Live Animals and Fire Prevention at Pet World Express

The new location (across the parking lot by Bikram Yoga) is open and running. Well, crawling is probably a better word. But we didn’t want to wait any longer to reopen. You need our staff, our feeders, our water, and you’ve made it very clear you want to spend your money at Pdub Express in order to facilitate rebuilding. We appreciate that very much and the truth is, we need you more than you need us. We need to see your smiling faces, pet your dogs, test your water, trim your bird’s wings, count your crickets, and answer those pet questions. Every time you come in, even just to pick up a pig ear for your pooch, you are helping us heal and move forward. Thank you for that.

Everyone wants to know when we’ll have pets available at PWX. The building is up to code but not currently equipped with any fire prevention system – not even a smoke detector. We have emergency lights, lighted exit signs, and fire extinguishers but that’s it. A sprinkler system is not an option in the temporary location for a variety of reasons beyond our control. But we just found out that our insurance will pay for monitored smoke detection in the temporary location. Not just landline monitoring (which we all know is worthless when the landline is destroyed), but 4G cellular, wireless monitoring! That is very expensive but it’s the latest in monitored alarm communication and goes above and beyond most professional recommendations. I hope this is not inappropriate but I must say that American Family has done an outstanding job in assisting us and guiding us since day one when our agent (Ron King since 1988) was on the scene right away.

Here is the dilemma: live animals or no live animals in the temporary location? Pet World will not reopen permanently in the former location or any other location without the latest in fire safety, including sprinklers. If we can’t do it right, we won’t do it at all and, quite frankly, a sprinkler system is a deal breaker for us. No sprinkler system? No Pet World.

But what about live animals in the temporary location for the next 3-6 months? The system we are installing at PWX goes above and beyond what is being proposed in fire safety code revisions. We’ll have 14 smoke detectors monitored by a non-stop 4G cellular alarm communicator with battery backup. Response time will be virtually minutes because the alarm will activate in mere seconds. 14 smoke detectors in this 2400 square foot space is basically the same as one detector per 9’ x 9’ room – except there are no walls so it’s even more effective. Overkill? Maybe. But without a sprinkler system we feel like it’s the next best thing. Are we being too paranoid? Yes, but we all know why. PWX is small and we can’t house very many live animals but unnecessary risk of even one animal is too much.

So please talk to us. One reason our customers feel the loss as much as we do is because you all are an integral part of PW and you know that. You speak, we listen. We ask, you answer. Pet World is yours more than ours. So here is my question to all our tangible customers, current and former, who actually shop with us in Lawrence and understand exactly what PW means to the Lawrence community: How do you feel about us having live animals in the temporary location after the new fire prevention system is installed, even though it will not have sprinklers?

Please comment via facebook, twitter, or on the original blog post at sherryemerson.com (where it is being hosted to facilate participation without the use of social media). Your feedback is very important. Thank you.

I don’t know which to tell you first – the good news or the bad news. We have some of each.

GOOD NEWS
The Lawrence community continues to inspire us. The outpouring of support from businesses and families has been truly amazing. And city officials continue to work with us, offering nothing but compassionate guidance and support. We got our occupancy permit for our temporary location and in no time at all the place was ready to go. The last two days have seen serious progress. Our utilities are on, Niehoff came out and repaired the air conditioner, a local electrician added necessary outlets and light switches, Lindy Spring Water loaned us a water machine to make aquarium water, Stoneback Appliance dropped off a free mini fridge, Rueschoff installed the alarm system and city officials just inspected the premises so we can open right away. Lawrence SignUp is making us a banner to use as a temporary sign.

Last night the phone rang for the first time and employees raced to answer it, nearly knocking it off the wall. The person calling was from out of town and didn’t even know about the fire. That was not only humbling and endearing, it reminded us that even though it feels like our world crumbled, life goes on and so shall we. The temp location is a tiny space but it will work for now. Because the temporary PW is so small (25% of the real PW) the staff nicknamed it “Pet World Express” or, better yet, “Pdub Express” and I must admit, it’s pretty catchy. The space reminds me of our early days in the 1980s. Maybe Tim will grow his hair back out into a mullet just for old time’s sake.

BAD NEWS
Our shelving order has yet to arrive…none of it. So that makes it impossible to completely set up shop. Our landlord loaned us some old shelving yesterday and we are using pickup trucks to load and unload it, piecing together as much as possible, but we won’t be able to fully stock our shelves for another week or two because, well, we don’t have enough shelves to stock. We also have yet to find a suitable counter but we’re still looking. For now a pop up table will do the trick.

GOOD NEWS
It’s been three weeks since the fire and it feels like three months. We miss each other and we miss you. At least we can open the doors now and begin to get you what you need if you don’t mind the ongoing mess. As of right now, we can make any aquarium water you want and can take your orders for whatever products you need most to make sure they get added to our new stock lists. We won’t have room for everything we normally carry but we’ll do our best. Later this week we’ll have crickets and should have frozen feeders. Next week we’ll fill your orders, add more feeders, and stock more merchandise (assuming we find more shelving). Live feeder rodents should be available in a couple weeks. (Until then you can get live feeders at Safari Pets in Topeka, Miles of Exotics in north KC, or Olathe Pets.) As soon as we can secure more shelving we will stock it for you. Stop by anytime and we’ll be happy to answer your questions and help you in any way we can. We’re now in Suite 12, across the parking lot, between Bikram Yoga and the Lawrence Laundromat. Our hours are the same as usual, 10am-8pm Monday through Saturday, 11am-6pm on Sunday.

BAD NEWS
Being closed is never good for any business and especially dangerous for pet stores whose customers can’t wait even if they wanted to. Most of our customers shop on a three week rotation so as of right now we’ve lost all of you at least once, some of you more than once. The longer we are closed the less likely we’ll be able to recover so time is of the essence. On Monday, three investigative teams worked very hard to narrow down very specific details regarding the fire. We had many officials on site all day and it was supposed to be a one day insurance investigation but by 5pm the insurance investigators suspected they wouldn’t finish on time. They stayed on the scene a few more hours, making good progress and trying to finish, but by 8pm they realized they could not all completely agree on everything and decided they need more time. Unfortunately they will not be able to resume their on-site investigation until July 7 but they did assure us they believe they’ll finish by July 8 so the backroom part of the building should be released by July 9. Demo and reconstruction can begin after that as soon as a permit is pulled. The three week delay is frustrating for everyone but we will focus our efforts on the temporary location to get that up to speed as soon as possible.

GOOD NEWS
Cleanup is almost complete. Except for the restricted backroom area, EmCon, Topeka, has cleared out nearly all of the contents from inside the building. Some of you may remember Tim’s brother, Cale, and how he took charge the day of the fire to coordinate rescue assistance outside. Cale and their brother, Tony, have a construction company with their father, Carl, and sister, Jill. On Monday they all teamed up with their brother-in-law, Mike, and brought a crew from Topeka to tackle the clean out. There are many Emersons, several in the construction business, and most of them are loud and kind of full of it on the outside. Tim, his dad, three brothers, and brother-in-law like to tease and joke around, seeming like they are rarely serious. But in times of crisis, as any of us Emerson wives will tell you, these boys really come together to make things happen. We had many bids for cleanout with varying approaches and, quite honestly, we weren’t sure what to do. But then Cale, Tony, and Mike told me they wanted to do it, to help their brother and his family, and Tim was visibly relieved at the suggestion. I closed my eyes and gave thanks they could handle it, knowing their vested interested would move things along quickly. Those boys have been driving me crazy for 30 years but when Tim is in trouble there is no one I’d rather see surrounding him. We always say Tim’s mama must have beat those kids just enough but not too much. They’re a good family.

GREAT NEWS
As you can imagine, most of the PW employees struggle to even look at the building, let alone help clear it out. Watching the cleanout has been difficult. Pet World operates on a very tight budget so we are all careful not to waste or break anything. Watching those machines push out the contents and load them into dump trucks like garbage filled us with sorrow. And trying to comprehend what this loss means to Tim is unbearable for all of us. But seeing Tim working through it all, with his family by his side, supporting him and lifting his spirits, has provided something beautiful to witness amidst a very ugly scene. For that I am truly grateful.

So what’s next? We’ll continue to work quickly toward a fully functioning store, offering all your pet needs, and hope to once again provide you with the service you’ve come to enjoy. We hope to get confirmation soon that our building can be ready by September or October. If it turns out the building will not be ready until much later, we’ll consider upgrading the fire prevention system in this or another temporary location to something more appropriate for long term and then bring in live pets. Until then, we hope to see you at Pdub Express sometime soon!

Such a very different week. The week before last was brutal. I think we all hit our lowest points, struggling to let ourselves feel any joy amidst all that sorrow, feeling like moving on would somehow lessen the importance of what was lost. But a lot happened this past week to help us see a light at the end of a very long tunnel. We’ve learned more about fire safety, alarm systems, bureaucracy, codes, permits, and insurance than we ever cared to know but if nothing else, we feel enlightened and prepared to move forward.

For example, did you know that there are varying definitions of “monitored” alarm systems? And that a system monitored only via landline is only as good as the landline itself? If the landline is destroyed it can’t call for help. Also, many landline systems are automatically checked (or pinged) for loss of service but on an hourly or even daily basis. That is worthless in the event of a fire when communication must be instantaneous. How something so obvious never occurred to us is beyond me. Our new system will be primarily monitored via a wireless system – one that monitors constantly – and the land line will be secondary. How will we pay for this new system that could now exceed six figures? I have no idea. But I do have faith. I trust we will find a way.

We’ve also learned that the pace of a sole proprietor is much faster than the pace of a multilevel agency. Typically one of us has an idea, we share it with the staff, the management team narrows down the details, Tim and I discuss it, and that’s it. We are accustomed to making major decisions in one day – sometimes one hour. No board room, no corporate investors, no underwriters, no committee. To be completely honest, I don’t know how large organizations get anything done with so many parties involved. No wonder government moves slowly. Decisions are expected to be made by folks who aren’t experts who then must seek out and consult with experts which takes a lot of time and effort. This progression is slow but we’re learning to respect the process. Ironically, a hand painted sign bearing, “Enjoy the Process” hangs on our kitchen wall so I should have been more prepared, I guess. I can’t say we are enjoying this process but it is interesting, if nothing else, and it’s fair to say we are learning to be patient.

Let's talk about the Lawrence community. Tim and I are no different than anyone else. We live in a 50 year old house not far from Pet World, we shop at Checkers, Dillon's, Westlake, the Merc, like to eat downtown, and our kids go to public schools. We go to work every day just like everyone else. Our employees are typical young adults, mostly students, broke, passionate, and just trying to find their way. We all know Pet World is a special place to the Lawrence community but until something like this happens it’s difficult to appreciate just how special. So let me put this into perspective by giving you some examples of how you have lifted us and are currently carrying us.

On the day of the fire, and for the next 48 hours, my smartphone could barely function. It's still messed up. The notifications and messages poured in so heavily and nonstop that I literally could hardly operate my phone. It overheated, drained, and shut itself down several times. I had to wait until late at night and very early morning just to use it. My text messages could barely load because they were coming in by the hundreds. My email inbox went from about 35 to over 800 in two days. Our personal Facebook friend requests exploded and Pet World’s social media followers grew exponentially. Our web site has probably had more hits in the past few weeks than in the past few years. We go nowhere, absolutely nowhere, without people sharing their Pet World stories with us. Employees are getting heartfelt hugs from customers they see on the street. I have never seen anything like this in my life. Of the thousands of people reaching out to us, only one was negative. One. (Well, two if you count the extreme activist who drove up and screamed at us that evening saying humans should never have pets, suggesting the complete separation of humans and animals.) Every communication has been incredibly supportive. You guys have been amazing. Inspiring. With this level of support, there is no way we could give up. Even if we wanted to, I know y’all wouldn’t let us.

When I walked into the city office to apply for an occupancy permit for the temporary location, I was greeted with warmth and understanding. The folks there were kind and supportive, helping me through the process. They knew the situation, were connected to PW in varying ways, had experienced their own losses with our fire, and sincerely wanted to help. The same thing happened at our bank. I went in the 9th Street location 15 minutes before closing and, quite honestly, I was a wreck. They didn’t freak out and didn’t suggest I come back later; they rallied, instead, staying late to help. The tellers walked me through a few simple steps that I could normally do in my sleep but couldn’t do correctly that day. Carol, who managed the Malls branch years ago, put her hand on my shoulder and Anne, who actually now lives in our old house, sat me down, reached out her hand to mine, reminded me to breathe, and promised we’d figure out what needed to be done, together.

Local businesses are giving support without expecting anything in return. Anonymous customers have purchased supplies for us, picked up tabs at restaurants for our staff, dropped off gift cards, food and water at our house, sent notes, photographs, cards, letters, and done more than I can say. You guys were relentless with your requests to donate and raise funds. Even the utility companies have extended their condolences and worked quickly to restore services in our temporary location to expedite opening. It’s like everyone is experiencing the loss and needs Pet World to reopen quickly, for them as much as for us. Seriously, if we didn’t appreciate what Pet World meant to the Lawrence community before, we certainly do now. We understand that Pet World is your place, and we are merely stewards. Every time you walked through the door, investing money and time, you created Pet World with your presence. You are Pet World. We truly get that and feel humbled by your support.

Letting go has been difficult but we’re finally ready. Fair warning, I’m about to get emotional. You might want to skip the next five or six paragraphs.

As you might guess, Tim and I each have an insatiable need to protect and conserve. He champions for animals and nature; I champion for people and community. Our employees reflect our values. Since the fire, Tim has gone back in repeatedly searching for survivors. He just couldn’t stop himself. I, on the other hand, tried not to go back in. Each time something came up I avoided going in. But every day I have ached, feeling like I needed to save something. Not the animals, actually, but the entity. I have felt your loss perhaps greater than my own, or, maybe as my own. It’s possible your loss is my loss.

So yesterday Tim and I made one last pass through Pet World. We weighed the benefits verses risks of salvaging scrap metal and finalized a few decisions. Then Tim went outside. He said he was finally done and he meant it, no going back. I stayed and walked every aisle alone, shined my flashlight at all the merchandise, empty pens, dead plants, molding dog treats, and remembered setting up all those displays, crying over all the work from my staff to always make everything perfect. Pet World employees work really, really hard.

I marveled at the amount of products still hanging perfectly on the pegs like nothing ever happened and I mourned the waste of all these contaminated items that instead of helping someone’s pet will now merely end up in a landfill. I looked behind products to see secret notes we had written on the walls taking one last glimpse before all that sheetrock gets torn out. I stopped and wept at Tim’s pet shop museum with the metal frame, slate bottom tanks and classic old cages and books, now completely destroyed and irreplaceable. I nearly vomited when I looked carefully, for the first and last time, at the charred remains of what was once our back room, skeletons of electrical panels appearing to hang on by threads, still quarantined by caution tape next to the glaring absence of Tim’s breeder reptiles. Then I turned around the see the back entrance to what used to be our beautifully remodeled fishroom, Ian’s pride and joy, now completely melted by the heat of that inferno.

Next I ventured into the Education Room. That was the worst. Photos, drawings, name tags, camp shirts and backpacks we had just brought in from storage the day before the fire, scattered all over the floor, a giant, wet, soot covered mess. I sat down and stared at the mural, remembering all the time my gals put into it, the late nights after hours creating it, Erin explaining to me how she might never sign it because it might never actually be finished. As I sat there, I could feel every hug from a camp kid, see every smile from a party kid, and hear every giggle that ever happened in that room. I saw my employees enjoying weekly meals together, training on Sunday nights, and taking their breaks in there, thought about Tim sneaking naps in there, and remembered the moment I stood beside Megan when Tim gave us that space, believing that with that room, we could make a real difference in the lives of children. I read #petworldstrong written in the soot on the whiteboard and looked up on the wall to read “INSPIRE” spelled out in ten inch letters Ande painted by hand. It was all completely ruined. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I’ve ever cried quite as hard as I did in that room yesterday.

I thought I'd walk out of there with baskets full of…something rescued. I don't know what. I assumed I would rescue it, whatever it is. But I left with only a single conch shell and an armload of grief. I sat beside Tim on the curb and wept one last time, sobbing how it was all gone. Like a rotting corpse, there was nothing left to save in there. No life whatsoever. Then he said, "It's just stuff, Sherry. It's just a building. It's where Pet World existed but it is not Pet World. Let it go."

"The builder of the house has greater honor than the house itself."
Hebrews 3:3

So I finished crying, took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and let it all go.

I reminded myself that Pet World was never about the building or the stuff; it was about the life inside and around it. It was about touching snakes for the first time and hamster bites, feeding catfish and tortoises, hearing Fletcher’s two syllable squawk that translated as hello, mama, papa, hola, Pet World, haha, and whatever else we heard it to be depending on the day. It was about employees working for passion instead of money, friends lending me their kids to try out new programs, Goliath visiting classrooms, setting up new aquariums, testing water, children holding animals, sharing knowledge, and learning. Pet World was humans and animals, connecting and bonding, fostering affinity and respect for every living thing. All those smiles weren't about the walls and shelves and stuff; the joy came from the people and pets. I knew that. But in my grief I had forgotten it. We lost some precious animals and all the stuff but the people and memories remain. Nothing can change that. And it was then I realized that the only way we can “save” what we are trying to "rescue" is to bring the Pet World experience back to the Lawrence community. Restoring Pet World will help us heal. I finally understood it is time to move on.

Last night I slept soundly for the first time since the fire.

So what's next? One final signature and the occupancy permit for the temporary location is ours, hopefully Monday. Shelving has been ordered and is on the way, along with crickets, frozen feeders, pet food and bedding. The R.O. machine is on the premises and will be hooked up Monday. The phone should be back on Tuesday. Special orders will be available starting Wednesday. Our register system should be ready but if it isn’t, we’ll use a good old fashioned cash register and set up shop with cardboard boxes if we have to. Unless the city tells us otherwise, if nothing else, we will at least be completely accessible to you by 10am this Wednesday, June 17, in the space across the parking lot between Lawrence Laundromat and Bikram Yoga. It won’t be the Pet World you once knew, but it’s a start and will get us by until we can rebuild.

The temporary location is very small and merchandise will arrive in phases. At first, there won’t be much of anything inside except crickets, aquarium water, a phone, and an area to place your orders. But each week more and more items will arrive and we’ll stock our shelves with as much product as possible to supply what you need most. Live feeders will also start to phase in little by little, a week at a time, starting with crickets, then fish, then rodents. Most orders will be filled within a week and then become part of the regular inventory as space allows. After a week or two, we’ll bring back a smaller scale Kitten Pit and resume onsite kitten adoptions.

As far as the old Pet World building, cleanout is scheduled for next week then rebuilding will be underway as soon as a permit can be pulled. Initial projections for reopening were six to eight months but current estimates are now less than five months. Of course, we’d like to reopen our doors tomorrow but the project goal is to reopen the original Pet World by the end of the year. We’ll see what happens but if I know this community, I wouldn’t be surprised if Pet World completely reopened in November, or maybe even sooner. Lawrence is such a special place; anything can happen.

Man, I love this town.

What a week. I think it’s fair to say we all fell to our lowest points last week. The grieving process is not easy as so many of you know too well.

Currently, we are not allowed to do anything with the Pet World building since it does not belong to us and insurance companies apparently have many things to sort out. Seeing it just sit there, empty, with nothing happening, no life at all, is eating away at all of us – so much so that many of us can scarcely stand to drive by. I can’t fathom what takes so long to work through but I assure you, once we are given the green light, we’ll get that place back up and running as soon as humanly possible. There is a slight chance that the building will not be repaired in a reasonable enough time, which, to us, is 90 days but certainly no more than 180 days. In that case, it is possible Pet World will permanently relocate into a space that is ready now. We should have final word on that situation within a week.

The loss of the boarding pets continues to be the most difficult to deal with. It took days to retrieve records only to discover water damage to contact info, communication has been slow and painful since social media does not seem like the appropriate format and we couldn’t reach everyone in a timely fashion, and our management team – the sole caregivers of boarding pets - have struggled with what they want to say as much as I have. Five boarding families experienced pet loss from the fire. That’s only five letters to write, we realize, but it feels like five hundred. What do we say? I’m sorry for your loss, here is a refund for your boarding fees? Let us know what we can do? How in the world can we find adequate words? Nothing we can say or do will make these pet losses better and, quite frankly, we simply didn’t know what to do, and still don’t. The worst situation was a family who was still on vacation. We didn’t even know if they had heard about the fire and couldn’t imagine what they’d be coming home to. We felt like it would have been insensitive to post anything public until we had communicated with everyone privately through whatever channel we could use. Letters have been written and rewritten and I’ve watched our managers struggle with these particular losses more than anything else. I can’t imagine how awful this must be for our boarding families and I’m not sure we’ll ever have closure on this. Even though families have been unbelievably kind and understanding, most offering us condolences as if our loss was greater – which it was not – the boarding loss is the main reason we considered not reopening Pet World at all and the primary driving force behind our requests for increased fire safety for all animal facilities who house unattended pets at any time.

So the question is whether or not we will board animals again. On the one hand, we know that you need us. Dogs and cats can board almost anywhere but the less than typical pets have few options. You are telling us that after we rebuild we will be the safest place in town to board exotics since most places do not have sprinkler systems and we will. I even received one email from a mom explaining that since her house does not have a high tech fire safety system she feels like her pets would be safer with us than in her own home while she is away. We know better than anyone how to care for exotics and have a specialized team in place to handle it. For all these reasons the answer should be yes. But to be completely honest it is just too soon to decide. I’m sorry. We will work hard toward a yes decision but for now I can’t say for sure. In the meantime, all I can recommend is to find a friend you trust or check with a professional and ask the necessary questions that will give you the assurance you need.

Birthday parties and summer camps have been the next most difficult step. Laugh Out Loud Family Zone immediately stepped up and offered use of their facility to relocate pending birthday parties. That was a huge relief. Since then we’ve sent cancellation letter after cancellation letter, hoping the refund checks don’t somehow cheapen our apologies. We all know this has nothing to do with money but insurance covers those refunds and the truth is, families need those funds to make other arrangements. While we appreciate parents’ offers to not cash refund checks, I promise we would all feel much better if they did.

Because four of our five camps take place primarily on site, we had to cancel everything but Wilderness Camp. Kids wear their Pet World shirts and spend an hour before we open taking care of the animals much like employees. Free time is spent with pets of choice. Even though we take field trips, the Critter Camp & Animal Camp experience just can’t be duplicated without Pet World. One very good thing, though, is that each Friday these camps take field trips to the tortoise farm. This past Friday, we extended an open invitation to last week’s Critter Camp families to join us for the field trip their kids would have taken. For two beautiful hours we got to share the tortoise farm, feed the tortoises, and even watch some kids complete their first crossing of the locally famous tree bridge. We are looking forward to the next two Fridays more than we can say.

More good news - we’ve confirmed our temporary location. The former Hume Music space did not work out, however, this morning we got the keys to what used to be CPS, Copy-Print-Ship, between Bikram Yoga and the laundromat. It is only 25% of the space we need so we can’t relocate there long-term but for a temporary location it will work just fine. In this space we will offer exotic nail trims, wing trims, feeder fish, feeder crickets, water tests, aquarium water, basic food and supplies, and weekly special orders for anything you need. You will also be able to consult with Pet World management staff seven days a week. Our hours will be the same, Mon-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 11am-6pm. StoryTime Live and Feature Creature will resume on Saturdays and Sundays.

Except for a very limited selection of fish, we will not have daily pets for sale in this temporary location. The fire prevention system in place is the same old out of date system most places have and, as you can imagine, we can never again even think about operating a real pet store with live pets unless we have the latest in fire safety – especially sprinklers. That said, there will be some animals available on a regular basis to play with and adopt and we can special order some specific pets as they become available. Most orders should be filled within a week. Also, employees will bring pets to work for you to enjoy when you visit then they’ll take them home each night. It will not be the Pet World you are accustomed to, but we’ll do our best to take good care of you and make your shopping experience special.

The best news of the day is the return of the Kitten Pit. There is a large, open space in the front of this temporary location near the windows and the front door. We are working with the shelter right now to set up the kitten adoption schedule. Hours may be slightly limited because the kittens will only stay at Pet World while we are open but you’ll have plenty of access to them. We apologize if our current "no unattended animals while we're closed" policy seems too over the top protective but we ask you to please bear with us and understand our personal need to work our way back one step at a time.

The city commission assured us they will do anything they can to expedite our reopening process and I am heading there today to request our occupancy permit for the temporary location. They have been kind and concerned, keeping up on our progress, offering a much needed feeling of support on a local government level. If all goes well, we could open the temporary location as soon as June 17. Fingers crossed.

We'll keep you all updated and thank you for your patience and continued support.