Michelson Found Animals (www.FoundAnimals.org), an independently funded nonprofit working to find the big ideas that reduce euthanasia in shelters, on Tuesday, May 13 celebrated the grand opening of its flagship Adopt & Shop store, located in Culver City with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Culver City Mayor Sahli-Wells, Steve Rose from Chamber of Commerce, Councilman Andrew Weissman, Councilman Jim Clarke, and Councilman Jeff Cooper were in attendance.
City officials and VIP guests watched as Aimee Gilbreath, Found Animals Executive Director, ceremoniously cut the ribbon. Next, guests and media took tour of the new space, met with adoptable puppies and kittens, and enjoyed cake with light refreshments.
The opening of Adopt & Shop Culver City is the culmination of 14 months of work by Found Animals, who purchased, designed, and rebuilt a former auto body and garage into 9,300 square feet of high-end kennels, customer-centric retail space, grooming bays, and a 1,260 square foot daycare area. When combined with the capacity to hold up to 32 adoptable cats and 25 adoptable dogs at any time, Adopt & Shop is unlike any retail facility in California.
“The grand opening of our flagship Adopt & Shop store is a tremendous achievement for Found Animals and an important step towards eliminating shelter euthanasia here in Los Angeles,” Gilbreath said. “Adopt & Shop is the largest humane retail adoption center of its kind in California. With almost 10,000 square feet of space, Adopt & Shop will find homes for 2,000 dogs and cats per year, while providing total care for families and pets.”
Serving as a one-stop adoption and shopping experience, Adopt & Shop provides in-depth adoption consultations and a full suite of services including daycare at Adopt & Shop Playtime, grooming at Adopt & Shop Untangled and dog training classes through Adopt & Shop Academy. The retail floor is stocked with a complete line of quality and unique products to support happy and healthy pets.
Launched with the belief that all pets deserve a home, Adopt & Shop’s adoptable dogs and cats come from local shelters; therefore, each adoption saves the life of an at-risk pet. As a nonprofit organization, proceeds from Adopt & Shop retail sales are donated to community programs like their Kitten Foster Project – fulfilling a cycle of philanthropy and saving more lives.
“Adopt & Shop’s Kitten Foster Project rescues hundreds of kittens each year from shelters, and then places them in foster homes until they are ready for adoption,” continued Gilbreath. “Every kitten fostered is a life saved. Thanks to the subsidies from Adopt & Shop, we expect to save the lives of 1,000 kittens this year.”
The Culver City location for Adopt & Shop is the second store opened under the Adopt & Shop brand, joining the original location in Lakewood Center Mall in Lakewood, Calif. Both stores are complemented by their ecommerce website www.adoptandshop.org, which launched in late March.
Adopt & Shop is located at 4235 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, CA, 90230. For more information on Adopt & Shop, persons interested can visit www.adoptandshop.org.
About Found Animals’ Adopt & Shop Found Animals’ Adopt & Shop was launched in support of a single belief: all pets deserve a home. We are a community of humane adoption and retail centers, staffed by passionate volunteers and store associates who help make sure every pet has a safe haven. Since our adoptable dogs and cats come from local shelters, every adoption saves the life of an at-risk animal. Proceeds from Adopt & Shop retail sales – both online and off – are donated to programs that support the happiness and safety of the animals in our homes, shelters and everywhere in between. Support for Found Animals, and initiatives like Adopt & Shop, come from the generous contributions of Dr. Gary Michelson and Alya Michelson. Shop online, find a location near you at www.adoptandshop.org, or join our community on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
