Store of the Month – September 2022

Snake Discovery

831 Century Ave N, Maplewood, MN 55119
(612) 642-2960

Website: https://snakediscovery.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SnakeDiscovery
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snake.discovery/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snakediscovery/

While Snake Discovery the store has only been open since the beginning of 2021, they have been making an impact on the reptile world for long time. Owner Ed and Emily Roberts originally met when Ed came into the store Emily was working at to buy a pet bird.  From there they quickly became involved with the Minnesota Herp Society and their educational live animal shows. They then took their own shows on the road, doing shows across Minnesota and Wisconsin, and turned the in person show into a thriving YouTube show as well. Still, they knew they wanted to eventually open a brick and mortar store and provide even more for the local community. In 2020 they began building their vision which includes a 3000 sq ft store front, a breeding facility, a classroom and a 4000 sq ft zoo.

The store front features a wide variety of products for keepers of all levels, but with an extra focus on bioactive supplies, and adoptable animals. Through their community outreach, they knew going into opening the store that there was a need for rescue work in the area, and they wanted to incorporate that into their store.  So besides a wide range of animals they get from quality breeders or breed themselves, you will also find a range of adoptable rescue animals of all ages.  Emily notes they strive for a wide selection of animals, as even the novice keeper is aware of and intrigued by, the more fancy morphs and colors of some of the common animals, but also by some of the lesser known animals.  They see no need to limit the point of entry into the hobby, as the proper information is readily available to make the hobby attainable for all keepers.

In the breeding facility Ed and Emily have been able to expand on their personal collection that is focused around North American colubrids, specifically bull snakes and western hognose snakes, but also includes garter snakes, ackie monitors and more.

The classroom hosts store events like birthday parties, educational workshops, events with other YouTubers, and interactive workshops for kids and adults.

But the stand apart feature at Snake Discovery has to be the built-in reptile zoo. At 4000 sq ft, the zoo features some of Ed and Emily’s long kept pets, as well as a mix of reptiles from across the world, while also putting a focus on local animals from the upper Midwest. In the zoo you can see exhibits that feature everything from tree frogs, to geckos, to boas and pythons, and most notably their well-known ambassador animal Rex. Rex is a 35-year-old American Alligator that spent the first 27 years of her life in a 4’ wooden box before making her way to Snake Discovery. At a length of just 4.5’ as an adult, and still holding her baby stripes, Rex is not only a sign of what not to do with an animal, but also the importance of rescue work.