
John Chan, the owner of Pet Central in Chinatown, lately decided to retire soon after 40 years of functioning at his loved ones-owned enterprise. In order to come across a new owner for the retailer, Chan posted an ad on the Nextdoor app, stating that he was searching for an individual who loves animals and was prepared to take care of the retailer. While the retailer itself was not cost-free, with Chan hoping to recoup his investment in inventory, valued at about $120,000, he set the asking value at $. Just after his story aired on the news, Chan received an overwhelming response with hundreds of applications pouring in from all more than the globe.
The reputation of Chan’s story grew swiftly, with Nextdoor calling him and urging him to post an update as his story became the leading post on their platform for a week. Locally, men and women have been interested, but quickly the story spread to other states like Texas and Missouri. Just after one more week, men and women from other nations like Singapore and Canada have been emailing Chan, expressing their interest in taking more than Pet Central. In spite of the quantity of applications he received, Chan took his time to cautiously pick the suitable candidate. At some point, he identified Christopher Blake, a former teamster with a passion for animals and a private connection to Pet Central. Blake and his partners, who also grew up in Chinatown, have been the excellent match to carry on Chan’s legacy.
For Blake, maintaining the retailer was a way to honor his father, who had passed away in the course of the pandemic. He felt like he had won the golden ticket, referring to himself as Willy Wonka. As for Chan, he is currently preparing his 1st holiday in 15 years and is grateful for the interest his story received.