Crazy Grannies bring pet supplies to Oak Orchard

With hot coffee for customers, a cookie case for pups and Pebbles, a Yorkshire terrier that greets customers at the door, the off-beat grandmothers who opened Crazy Grannies' Pet Supplies on Rt. 24 bring a cozy quality to their pet supply store.

Toys, leashes, cat scratching posts, hamster cages, dog shampoo and food are just a few of the supplies Ginny Harding and Joan Hall have stocked at their Oak Orchard store since they opened in the spring.

To build an inventory and clientele, Harding said, the grannies are paying attention what pet owners really want.

"We think we have everything, but we are learning from our customers," she said. "We want to have an inventory of what they want."

They have built an inventory catering to the wishes of residents in the area who own dogs, cats and small animals like birds and fish.

For customers like Millsboro resident Barbara Busch, the grannies fit the bill, offering exactly what she needs to feed and dote on her pet.

"It's close, and when I'm on my way home I can get in real quick," Busch said. "Where I was going before didn't always have the food in stock, and here, they always have it."

For many other pet owners near Long Neck and Oak Orchard, Crazy Grannies' Pet Supplies has done just what the first-time shopkeepers aimed for: eliminate long drives to pick up simple supplies for four-legged family members.

Hall said she has spend much of her time as a new shopkeeper researching what kinds of foods to carry, hoping the inventory will help solve issues many pets have, such as irritable stomach or skin disorders.

"We like to make sure we carry food that is made in the USA and we like to carry mostly holistic foods and grain-free lines," Hall said. "A lot of dogs have allergies to grains like corn, and a lot of companies use them as fillers."

Beyond their comprehensive inventory, the owners of Crazy Grannies, who say the name was inspired by a suggestion from Harding's daughter, said they wanted their store to be cozy and comfortable for people and pets.

"We try to give it that personal touch," Hall said. "We're not just aisles of inventory. We want to give it that 'granny feel' since we are the Crazy Grannies."

For more information about Crazy Grannies' Pet Supplies, 26582 Route 24, call 302-945-5323 or contact the owners at crazygrannies@verizon.net.