Pet Source, East L.A.’s family pet store

June 18, 4:28 PMLA Latino Issues ExaminerLuis Antonio Pichardo

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The Pet Source, a pet shop in Boyle Heights, is a small but friendly pet store. Although there are several locations, the store in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of East Los Angeles struck me as a great place to do some shopping.

My cousin visited me for a day, driving all the way from North San Diego County to Panorama City so that she could get to know the city of Los Angeles better before considering moving here to look for work. I wanted to explore LA that day as well.

We started our day walking around the Pico Union section of downtown LA and ended up in East Los Angeles for a few hours, walking around, taking pictures.

As we walked along Cesar Chavez Avenue in Boyle Heights, my cousin, out of curiosity, stepped into Pet Source, a local pet shop in business for 24 years. Their tag line is simple and straightforward: “Pet Source, Solutions to Your Pet Care Needs.”

The environment of the pet store is like any other; exotic birds caw as small lovebirds coo together, keeping each other warm and comfortable. Brown-colored pigeons coolly purr a mellow coo over the sound of trickling water being filtered for the sustenance of exotic tropical fish, and a large python quietly waits to be fed in his glass cage, glaring at his neighboring rabbit friend who lays still and stretched out across wood shavings and feed.

The clerk on duty that day diligently worked on the packaging of dried leaves of some sort which looked like a confection for parakeets and other assorted kinds of birds. Upon entering we were greeted whole-heartedly by the clerk as well as a friend of hers who seemed to be very familiar with the birds, spiders, lizards, and scorpions for sale. His jovial nature was infectious, and both my cousin and I could not keep from being drawn into the fun atmosphere.

A few kids walked around the store, occasionally stopping and staring into the glass hamster cages and frog sanctuaries. They made sure to maneuver away from our jovial friend who at that point began to explain to us the safety of handling live tarantulas. He even showed us with ease the proper way of picking up a scorpion.

The prices of the merchandise seemed very fair, although, truth be told, we weren’t really there to buy anything. We were there to simply experience the “local flavor.”

The environment and friendliness of the people working in the pet store was very inviting. It felt like being at home for both my cousin and I. We appreciated the joking nature of the handling expert who showed us around. The younger guy who was also there seemed knowledgeable as well.

The female clerk who worked on the merchandising of the bird feed was very nice, and overall, the pet store was a family friendly environment. It may have been the nature of being Latinos talking to other Latinos, but whatever it may have been, my cousin and I very much enjoyed our visit to Pet Source on Cesar Chavez Avenue.

Pet Source is located at 2500 East Cesar Chavez Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Their phone number is (323) 263-3138, where a friendly, knowledgeable store associate will help you find the “solution for your pet care need.” There are other locations serving the community at both 3875 Whittier Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, and at 1901 West 8th Street in Los Angeles as well. Their phone numbers are (323) 262-7947 and (213) 484-8371 respectively.

Their hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and Sundays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, with the 8th Street location varying only by one hour in the opening time (10:00 am instead of 9:00 am).

Pet Source is a friendly neighborhood pet store operated by Latinos for the Latino pet-loving community.