Sara's Pets and Plants reopens in Sharpsburg after moving from Squirrel Hill
A new store along Sharpsburg’s busy Main Street corridor is sure to draw pet owners and animal lovers alike with its odd assortment of furry, hairless and dancing feathered creatures.
It’s where you can meet an 11-foot-long red-tailed boa named Large Marge and a legless lizard called Ralph.
Sara’s Pets and Plants opened Wednesday at 908 Main St., relocating from a longtime storefront in Squirrel Hill.
“This is such a great spot for me,” Smith, 25, said. “The borough has shown an eye toward environment and conservation, and that’s what I’m all about. I think it worked out nicely.”
The store, about 1,000 square-feet, houses just about every wild, weird and wacky animal that shoppers are looking for.
From birds and bunnies to hairless rats and reptiles, all the animals are rescues and most are available for adoption.
There are exceptions, said Smith, currently earning her master’s degree in anthro-zoology from an online program.
Mildred the alligator is not for sale because Smith fears someone would release her into a river; nor is Olaf the rescue cat or Burt the bearded dragon.
“I do a lot of education on-site and in the schools, and I like to have a few animals for people to interact with,” she said.
No stranger to the Lower Valley, Smith graduated from Fox Chapel Area High School in 2012. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in wildlife and fisheries science before purchasing the longtime Murray Avenue store, the former Alan’s Pets and Plants.
Forced out by the high cost of renovations, Smith said she was familiar with Sharpsburg and found its revitalization appealing to a new business owner.
She recently moved into the borough as well.
“I never understood why some animals, like reptiles, are abused, and I think it’s that people don’t understand how to care for them properly,” Smith said. “I am all about educating people.”
Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and closed Sundays.
Tawnya Panizzi is a TribLive reporter. She joined the Trib in 1997. She can be reached at tpanizzi@triblive.com.
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