What's in a Place-Name Specifier?

Here in Rochester - and other places, I am sure - we have a proud tradition of having businesses named for one area when they are, in actuality, nowhere near said area. There is the Park Avenue Bike Shop, naming the store for an upscale part of the city when it is actually in the suburb of Henrietta with another location in the suburb of Brighton. There is the Pittsford Seafood Market, a cute family-owned store named for a high-falutin' suburb when it is actually on Monroe Avenue in the city. There is the Brighton Animal Hospital, naming it for one suburb when it is actually in the suburb of Penfield. Why are these places touting to be from one area when they clearly or not? I don't know.

Then there is the subject of this post: Park Avenue Pets. As I mentioned, Park Avenue is one of the more upscale neighborhoods in the city. However this shop is not on Park Avenue, but on Monroe Avenue. Apparently once upon a time the shop was located on Park Avenue, however the owner decided not to rename it when the shop moved.

The store is significantly smaller than any of the big box pet stores, but don't let this fool you. The selection is just as big as you could ask without superfluous nonsense. And since it is a small, locally-owned spot, the selection is much more interesting than you'd find in a big box store.

Collars!!!

I recently had cause to go into the pet shop for reasons other than pining after cuddly animals I could not get. I knew some of the items I needed, but not all. and I had no idea what types of the items I knew I needed that I should get. The owner was helpful without being pushy. She showed me various options and did not push the more expensive items but allowed me to make my own decision, even if that meant I picked the cheaper one. I appreciated not only the help, but that she did it without pitching anything.

Despite the small size of the store, there are comforts for pretty much any creature you can conceive. It's not just the standard dog-and-cat supplies, but also fish, bird, lizard, and various rodents - including live crickets (which if you have to get for your animal companion, you have more nerve than I do). Definitely a varied local business I'm happy to have around.