Yorkshire woman Karen Drury goes animal crackers for her new pet shop

Karen: I am following in my dad's footsteps

Animal lover Karen Drury doesn’t have to worry about running out of food for her family’s six dogs, two horses and assorted other pets.

For should she suddenly run low on dog biscuits or rabbit food, Karen can just nip into her very own pet shop.

Karen (51) has taken over running The Pet Store in Elmet, where the shelves are stacked high for anything she might need for her rottweiler, German Shepherd, English bull terrier and three Jack Russells.

New owner: The business agent helped us as buyers as much as the sellers.

And if she does ever find her rabbit, guinea pigs – including two ‘skinny pigs’ which have virtually no hair – and her blue and gold macaw need a new toy, food or bedding, it’s all stacked up on in her own shop.

Karen took over the popular pet shop in Low Street, Sherburn, Elmet, last month and has been amazed at how much she enjoys following her sharing her passion for pets with her customers.

“I’m loving it,” she said. “It’s my first business after having worked for supermarkets for years. I couldn’t be happier.”

Karen harboured a dream of turning her hobby into a business for years while she worked for supermarket giant Tesco.

When she was made redundant, she realised it was time to try to make her pet shop dream come true.

“I had looked for a pet shop in the past but nothing came up that was quite right,” she recalls. “Then we heard about this place – and it was perfect.

“My dad had bought a newsagents’ a bit later in life after he was made redundant, so I’m following in his footsteps by running my own business and being my own boss.”

A friend mentioned the shop was being offered for sale through Leeds-based business specialists Ernest Wilson. Karen immediately realised it was just what she had always wanted.

“Buying a business is a bit different from buying a house,” she said. “But Ernest Wilson were really helpful, I think they spent as much time helping me as they did with the person that was selling.

“They really helped smooth things out.”

Karen is bringing her own years of expertise as a pet owner to the business and has introduced new ranges as well as kept old favourites.

The shop, one of a number of independent retailers in the street, now sells raw frozen meat for dogs and has stocked up with wild bird feed – a top seller for the shop – and live maggots for anglers, which Karen admits took a little bit of time getting used to handling.

“There’s a lot of learning as you go involved in running a business,” she adds, “and I’m keen to be able to pass on advice and help to customers.

“People seem really eager to support local businesses in the town, and I’m looking forward to serving them.”

Want to make your passion into a career? Or just fancy being your own boss? Business specialists Ernest Wilson have decades of experience helping clients buy and sell businesses.

Find out how they can help, browse businesses for sale and discover how to be your own boss by visiting www.ernest-wilson.co.uk