The owners are Andrew Babbitt and Alison Pelletier, whose love of animals inspired them to open a pet store specializing in reptiles and all they entail. Although chain stores like PetSmart and Petco have reptile sections, the closest dedicated reptile store is in Orland Park, so Andrew and Alison hope to become the North Side's go-to destination for all things reptilian.
Curious Creatures LLC is located at 4131-4133 North Broadway, in the Times Square Building (Broadway at Gordon Terrace). They're still working on their website, but their Facebook page is up and running at https://www.facebook.com/CuriousCreaturesLLC. The store's phone number is (773) 698-8333.
The Grand Opening hours are 10am-7pm. For now, Curious Creatures will be open seven days a week while Alison and Andrew get to know Buena Park (and vice versa):
- Monday thru Friday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday & Sunday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- The first 24 people to buy crickets will get a free cricket cage. (You can hear the crickets chirping inside the store, which provides a lovely backdrop to all the critters on view.)
- Everyone who makes a purchase today will receive a raffle ticket, and at the end of the day, a gorgeous terrarium will be given away to the winner (who need not be present).
- Dogs are welcome, as long as they're leashed. Andrew and Alison have three dogs of their own who will hang out in the store.
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| The Grand Opening raffle prize |
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| The turtle condo, as soon as you walk in the front door |
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| The snakes, which were shy when we were there |
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| The store carries a full line of Repashy foods, from "Veggie Burger" to gecko chow. There's also a small selection of cat and dog food. |
The lizards were much more accommodating, and while we can't remember the names of all of the varieties in the photos, they were charming and even tolerated being petted. We learned that they are mostly herbivores, but a few eat frozen thawed rats and quail eggs. We highly recommend trying to get a glimpse of the blue-tongued skink, who does indeed look like he's been dipping his tongue in ink.
We wish Curious Creatures a very grand Grand Opening and much success. Stop on by!
Good luck! I remember as a kid having to ride out for an hour to find a place to get just anoles. A place so close is really cool.
ReplyDeleteI visited on Monday- what a great shop! Andrew and Alison were super welcoming and helpful. They also have the best variety of feeder insects in the city, and at very competitive prices! I look forward to visiting often!
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