Meet Victoria Park | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Victoria Park and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Victoria, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
In the 1990’s, I had an unhealthy dog and I spent thousands of dollars on traditional veterinary treatments before I found holistic and alternative pet care. At the time, there was very little attention paid to diet and I was feeding kibble from the grocery store. My poor dog was miserable and the steroid, anti-biotic regimen the vet prescribed was not working, because it does not work long term when the problem was actually poor nutrition. I started reading books by holistic veterinarians in the mid 1990’s and I realized that until my dog had proper nutrition, his skin and ear infections were never going to get better. I learned so much from Dr. Marty Goldstein and Dr. Pitcarin that I was able to heal my dog myself with better food, herbal supplements, and holistic veterinary care. I am an Atlanta native and in the 1990’s I was living in Grant Park, then East Atlanta. Once I discovered better pet food and herbal supplements, I had few resources to purchase these products in my area. In 1998, I left the travel industry and decided to open my own little health food store for pets in my neighborhood, East Atlanta Village. I figured that if I was dealing with these issues, so were other pet owners in the area and I could share my knowledge about pet nutrition and supplements. Turns out, I was right! The interesting thing is that we are still having the same conversations about these common pet ailments today and it all goes back to proper nutrition and holistic pet care. I opened my shop in June of 1999 and we have helped countless pets live healthier lives which is my true passion. I am fortunate to have a team who is just as passionate about pet care as I am.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am very proud that we have been in business for 22 1/2 years in East Atlanta Village and still going strong. We have made many friends and helped many pets along the way and we enjoy having very loyal customers who prefer to support a small business instead of big box store or on-line retailer. My team is super friendly, helpful, informative and they really want the best for your pets. I believe that is the reason for our success, Our customer service model is geared toward in person conversations and finding solutions to common pet questions regarding diet, supplements, walking gear, toy choices and flea prevention, etc.. We find that our customers love the personal attention and human connection when talking about their fur babies and we never take that for granted. Also, it is fun to bring your dog in to the store and let them try out a new pet bed or try on a harness to see how it fits before you buy it. You can’t do that on-line.

We survived the pandemic while only doing curbside pickup for 14 months in order to keep ourselves and our team safe from Covid. I would say that is the biggest challenge that I have ever had to face and making those tough decisions to do what is right for people instead of profits was extremely stressful. Fortunately, our loyal customers adapted to our pandemic response and we have only grown stronger over the past 2 years. We still wear masks and appreciate when our customers do too because we take the pandemic very seriously.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Itineraries are hard to plan these days but here are recommendations for fun while visiting our city. If you have time off during the week, the following are much more fun on weekdays/weeknights instead of weekends for me.

Daytime:
Atlanta Botanical Gardens paired with a picnic in Piedmont Park. If it is a weekday, maybe walk the Beltline for a bit.

Westside Reservoir Park and then go to Boggs Social Club for happy hour cocktails and whatever fun food pop up is happening that day.

Shopping: Little Five Points is the go to for fun shopping and supporting small businesses

Clermont Rooftop Hotel for views, photos and cocktails

Have breakfast at Ria’s Bluebird then walk across the street and visit Oakland Cemetery for historical vibes

Baps Mandir in Lilburn is a beautiful place that is unique to our area and a cultural experience unlike no other

The King Center is must see (check current hours)

Fernbank Museum is always great and enjoyable

Nightlife:

I love Lloyd’s Restaurant and Lounge for dinner and drinks. Monday night is crab legs night if you are into that kind of meal.

For live music, check out the Star Bar and the Earl to see what is happening each night

Clermont Lounge is lots of fun and less crowded during the weeknights.

Carroll Street in Cabbagetown has fun bars and restaurants to check out and 97 Estoria is just up the street with a great patio.

Stroll the Botanical Gardens after dark and see holiday lights or a new art exhibit.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Dr. Marty Goldstein is my original inspiration for what I do. Currently, I follow Dr. Karen Becker DVM, Dr. Judy Morgan DVM, Dr. Will Falconer, DVM, Dr. Conor Brady, DVM and Dana Scott of Dogs Naturally Magazie for up to date nutritional advice and holistic veterinary information. These experts have books, youtube channels and email newsletters that help to keep me up to date on the latest studies and findings in natural pet care that I can share with my customers. I encourage everyone to follow these pioneers in pet health care.

Website: https://parkpetsupply.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/parkpetsupply

Facebook: https://facebook.com/parkpetsupply

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/park-pet-supply-atlanta