Animal House Grand Opening

Animal House at 8 South Street, Bridport, opened its door as a pet and animal supplies store on the 7th April 2012 and thanks to great staff and customers we have not looked back since. It has been something of a whirlwind start, so much so that it has taken us until now to organise an official opening. We decided to have an official opening for lots of reasons but we wanted to do so much that we decided to hold it over 2 days.

We want to use it as an opportunity to introduce ourselves to people who still don't know we exist or what exactly we are but we also want to take the opportunity to say thank you to our existing customers both of the shop and Mark's market stall who have supported us so brilliantly. Mark has run his pet and animal supplies stall outside M &Co and HSBC bank on East Street for a few years now and weather permitting, he has done his best to keep many music lovers entertained by running his vinyl music
stall next to the pet stall.

It’s a strange mix but it works and we have carried that mix into the shop by having a “vinyl quarter”, aka “ Doghouse Music”, at the back of the shop. Step up and out of the “small animal and cat ” departments and suddenly you are surrounded by vintage and contemporary music posters and an eclectic mix of music covering most genres.

We wanted to create a shop that was fun to visit and a little quirky but that also promoted the values that are important to us and, we think, to the people of Bridport. We wanted a contemporary and well stocked pet and animal supplies store with a range of products for as many tastes and budgets as we have room for and we also wanted to create the feel of an old fashioned grocery store, but for animals, where customer service, politeness and a genuine desire to keep customers happy are our core values.

We have been so lucky to have found great staff both for on the stall and in the shop and they are all genuinely interested in what we sell and in matching the right products to the right customers. It is not just about selling on the day but about making sure people are happy with what they buy so that they will come back again.

Bridport is a unique place and one of the few towns in the South West to still have a great selection of independent retailers in its shops and wonderful street market, offering customers real choice and a variety
of interesting products. We wanted to be part of that and to use as many local products and talent as we could.

We have been very lucky so far to have found and worked with some great people such as Becky Kingston who designed our Animal House signs and Claire of Frolic fame who designed the brilliantly quirky music banner, also Rosemary Jacks Pottery and Kitsch Collars.

We have also teamed up with 2 great local companies, Dorwest and Hilton Herbs whose passion and belief in their respective products is inspiring.

So come along and join us this Friday and Saturday and find out more about what we are about. We have lots of things planned for both days such as prize draws and the launch of our new loyalty cards.

We look forward to seeing you and your animals then.