OWNERS of Petstown, Barry and Frances Franks, have praised the support of the Melksham community as they prepare to close the shop and begin retirement at the end of the month.
For 39 years, the pet shop on Bath Road has been a stalwart of the town centre and the place to go for expert advice and support about taking care of our furry (and scaley) friends.
But now, Barry and Frances have decided that the time is right for them to retire, spend more time with their four grandchildren, and go travelling.
Speaking to Melksham News, Barry and Frances said, “It’s sad – we’ve had such a lovely time, and some wonderful customers – it was a very hard decision to make, a decision that we have talked about for three years now.
“We want to thank all our customers for their support and their loyalty – some have been coming to us since we opened.
“Melksham has been good to us, they have supported us through the recession in the 80s, the banking crisis, and now the pandemic. They have been very loyal, and we are very grateful.
“We have throughly enjoyed our time here. There is always laughter here in the shop. And we have seen a lot of our customers grow up and have children themselves. If Barry is telling a joke to a child, the parent will turn around and say, “You used to tell me that joke when I was a child!”
“But the time is right for us to retire. We will miss our customers, and working with Carole, who has been with us for 30 years, and her daughter Temina.”
About their plans for retirement, Barry and Frances said, “We want to spend more time being grandparents. And when it becomes possible, we will go travelling. We are Disney freaks and we will be going to Disney World in Florida next year with the family.”
Staff member Carole Knight, who has worked at Petstown for 30 years said, “I feel really sad – and so do the customers, we’ve had some in tears over the news. But Barry and Frances deserve to retire – they have worked so hard.”
Petstown will close on Saturday 29th August.
