
“We’re going from offering a couple hundred different products to over 10,000 products eventually (once data entry has been completed),’’ Stillman said. “If people don’t see a product and want it, contact me and we can get it or something comparable.”
For more information or to place an order, go to mkt.com/main-street-pet, email Stillman at mainstreetpet@gmail.com or call (360) 521-8826.
