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On the ShelfBy The PetRetailNews Desk3 min readNovember 9, 2026
Ray and Naz opened a Pet Supplies Plus in San Antonio after their dog got sprayed by a skunk
The 6,100-square-foot Alamo Ranch location opened October 23 with grooming, self-wash stations, and plans to hire eight groomers.
Ray and Naz opened a Pet Supplies Plus in San Antonio's Alamo Ranch neighborhood October 23 after their dog Max got sprayed by a skunk and they took him to a nearby franchise location for emergency grooming. The 6,100-square-foot store at 11943 Alamo Ranch Parkway brings grooming, self-wash stations, and the chain's full assortment to a strip between an H-E-B and a fitness club.
The franchise pitch is that one good customer experience converts an operator
Pet Supplies Plus positions this as proof the model recruits: a couple runs into a problem, gets helped, and decides to open their own location. Ray spent his career in his father's small business and later ran a convenience store, and Naz worked alongside him. The press release frames the skunk incident as the moment they saw the opportunity.
The couple's background is retail operations. Ray ran a convenience store before this, which means he came in knowing how to manage a small-format box with local traffic. The franchise offered a new category with an existing supply chain and brand recognition.
Who benefits from the emotional-conversion framing
Pet Supplies Plus benefits. The franchise pitch to prospective operators is that you don't need pet-industry experience, you need retail fundamentals and the willingness to care about the customer. Framing the decision as an emotional response to good service makes the model sound accessible to operators from other categories.
The couple benefits too. Telling the skunk story positions them as neighbors who care, not as retail operators testing a new format.
What the Alamo Ranch opening tests
The store is 6,100 square feet and it opened with 20 jobs and plans to hire up to eight groomers. The grooming capacity matters. A store planning for eight groomers needs to pull traffic from a radius wide enough to keep those chairs full.
The location between H-E-B and a fitness club is deliberate. The company says the store makes it easy for neighbors to pick up supplies or schedule grooming while running errands. The couple is hosting a grand opening November 21-22 with a $10 reward on any $30 purchase, prize giveaways, and a text-to-enter sweepstakes for gift cards up to $250.
Our read: the model works when the operator already knows how to run the box
Pet Supplies Plus has over 725 locations and the pitch is that it's the largest pet retail franchise in the country. The model recruits operators who already run retail and want a category with repeat purchase and a service attach. Ray and Naz fit that profile: Ray ran a convenience store before this, and the franchise gives them the assortment and the brand.
Grooming capacity is the risk. The couple needs to fill eight groomer chairs if they hire to plan, and the Alamo Ranch store is competing with other groomers in the area. The couple needs convenience to win.
Pet Supplies Plus keeps opening locations, so we'd watch how fast they fill those grooming chairs, and whether the store ends up running fewer groomers than planned because the demand didn't materialize or more because it did.
For an independent watching this open in their market, the franchise model competes on convenience and location. If you're in the area, your own location and hours become a competitive variable worth thinking about.
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