Merchant of the Month: Kingsburg Feed & Pet

By Lynn Stacy-Smith

Seventeen years ago Regina Prine was working as a hairstylist when her husband Ronny had what Regina calls a “wild hare” that prompted them to purchase a pet store in town that had gone out of business.  According to Regina, “we jumped in with two feet” and opened Kingsburg Feed & Pet Supplies in Kingsburg, California and are still enjoying the pet business almost two decades later.

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From Left to Right, Canine Caviar Sales Representative Remi LeMay with store owners Ronny and Regina Prine outside Kingsburg Feed & Pet

After outgrowing their original location they moved to their current location seven years ago. They plan on expanding the store soon to add a self-service dog wash so that their clients can groom their pets without the hassle of doing it at home.

A little over a year ago in March 2013 Kingsburg Feed & Pet Supplies added Canine Caviar holistic pet food and organic treats to their product selection. After speaking to her Canine Caviar sales representative she realized that around ten years ago she had a customer who special ordered Canine Caviar Lamb & Pearl Millet for his rescued English Bulldog. “He had rescued the worst one in terms of allergies” she said, adding that when rescued the bulldog weighed just 22 pounds and benefitted tremendously from Canine Caviar.

Regina likes Canine Caviar’s unique story along with the fact that it is PH alkaline based, has a grain free line of foods and does not have by-products.  She often suggests Canine Caviar to owners whose dogs are having issues with diarrhea or pancreatitis and do not want to use prescription food from the diet, since Canine Caviar is a popular veterinary alternative.  “I’ll refer them to Canine Caviar, give them a one pound sample bag with a coupon to make sure the dog likes it”.  She also suggests the Canine Caviar Special Needs formula to customers whose dogs are suffering from diabetes or blood sugar issues.

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Canine Caviar treats on display at Kingsburg Feed & Pet

Kingsburg Feed & Pets has frequent events with Canine Caviar demo representatives. They also carry Canine Caviar buffalo treats for dogs and offer the Canine Caviar Frequent Buyer Program.

Regina spoke fondly of the pet business, “It never stops changing, stuff over the years has gotten so much better quality, a lot of it has changed for the better.” She also talked fondly about her customers and the importance of customer service when competing with big name chain pet supply stores.  Regina enjoys the fact that after over seventeen years in business she has gotten to know many customers as well as their pets. Pets are just as welcome in the store as their human owners; in fact the first time I phoned the store to speak to Regina she was helping a regular customer with her newly rescued one-year-old Labrador Retriever.

Although she did not plan on a lifelong career as a pet store owner, she is clearly doing a tremendous job at serving her customers since they were chosen as the 2010 Best Pet Store by the readers of their local newspaper. Regina is a great fit for this industry since she is an avid animal lover. She and her husband Ronny have two rescued cats, Salem who is 17 and Cleo who is 13. Four dogs also occupy their home and hearts, including a 13-year-old male Pug, her beloved JuJu Bell, an English Bulldog who is 10, and JuJu Bell’s English Bulldog daughters Molly and Coco.  Bulldogs are Regina’s most loved breed and she mentioned, “I got my first bulldog and fell in love”. There is also a resident rescue cat who lives at the store.

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Kingsburg Feed & Pet’s 2010 Award for Best Pet Store

Kingsburg Feed & Pet has done rescue events in the past and actively refers customers who are looking for a pet to local rescue groups. They also help with information on spaying/neutering and have donated to different rescues over the year with various rescue groups. In fact, Regina told us about an avid Basset Hound rescuer who is passionate about Canine Caviar; watch for her story in an upcoming Furr News. And don’t forget, if you are in the Kingsburg, California area, stop by and say hello and tell them the Canine Caviar newsletter sent you!

 

 

Want to follow Kingsburg Feed & Pet on Facebook? Like their page at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kingsburg-Feed-Pet-Supplies/126422729882