KENWOOD — Bronzeville’s first Black-owned pet store is in danger of closing, and the owner is looking to the public for help.
Amanda Daniels opened Lucky’s Pet Store, 924 E. 43rd St., in July, pouring thousands of dollars of her life savings into her dream. While she was able to pay the first and last month’s rent, skyrocketing renovation costs kept eating away at her budget. Now, Daniels is $20,000 behind in rent and recently launched a GoFundMe, netting $560 of her $20,000 goal so far.
“It was so pricey, and at that point of time I couldn’t back out because I’m now invested,” Daniels said. “This is an amazing place. It’s almost like, ‘Speak what you seek until you see what you say.’
“I said years [ago] before I had the place and years before my children were born that I was gonna put a pet store in Bronzeville. God heard me. He ordered my steps and he allowed me — even if it’s just for 20 minutes — to own a pet store.”
Between home expenses and store expenses, the mother of two found herself struggling to stay afloat while trying to keep up with customer demand, and she fell “extremely behind,” she said. The store carries a variety of natural pet food products — all of which are available for delivery), along with grooming services and “enrichment” to keep pets in good health.
Daniels has applied for small business grants but has yet to hear back. In the meantime, she hopes to keep Lucky’s open with the community’s help.
The store is named for Daniels’ shih tzu, Lucky, who died nearly 20 years ago.
Daniels had taken in the rescue dog shortly after he was discovered on the streets of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. There was something inspiring — something comforting — about watching the vet tend to Lucky, Daniels said.
The mother of two decided to pursue veterinary science, earning a degree from Rockford Career College and working at several animal hospitals across the city, including the Bronzeville Animal Clinic, before opening her own pet shop: a place where pets can be spoiled and pet owners can receive help without shame.
Daniels remembers working in places where owners seemed intimidated by the environment.
“You don’t know what you don’t know, and sometimes clients come in [with their pets] and they’ll tell me they haven’t bathed them and I say, ‘It’s a judge-free zone the minute you walk in the door,'” Daniels said. “Three days into my grooming, a client came in with a poodle that hadn’t been groomed in five months. The dog is extremely matted. She told she felt most comfortable with me taking care of her dog. I shaved this dog down completely and told her she had to put the dog on a [grooming] plan.”
Building that trust and comfort level keeps people coming back, and the reviews Daniels has received on social media are a reflection of that, she said.
The lack of pet stores on the South Side has always disappointed Daniels, who grew up in the Ida B. Wells Homes minutes away from her store, she said. Lucky’s is the only Black- and woman-owned pet store in Bronzeville.
“We deserve to have the same things other neighborhoods have, and people have been so receptive,” Daniels said.
Lucky’s Pet Store is open from 11 a.m-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays.
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