![]() Ratner also said they will essentially operate the same as Dave’s Soda and Pet City has for years. The stores, he said, have already changed names to Smithland Supplies and will remain pet supply stores. “Many times a company sells and new owners say nothing’s going to change and two seconds later everything changes.” “I just wanted everyone to see that things are really the same,” he said. Ratner told Reminder Publishing he didn’t tell anyone about the change in ownership because he “didn’t want to scare the customers. Ratner also joked, “I needed a place to go every day so my wife doesn’t kill me.” He said it was all just “getting to be too much,” but still “wanted to stay active in the business.” So he kept the Agawam business, which is close to his house and where he owns the building. “A couple of the leases were up, and it’s time to start winding down.” “When I hit 65, several years ago, my kids moved away, they didn’t want the business,” he said. Ratner said he sold the businesses for several reasons. About six months ago, Ratner sold all locations except the Agawam one, which he described as his “forever home” in a video on Facebook. Ratner also has a love for small business advocacy, and he has testified before Congress numerous times.Īs for how long he intends to stay on in Agawam, Ratner, 67, joked in the video that, “I’m going to be in Agawam for probably another 44 years.AGAWAM – The owner of Dave’s Soda and Pet City, a local pet supply chain, has sold five of his stores keeping only the Agawam location.ĭave Ratner previously owned the five stores, which were located in Ludlow, Hadley, Northampton, Ware, Agawam, and Stafford, CT. “You’re giving someone a chance,” he said. On Thursday, Ratner spoke about getting to give hundreds, if not thousands, of first jobs to kids. Ratner also choked up briefly in the video when saying it was an honor for people to trust him with “the health of your real significant other.” “What could be cooler than that?” he said. In terms of what he’s been proud of from his retail career, in the video Ratner noted he’s lost track of the number of times he has visited schools for career days to talk about starting a business, and getting to be a guiding light for kids He also said that Smithland Supply wants to open about 30 stores in New England. “They (Smithland Supply) want to grow, and they’re starved for talent.” “This is a phenomenal opportunity for all my employees to show them what they have,” said Ratner, in the video. And he said it will give his employees a chance for professional growth. Ratner said that Smithland Supply is interested in learning the pet business. He also said that when he meets his maker, he wants to hear that he treated his employees well. Ratner said that employees are “how you compete with the big guys.” “They took every single person, to a man,” he said. Ratner said the company agreed to retain the approximately 130 employees at the five locations. Smithland Supply is an Agway dealer like Dave’s Soda and Pet City. Ratner’s pet food is distributed nationally.Īdditionally, Ratner, a married man, said in the video that, “I needed a place to go every day so I didn’t get murdered.” On why he kept the Agawam store, Ratner listed both staying on the board of the National Retail Federation and understanding what retailers are going through for his pet food business. “After 44 years, it was time for me to downsize,” he says in the video. In a video posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Ratner explained his decision. Ratner, however, will be keeping his Agawam store, which is seven minutes from his house and where the offices of Dave’s Soda and Pet City are. “Really, nothing has changed,” said Ratner. The Northampton, Hadley, Ware, Ludlow and Stafford Springs, Connecticut, stores were all taken over in March. “We wanted not to scare our customers,” Ratner said, explaining why the change wasn’t announced sooner. ![]() But it was only on Wednesday that he announced the transfer to the public. More than six months ago Ratner sold five of his six stores to My Agway, now Smithland Supply. ![]() NORTHAMPTON - Dave Ratner, owner of Dave’s Soda and Pet City, has been running a significantly downsized business for months, but you’d have never known it.
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