Pet Junction Pet Supply & Grooming celebrated its grand opening Sept. 12 at 4044 Sunrise Blvd., Suite 100. Photo by Ornella Rossi

 

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - After nearly three decades working throughout California’s pet industry, Jim Dempsey is returning to where it all started, a neighborhood pet store.

Dempsey and his wife, Jennie, recently opened Pet Junction Pet Supply & Grooming at 4044 Sunrise Blvd., Suite 100, in Rancho Cordova, offering pet food, treats, toys, grooming services and a self-service dog wash.

The store celebrated its grand opening Sept. 12 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, vendors, raffles, giveaways and local organizations, including Itsie Bitsie Rescue. Community members also brought their dogs to take part in the event.

For Dempsey, the store brings together a career that has largely been spent on the other side of the pet retail industry.

“I’ve been in the pet industry for 25, 30 years,” Dempsey said. “Growing up, my parents had pet stores.”

He later moved into outside sales, traveling throughout California and other states while selling products to independent pet store owners.

“The local community stuff, the local city stuff, the mom-and-pop stores have been who I am,” Dempsey said.

After years on the road, he began looking for a change and saw an opportunity to open a store of his own.

Pet Junction places an emphasis on both services and helping customers better understand the products they buy for their animals.

The store employs full-time groomers and offers self-service washing stations equipped with shampoos, towels, tubs and dryers.

“Come here, make the mess here. Don’t make the mess at home,” Dempsey said. “We clean it up, you can go home.”

The store also carries pet foods, supplements, toys, training products, crates and treats. Dempsey said one of his goals is to provide customers with more information about nutrition and ingredients than they may typically receive while shopping at larger retailers.

“We’re going to be able to answer the questions that your box stores can’t,” Dempsey said.

That could include helping customers understand ingredients in pet food or explaining differences between kibble, frozen and refrigerated options.

Dempsey said the store carries some familiar brands found at larger retailers along with products from smaller manufacturers.

“We have kibbles that you will find at PetSmart or the grocery store, but we also have kibbles that we feel are much cleaner, much healthier, which come from a smaller batch,” he said.

Pet Junction also plans to periodically bring product representatives into the store so customers can speak directly with manufacturers and ask questions.

Several representatives and community leaders attended the grand opening.

Mika Klinsmann, representing state Sen. Roger Niello’s office, presented the Dempseys with a certificate of recognition.

“We’re so happy to have you here,” Klinsmann said. “As a pet owner myself, thank you for being here.”

Rancho Cordova Mayor Garrett Gatewood also recognized Dempsey’s experience in the industry and his family’s history with pet stores.

“Pet Junction is a culmination of Jim’s lifelong passion with animals, beginning with his parents’ pet store, where he developed a love for animals and customer service,” Gatewood said.

While Pet Junction offers the products customers expect from a pet supply store, Dempsey said the larger goal is to provide information and services for owners who increasingly consider their animals part of the family.

“The dogs and cats are more like family members,” Dempsey said, “and that’s what this is set up for.”