YORK-After being closed for two years to visitors, the Heritage Humane Society in Greater Williamsburg recently announced it has reopened its adoption center to the public. In addition, the Heritage Humane Society has opened a new retail store. Both the adoption center and the retail store are now open noon to 4:30 pm daily.
“The gift shop is huge for us,” said Kimberly Laska, executive director of Heritage Humane Society, in a phone interview on March 7. “We wanted to do this for a number of years, but our challenge was space.”
The Heritage Humane Society, which is located at 430 Waller Mill Rd., recently underwent an expansion project, which now enables them to offer a retail shop at their shelter. The store carries home supplies new pet owners may need when they come in to adopt an animal so that they won’t have to make an extra stop to the store for items on their way home with their new pet.
Available items include cat and dog toys and treats, dog leashes and collars, and gift items like sweatshirts. More merchandise is coming in every day, and the store is soon expected to carry additional products like litter and litter boxes and other items like keychains and coffee mugs. There is also a section for smaller pets like hamsters, guinea pigs, and rabbits.
“We have hay, rabbit food, guinea pig food, and some toys and enrichment items that might be harder to find in the store,” Laska said. “We’ve tried them here at the shelter and we think they are things that the animals will really enjoy.”
Laska hopes to offer seasonal merchandise as well at the gift shop, which is sponsored by Chesapeake Bank. The owners of The Nautical Dog also assisted with the opening of the new retail store.
“This has been a real community effort,” Laska said. “We have good, quality products that people will need when they come in to adopt a pet. All of the revenue from the shop will go back to support our mission, which is wonderful.”
Those interested in offering suggestions for retail items, particularly seasonal items, for the new Heritage Humane Society retail store can email Kimberly Laska at kimberly@heritagehumanesociety.org.