Petco coming; competition hopes it won't hound them

smoyers

The people at Petco Animal Supplies are no doubt hoping that their new Cape Girardeau store, scheduled to open this summer, will be a cash cow for the pet supply chain.

The local independents, however, are hoping that the pet store giant doesn't stampede into town and bury them like so many of Fido's leftover bones.

Petco, the No. 2 chain in the country behind PetSMART, will fill the final vacant lot at Cape West Plaza, which includes Shoe Carnival, Fashion Bug and Staples. The address will be 266 Siemers Dr.

Construction on the store started last week, said project manager Brad Heinze, who works for Drury Development Corp., which owns the property. Drury's construction arm, Druco, is building the 13,200-square-foot store.

Heinze said the store is expected to be completed by the end of May and that Petco will be putting in its fixtures and stocking the store until it opens near the end of June.

Petco is a specialty retailer of premium pet food and supplies and operates 561 stores in 41 states and the District of Columbia as well as a destination for online pet food and supplies at www.petco.com.

Sunny Hill Pet Center owner Bill Brinkopf said he suspected that Petco was coming when he recognized Petco's regional sales manager sniffing around his store in December.

"I'd heard that they had been looking in this market since last year," Brinkopf said.

You'd think that local owners like Brinkopf would be nervous about the pet store giant coming in stealing business, but he didn't act too worried. Not that he -- and others like him -- aren't concerned.

"The only thing really is the perception that they're a lot cheaper," he said. "But that's only a perception. It's not reality."

Catherine Hebrock, one of the owners of A&S Tropical Fish and Reptiles, has operated the store in Cape Girardeau for 12 years. She didn't know the Petco was coming, but she thinks her customers will stay put.

"They'll probably go and check it out, but I think they'll come back to us," she said. "We've gone through businesses opening up before. Everybody gets curious. Business is dead for a couple of weeks and then they come back."

And a note for you animal rights activists: No animals were harmed during the writing of this column. (But I am wearing bunny slippers.)

Fill 'er up, Sam

Operators of warehouse retailer Sam's Club are adding a gas station to its Cape Girar-deau location.

The store's general manager, Todd Davis, tells me that if everything stays on schedule, construction is expected to start at the end of the month. He said it takes 6-8 weeks for construction.

"We expect to be pumping by the middle of the summer," he said.

The station will be situated toward the outer edge of the parking lot between Wal-mart and Sam's, he said. There will not be a convenience store, and it will be equipped with automated pumps.

A gift card or Sam's Club card will be needed to activate the pumps, which accept the gift cards as payment or credit or debit cards.

The gas stations are becoming more common at Sam's Clubs across the country. "They're rolling more and more out every year," Davis said.

Davis said the stations are generally 3-5 cents cheaper than street stations.

Sam's Club operates 136 gas stations at its more than 495 stores. The company's gas stations are in 26 states. Typically, the gas stations have six dispensers for a total of 12 pumps, though Davis said specifics on the local station have not been determined yet.

New counseling center

Premier Counseling has opened in the H&H Building at 400 Broadway.

With a slogan of "professional counseling in a private environment," one of the four partners, Michelle Wagner, MS, LPC, said the office focuses on psychotherapy.

The group offers counseling for individuals, couples, children, adolescents and families. They will treat people suffering from depression, anxiety, relationship issues, anger management and stress.

"Pretty much anything that has to do with mental illness," said Wagner.

The other counselors are: John Cooley, MA, LPC, NCC; Jerome Hulehan-Scott, MSW, LCSW; and Debi Oliver, NCC, PLPC.

Psychotherapy differs from other forms of therapy, Wagner said, because it relies more on the Freudian school of learning, which calls for delving into one's past to discover the root of the problem. The going rate for such treatment, Wagner said, is $70-$80 an hour.

Mike and the mechanics

Mike's Auto Repair has opened at 1138 S. Kingshighway behind Cape Motor Co. in the shop that used to be Poor Boys Garage.

Owner Mike Martin, who lives in Chaffee, says they specialize in small engine repair, tune-ups, brakes, oil changes and some transmission work.

Martin has worked on cars since he was a wee lad and he most recently worked at D&S Auto Body, until he decided he wanted to run his own business.

Quickly

Mark Rigdon is the new owner of Plaza Laundry at 209 Independence. He bought it from Cape Girardeau native Doug Ross. Rigdon has owned AAA Mini Storage for the past three years and also is the owner of Do Duds Laundry in Marble Hill.

Scott Moyers is business editor for the Southeast Missourian. Send your comments, business news, information or questions to Biz Buzz, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699, e-mail to smoyers@semissourian.com or call 335-6611, ext. 137.