U Street Companions No More
For years, I’ve gone to Companions, a pet store on U Street NW. Today I went there to get aquatic plants for my fish.
I am no longer a guppy dad, but I still need to replenish my tank with greenery. And today I went home empty handed.
Companions is now closed. Gone. A storefront completely empty. I didn’t even see a “going out of business sale”, though I am not surprised.
Their service was slow, selection poor, and their fish died often. Still, they were local and I tried to support them. Now, there is no need.
There is still a need for pet supplies in DC. My fish have a naked tank. Any suggestions for Metro-accessible alternatives?
Wayan, my local pet store is fantastic. On 14th Street near S Street, next to Sparky’s Cafe. Green Pets (formerly Pet Essentials). You can take U Street Metro. They’ve been around for a while, small business, very friendly. I highly recommend them.
However, I don’t know what kind of fish supplies they have… so it may be moot!
They closed about 3 weeks ago. Sucks. Decent cat-food only a block away from my house!
Not local, but there is the Petco up in Cleveland Park.
Pet Essentials
http://greenpets.com/
1722 14th NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone (202) 986 7907
Sounds like a great store, but I just called them now and no fish or plants. Fish food and chemicals only.
There was a sign up there for at least three months that they were leaving, and pretty much everything was 50% off, too.
I’m sorry that you’ve lost your aquarium plant supplier, Wayan, but otherwise I’m glad they’re gone. Maybe they’ll put a Starbucks in there instead.
Max,
I sure hope that was sarcasm, else I am going to sic my zebra danios on your ass. They get mean when I hype them up on caffeine drops in their tank water.
I live behind that disgusting hole. The worst was that the dog walkers would always walk the dogs in the alley/cobblestone street behind my house. Most of the dogs dropped doodies in this little street (out of the public eye) and the employees always did a shoddy job of cleaning it up. I always theorized that the employees liked to walk the dogs back there because they didn’t really have to clean up after these beasts. Good riddance to this awful place
Chateau Animaux on 8th St. SE is a couple blocks from the Eastern Market metro station. Nice place. http://www.chateau-animaux.com/
I’m really sorry that I do not know of any local store that caters to fish, but I am not sorry that this store closed! Customer Service was not one of their highlights. You could be the only customer in the store and still no one would ask you if you needed help to find something. The place always stank and it was always dark inside. I hated to see how the puppies they would sell were placed in cages, with their little legs hanging between the cagee. The water dish for visiting dogs was always empty. My dog did enjoy going in there for one reason only, he loved to chase the vermin that was always lose. I love Pet People and I love Pet People who work at a Pet Store, there were no Pet People at Companions.
Companions had great grooming — real pros. I’d suggest Dogs By Day and the store next door on 14th, just south of S. The store has decent selection, although a little heavy on the organic free-range cruelty-free cheweez. They’re nice there, though, and they might bolster their fish stuff if you ask.
I never had a problem at Companion, got good customer service there, actually. Always found people friendly. It’s been closed for a while, though; feels like more than 3 weeks. And they had a super long going out of business sale. As of the last time I stopped in, the owner still felt confident they’d find a place in the neighborhood; he said they’d be keeping the same phone number, in case anyone wants to try calling.
There’s already a Starbucks on that block! Aack!
There is Pet Dreams on H street NE. I think its between 4th and 5th st ne.
When I talked to them a month ago they said that they lost their lease and that they were planning to open up again somewhere close but didn’t know where yet.