Shanklin Pet Stores The Beginning

Let’s go back to where it all started. Nestled in a small town on the Isle of Wight, Shanklin Pet Stores began life as nothing more than a storage area for a local builder’s ladder and tools. He constructed a simple roof over an eight-foot-wide alleyway between his house and his neighbour’s. As his business grew, so did his storage space. The alleyway was extended five or six times until he finally added a proper shop front, transforming the space into a bustling builders’ merchants.

In 1965, the building supplies moved out, making way for a brand-new pet shop. Shanklin Pet Stores was officially founded. Over the following decades, the shop changed hands three times. Then, in 1998, the Knight family took over.

Yet, even after all these years, the physical shop keeps its original charm. Walking the length of its unique, narrow shape—just 8 feet wide and nearly 100 feet long—you can still clearly see every single extension built over 90 years ago by that original local builder.