Freeport's Meadow Mall to welcome yet another new business
Freeport's Meadows Mall will soon be home to another new business.
Pet Supplies Plus will be the third brand-new store to open at the newly remodeled mall in the past year.
“Meadows is getting a face-lift and coming back to life,” Matt Fischer, regional operations leader for Pet Supplies Plus, said. “We want to be a part of coming back to life. It seems like a great opportunity.”
Pet Supplies Plus will open for a soft opening on Oct. 13 and hold their grand opening on October 28.
“I’m really excited to see how it does,” Nicole Stewart, the store team lead in Freeport, said. “We don’t have any pet stores around here. Everyone has pets around here, and now they won’t have to go to Rockford anymore.”
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Pet Supplies Plus offers supplies for common household pets as well as a dog park, self-service dog washing station, small animal adoptions, and grooming services provided by Muddy Paws.
“They will groom anything you bring into them, so we’ll see an iguana who needs a nail trim from time to time,” Fischer said.
Pet Supplies Plus bought Muddy Paws nearly a year ago to complement the pet store. Since the purchase, Muddy Paws, who will soon rebrand as just Pet Supplies Plus, has expanded their business to include two more full-time groomers and will add a third in a few weeks.
“Because the growth has been there, we want to help that growth continue,” Fischer said. “Once they have a pet store attached, they’ll take off more.”
Pet Supplies Plus is now hiring sales associates and four shift leads who love to engage with their neighbors about their pets.
So far, more than 100 people have applied in less than a week.
“The challenge of all retail right now is the staffing piece which I have no concern about at this point,” Fischer said. "The number of applications just tells you the excitement in the community. So we have high expectations of this store.”
Before working at Pet Supplies Plus, Stewart worked for 20 years at McDonalds where she started as a crew member and worked her way up to Assistant General Manager.
Stewart is excited to make the jump from fast food to retail. “It’s uncharted territory and I had a lot to learn, but I think I’ve caught in well and it can only go up from here.”
Stewart, a pet lover who owns two dogs, hopes that October will be busy and give people a positive first impression of her store.
“There’s been a lot of buzz around town,” Fischer said. “You can feel it just the little bit I’m in town, so we’re excited to get the store open.”
Pet Supplies Plus will open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. Grooming appointments can be booked on Muddy Paw’s website.
Jena Kleindl is a freelance correspondent.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Pet Supplies Plus opening soon in Freeport, Illinois
