Owners of Salem exotic pet store look back on 15 years of connection, education
Over a year ago, a family-owned business in Salem was able to stretch its wings in a new location offering more space and over an acre of outdoor space for all the exotic animals.
Emily Ellsworth started Pure Pet with her husband, Keith, in 2010 in Salem.
“We’ve always had an interest in animals and educating people about pets,” Emily said. “I worked at a vet for several years, and I had worked at an exotic pet store previously. We like to make sure that people get correct information about animals. The supplies that we sell we believe in, so when we recommend something, it’s because it’s something we’ve used or we’ve seen great results with.”
Last May, the Ellsworth family closed their doors on their Penn Avenue store where they’d been for over a decade before moving a few minutes away to a new space in the Salem Industrial Park.
“It’s been really nice,” Emily said. “We needed our own parking lot. We wanted to be an independent building, a destination for people and we also have an acre and a half of space to breathe, which is really nice. We have pollinator gardens, where there’s butterflies and hummingbirds, and we do a lot with native plants.”
At Pure Pet, customers can find many species of animals including small birds, reptiles, amphibians, guinea pigs, hamsters, chinchillas, rats, pet rats, spiders, insects and lots of fish. They also carry supplies for pets like collars and products with fair-trade ingredients.
“One of our employees that works for us now, she started coming in when she was a kid, and 15 years later, now she’s a grown up,” Emily said. “We’ve had that happen a few times, where people have worked for us that were children when they started coming so I think that’s pretty cool to see. Maybe that interest wouldn’t have been there as much if we hadn’t been local to them. We continue to encourage learning and the love of science and the desire to learn.”
Emily and Keith have three kids, who inherited a love of animals, especially their youngest son.
“We’re excited to keep expanding and keep modifying it. It’s an ongoing project, definitely a passion project,” Emily said.
Visit Pure Pet from noon - 6 p.m. at 1432 Quaker Circle in Salem.
