Store of the Month – April 2023

Fish Tails Pet Emporium

28 College Ave
Waterville, ME 04901

207-859-3000

Website: https://www.fishtailspet.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fishtailspet/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fishtails_petemporium/

Our store of the month for April is Fish Tails Pet Emporium! Owner Gene spent many childhood hours dreaming of this store, but it wasn’t until two years ago that his dream came to fruition.

COVID made Gene and his wife Jenn reevaluate their careers, and after Gene’s 33 years in construction and Jenn’s 26 years in teaching, they opened Fish Tails Pet Emporium in Waterville, Maine in June, 2021.

This 3,000-square-foot pet store includes reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds, insects, and small mammals. They plan to expand their fish room next month when their 1,500 square foot addition is finished being built, and they hope to include several other surprises in the new space as well.

Jenn and Gene did lots of research and visited many New England stores before opening their shop. They wanted to feel confident they were creating a space that best fulfilled the needs of their community. They both have a passion for animals and love seeing the joy it brings people when they interact with their pets.

They have several store pets like Roo Roo the umbrella cockatoo, Carl the veiled chameleon, and Brutus the savannah monitor. These store pets participate in lots of events. Brutus the savannah monitor is 2 years old and gets a weekly bath called “Tubby Time at Two”, where people get to watch, ask questions, and pet him during bath time. He also recently participated in a Valentine’s Day “Hissing Booth” where people, for a price, could name a cockroach after their ex and then feed it to Brutus. The money raised went to the local humane society.

Growing up Jenn and Gene were both major animal lovers. Gene was constantly bringing critters, and his favorite was a Hatian curly tail lizard named Fred. Jenn was more into warm and fuzzy animals growing up, and had a rabbit and a Norwegian elkhound named Butch who was born with half sized legs but a full sized body. Now as a couple they have several fish tanks, lots of birds, and a Bernese Mountain dog, Chloe, who is an expert at guarding the couch from intruders.

Opening a pet store has allowed them to explore their passion with animals in a way they never imagined. They’ve greatly expanded their knowledge, and they’ve been surprised to learn just how large the reptile owning population of Central Maine really is. Neither of them has a favorite animal in the store, but Gene is especially fond of Uromastyx and armadillo lizards, while Jenn loves the bearded dragons.

If you’re ever in Maine, make Fish TailsPet Emprium one of your main stops!