Pet Supplies Plus opens store in Bettendorf

An employee of Pet Supplies Plus in Bettendorf was taking a seven-year-old dog to the grooming salon section of the business when the dog’s owner shouted some advice. “She’s food motivated. Give her this,” said Susan Ingold of Bettendorf, as she held up a treat for her dog, Indie. Indie, which is a doggie nickname […]

An employee of Pet Supplies Plus in Bettendorf was taking a seven-year-old dog to the grooming salon section of the business when the dog’s owner shouted some advice. “She’s food motivated. Give her this,” said Susan Ingold of Bettendorf, as she held up a treat for her dog, Indie. Indie, which is a doggie nickname for her full name of Independence, made it through the grooming session with a treat and no incidents. Her owner said it was a good day – and a good place to do pet-care business.

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“Oh my gosh, this is so great. If this wasn’t here, we would have to go all the way to Davenport to get this done,” said Ms. Ingold, who was one of many to visit the Pet Supplies Plus location at 3280 Middle Road during its Friday, June 7, grand opening. (The store is located near the Devils Glenn Road intersection and the Hy-Vee grocery store.) That day featured a Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting, special prize giveaways, games, sale prices and more. The store offers supplies, grooming, self-pet wash stations, a knowledgeable pet care team, delivery and carry-out service with team members carrying heavy items to customers’ cars. The store is owned by Tom Bernau of Bernau Capital Group and is operated by Iowa native Suzy Schweer, who previously owned other local pet stores. Originally from the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area, Ms. Schweer is also chief operating officer of Pet Supplies Plus. “This has been a very positive experience. … The people coming in here say that they're glad we’re here,” she said Friday. Ms. Schweer added that the Bettendorf store has about 8,500 square feet of space and some 20 employees. The first Pet Supplies Plus store opened about four years ago in Davenport. Ms. Schweer said the company is pleased they have finally been able to open a new location in Bettendorf. “Our heart is here and we are lucky to be part of the Quad Cities,” she said. During the ribbon-cutting, Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher thanked the company for setting up shop in the city and said “thank you for investing in Bettendorf.” Like Ms. Ingold, several customers said they are happy the store is open for business. One of them is Sheila Tyler, who was at Pet Supplies Plus getting a supply of doggie treats for her two-year-old dog Lacie. “It’s a really nice place. … They have lots of everything here,” she said. In addition to doggie treats, the store is filled with all types of pet food and supplies and pets for sale, such as fish, hamsters and parakeets. There is also a cat adoption station. There were no felines in the store on Friday, but Pet Supplies Plus will soon partner with the Humane Society of Scott County to show cats that are up for adoption. But a big part of the store is also devoted to supplies pet owners never knew they needed. Some of those include fresh bakery items – such as pretzels and donuts –  for dogs; deer chews; lots of cookies for dogs; birthday treats for pets; oven-baked biscuits with peanut butter; and lots of clothes for dogs and cats. “I think right now dog grooming is the big thing people have been coming in here for. … That, and just about anything else you can think of for your pet,” said Tristen Smeltzer, the store manager. The store is open seven days a week. It is open  9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.