By Hannah Grover
After a seven year hiatus, Country Critters has returned to Edgewood.
Edgewood’s Town Commission joined the pet store owners on Saturday for a ribbon cutting ceremony at the business located on George Court.
The name Country Critters may be familiar to some Edgewood residents. Brianna Hester ran the business for three years before a health condition forced her to close up shop about seven years ago.
She said her health has now improved and she is hopeful that the business will be open for years to come.
Hester said getting the pet store reopened took a lot of hard work, but she was excited to see that effort pay off on Saturday.
“It’s done. It’s open, and there’s customers walking around again, and it feels good,” she said.
Country Critters provides East Mountains residents with options to purchase pet supplies, such as feeder insects for reptiles, without needing to drive into Albuquerque.
Hester said after the business closed, people would tell her how much they missed having a local pet store so that they wouldn’t have to drive into the city or order products online.
Even seven years later, Hester said she continues to hear people express those sentiments.
Country Critters also offers a variety of pets.
On Saturday, the store had lizards such as a bearded dragon, rabbits, guinea pigs, parakeets, ducklings, chicks, rats and feeder insects.
Hester said the store will offer all types of animals except for dogs and cats, though she plans to partner with local rescues or animal shelters.
“We’ll reach out to local rescues [and] shelters and see what we can do for them,” she said.