Petco rival closing its doors for good after 86 years as owner admits industry ‘can’t survive’ & launches 30% off sales

A BELOVED pet supplies store is shutting its doors after almost a century. 

The pet store Petland, in Honolulu, Hawaii, announced to customers its closing after 86 years.

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Jiro Matshui, founder of Petland, first entered the pet industry by selling goldfish from a wheelbarrow in Chinatown, Fox affiliate KHON reported.

Matshui had just returned home from serving in World War Two when he first began selling pets.

“He took the goldfish he was breeding, put them into plastic bags, put the bags into wheelbarrows and would just wheel up and down in Chinatown selling these goldfish, so what an entrepreneurial story to be able to go from that to building a family pet store business,” Richard Matsui, grandson of Jiro Matsui told ABC affiliate KITV.

The entrepreneur opened the brick-and-mortar Petland location in 1946 on Union Street in Honolulu, initially calling the store Birdland.

The store eventually expanded to the now-famous Ala Moana Center.

Matshui’s pet store was the first store to open in the shopping center, which now has over 350 stores. 

The businessman originally opened Petland to support his family and help his kids through school, but the store eventually expanded to several other locations.

Since Matshui first opened the store, his son Kenneth has since taken over the business.

“My grandfather had such a special talent with pets,” Richard told KHON. 

“His unique personality and traits of just having a green thumb and then being good to the animals really coincided well with like his economic needs of, of course, building a business that would care for his family.”

Now, almost nine decades after the store first opened, the store will be closing sometime in September.

“My father had a bit of a health scare,” said Richard. 

“From that standpoint, nothing clarifies more or less priorities than having one of these health scares.”

“We have some real doubts about our ability to survive in the era of Amazon and same day delivery,” Richard continued. 

“I think it’s going to be a challenge that both local businesses will need to grapple with.”

Regulars of the store are already mourning the closure.

“I’ve bought several pets here. I bought all my fish here,” said Ariana Kakugawa, a regular at the shop. 

“It’s very upsetting. 

“You’ve been here all your life and it’s kind of sad to see your local store going away.”

The store is hosting a 30% off sale on most of its products to mark the closing.