KENWOOD – Bronzeville’s first black pet store is in danger of closing, and the owner is asking the public for help.
Amanda Daniels opened Lucky’s Pet Store, 924 E. 43rd St., in July, pouring thousands of dollars of her life savings into her dreams. While he was able to pay the first and last month’s rent, rising renovation costs kept eating into his budget. Now, Daniels is $20,000 behind on rent and recently launched a GoFundMe, netting $560 of its $20,000 goal so far.
“It was so expensive, and at that point in time I couldn’t back down because now I’m invested,” Daniels said. “This is an amazing place. It’s almost like, ‘Talk about what you’re looking for until you see what you’re talking about.’
“I said years [ago] before I had the place and years before the birth of my children I would put a pet store in Bronzeville. God heard me. He ordered my steps and allowed me – even if only for 20 minutes – to own a pet store.
Between household expenses and store expenses, the mother of two is struggling to stay afloat as she tries to keep up with customer demand, and has fallen “extremely behind”, she said. The store carries a variety of natural pet food products (all available for delivery), along with grooming and “enrichment” services to keep pets in good health.
Daniels has applied for small business grants, but has yet to hear back. In the meantime, he hopes to keep Lucky open with the help of the community.
The store is named for Daniels’ shih tzu, Lucky, who died nearly 20 years ago.
Daniels had taken in the rescue dog shortly after he was discovered on the streets of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. There was something inspiring — something comforting — about watching the vet tend to Lucky, Daniels said.
The mother of two decided to pursue veterinary science, earning a degree from Rockford Career College and working at several animal hospitals throughout the city, including the Bronzeville Animal Clinic, before opening her own pet store: a places where animals can be spoiled and pet owners. can receive help without shame.
Daniels remembers working in places where the owners seemed intimidated by the environment.
“You don’t know what you don’t know, and sometimes customers come in [with their pets] and they’ll tell me they didn’t wet it and I’ll say, ‘It’s a no-judge zone the minute you walk in the door,'” Daniels said. “Three days after my grooming, a client came in with a poodle that had not been groomed in five months. The dog is extremely tired. She said she felt more comfortable with me taking care of her dog. I shaved this dog down completely and told him that she had to put the dog on a [grooming] floor”.
Building that level of trust and comfort keeps people coming back, and the reviews Daniels has received on social media are a reflection of that, he said.
The lack of pet stores on the South Side has always disappointed Daniels, who grew up in the Ida B. Wells Homes just minutes from her store, she said. Lucky’s is the only black and women’s pet store in Bronzeville.
“We deserve to have the same things that other neighborhoods have, and people have been so receptive,” Daniels said.
Lucky’s Pet Store is open from 11 am to 7 pm Tuesday and Thursday-Friday, 11 am-5 pm Saturday and 11 am-4 pm Sunday.
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