Pet shop to shut after 35 years of connecting people with animals
A BELOVED Southland institution is closing its doors for good.
East Road Pets has been a muststop destination for many since opening on Invercargill’s main thoroughfare 35 years ago.
But owners Liz and Daryl MacAskill were ready to put their feet up, they said.
The MacAskills bought the property when it was an empty paddock, and began building enclosures to house their many pets.
‘‘We came here with the idea of setting up our aviaries, and then of course when we had a little bird for sale or something, people said ‘you should open a shop’ and it went from there,’’ Mrs MacAskill said.
‘‘And then it just grew and grew and grew.’’
Pet shops were ‘‘in their blood’’, she said. The pair had owned a small business before going on to build a home together.
Throughout the years, Mr MacAskill built hundreds of aquariums, aviaries, hutches and nest boxes.
Mr and Mrs MacAskill and their daughter Caroline also bred hundreds of fish, reptiles, and many breeds of parrots.
Many cats, dogs, lizards, and rodents in Southland homes may well have been handfed by the pair before leaving with their new owners, Mrs MacAskill said.
The family had many good memories of their time running the store and had interacted with wonderful customers from all around the world — selling a turtle to actor Sam Neill was one of the more memorable transactions from her tenure.
‘‘I didn't even realise who he was until one of the girls said.’’
She emphasised it was the staff who had made their journey at
East Road Pets so wonderful.
‘‘Without them, we couldn’t have achieved all that we have . . . They have been fantastic and they still are fantastic.
‘‘[East Road Pets] was a destination, people would come even if they weren’t wanting to shop — it was somewhere to come for the kids to see the animals and things like that.’’
They had a huge appreciation for all the customers over the years, she said.
‘‘We just really want to say thank you to everybody, our customers and the companies we've dealt with and everything else. . . that's what makes a business.’’
It had been a difficult decision for the MacAskills to step back because of health reasons, but they were both looking forward to their retirement, she said.
‘‘It’s just our time to retire really, and we look forward to the golden years.’’