Connect
To Top

Meet Michelle Wang of It’s A Pet’s World in Weymouth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Wang.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Ever since I was born, I grew up surrounded by an array of animals. My parent’s hobby was showing dogs, keeping exotic birds and specialty Goldfish. I used to love helping hand-feed baby Indian Hill Myna birds. We also kept Asian singing birds, they were kept in beautifully handcrafted bird cages. Showing dogs was a very big part of my childhood, I started to show dogs when I was 5. I would also help groom and prep our Silky Terriers before the shows. We also showed Labrador Retrievers. I had an obsession with dogs growing up and can name every single breed of dogs.

Learning to groom dogs to breed standard at a young age gave me the backbone to my grooming career but not until later did I find out that grooming was my calling. Growing up in Malaysia we always did a lot of outdoor activities, we would catch bettas and guppies in the river. My favorite thing to do (besides being with my dogs), was catching Malaysian Jumping Spiders. My brother Louis, cousins Erik, James, Mae and I would scatter around the neighborhood looking between leaves that were stuck together to find these fascinating creatures. This is where my love for reptiles and insects came into play.

After moving to states, I started working at a pet shop in Quincy MA during my Junior year of high school. This is where I met our manager Kyle Waldron, he was 9 then volunteering there. After 13 years working my way up to being the manager and groomer for the store, while attending UMass Amherst for animal science pre-vet, I left to have my daughter, Sara Pearl. After leaving the pet shop my grooming clients kept asking for my services so I started to groom out of my house.

A few years I still had this void that I was missing something and that was working with other animals too. I have always loved being able to share my knowledge of animals with other people and showing them the proper care. This is when I decided to write a business proposal and present it to a few of my cousins. They knew that this was my passion and I would never be happy doing anything else so they decided to invest in me and open Its A Pets World.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
From the beginning, we have faced many challenges from finding the right location, designing the store, to obtaining licenses to open and operate the store. We found a great location on Rt. 3A in Weymouth Ma. We began construction on the store in December of 2012, where we started from scratch. We began by designing the layout of the store to our visions and goals. We have state -of-the-art custom made reptile terrariums and fish tanks with shelving made of vertical grain fir. We built different aviaries just for the exotic birds also. This allowed us to provide each individual pet with the correct environment for their comfort and needs.

Managing a small business is an obstacle itself especially if you own a mom and pop style pet shop like ours in the pet industry. With the big corporation stores opening all around us, we have to think outside the box to compete. We differentiate ourselves from other stores by ensuring we carry high-quality pets, products, and take pride in providing exceptional one on one service to all our clients.

For a new store, getting our name out there is one of the toughest struggles. But with our friendly and knowledgeable team, this has brought a lot of repeat clients, and they are the heart and soul of spreading our name. Without the loyalty of them, we would not be where we are today.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the It’s A Pet’s World story. Tell us more about the business.
The name It’s A Pet’s World says it all. We provide full spa treatment to all animals great and small. Besides dog and cat grooming, we also do all birds trimming, nails for small animals and reptiles. With dozens of competitors surrounding us, we specialize in carrying exotic birds, reptiles, small animals, salt & freshwater fish. Along with the products and feed they require, as well as dog and cat products. We want to have happy and healthy pets, so we work diligently direct with breeders to ensure they are high quality and well-bred pets. We strive to promote animal wellness through holistic approach, carrying exceptional products and giving excellent advice.

We are known for our knowledgeable and honest service we provide to all our clients. We encourage new owners to ask lots of questions and frequent visits before committing to their new pet. We also provide adoptions for “surrendered” pets and will take back any pets. Therefore educating and not giving sugar-coated advice is key to prevent it from happening. We want good permanent homes for all the pets we carry.

Besides the love and appreciation for all animals, we also have a lot of love and appreciation for art. Our talented friend Brandalism aka Brand Rockwell had a great vision of a Turtle eye on the side of the building where one of our vents is located. He freehand spray painted the turtle on the outside wall we call Jazzy, from there he just kept going covering the building inside and out with beautiful murals of animals. He made it fun inside by skillfully cooperating hidden animals all around the pet room. His bright color artwork on the store had become a landmark in our city.

Our goal is to provide quality honest service to everyone and their pets in our community. We strongly believe pets can have positive impact on our life’s. This is why we go to shows and events around the community to show people how great it can be to have a pet in your life.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck has played a big part in helping to get this store up and running. We have been lucky enough to have a great support system from our families, friends, and clients. Also, we are very fortunate to have a great manager, Kyle Waldron. With help from our fantastic team, we are able to keep the store and animals in tip-top shape. Lastly, the greatest luck we have endured is having such great customers. If it wasn’t for their support and loyalty, we would be nowhere close to where we are today!

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

3 Comments

  1. Allie

    December 18, 2017 at 3:25 pm

    The staff here is wonderful. Michelle is incredible and the only person in 14 years that my family dog was comfortable with. She has a special way about her and a true love for her craft, and for animals. HIGHLY recommend It’s a Pets World!

  2. walter kolenda

    December 19, 2017 at 5:52 pm

    My first exposure to this store involved meeting a baby goat whose fate was being decided.
    Michelle allowed her store to be used as a holding pen until permanent residence was found for the ADORABLE goat. The result was a delightful event for everyone who walked in the store during this time!

  3. Debbie Smith

    April 29, 2018 at 2:55 pm

    I have taken my pets to Michelle for grooming since her days in Quincy because she is the best! Now her own store is an experience in itself. I just love to go there to see the store mascot Ruby, and the entire staff at It’s a Pets World who are fantastic. Michelle, Kyle, Denise and the rest all are very knowledgable and if they do not know the answer to your question, they will get it for you. I show my dogs and would not trust anyone else in the area to groom them, It’s a Pets World is one stop shopping for all my pets needs. Food, toys, grooming, and accessories and information.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in