Metro Pet Supply Serves Health Food Niche

Township resident Frank Cooney has owned on Main Road for 11 years this month and he attributes part of his success to a marketing class with teacher Anne Sia he took while he was a student at Montville Township High School.

The class gave students experience working for local businesses, which Cooney said helped prepare him for achieving his childhood dream of owning his own business.

His other dream, being a police officer, was realized, too. Cooney is a Montville police patrolman.

He enjoys working with animals, and policing also gives him the chance to do that. Cooney started Montville's K-9 program and he and his drug-sniffing dog, Thor, often patrol the township together.

Cooney also is a member of the township Board of Education. He served for 10 years, took two years off, and currently is in the first year of another three-year term.

"It's a town I love to be a part of," Cooney said.

Cooney said business has essentially been steady with some slight increases. The sale of nutritious dog and cat foods, such as Innova, Merrick, Wellness and Origin brands, is the main base of the business.

He also sells pet toys and has costumes available for Halloween. Deer food is another popular item. He said residents enjoy feeding the deer—partly to take care of them, and also to give the deer less of an incentive to eat residents' landscaping.

One fixture in the store is Mary Margaret, a stray cat that was taken to the and then adopted by the store. She gets her name from being seen near Mary Avenue and Margaret Road.

Metro Pet Supply has six employees, including store manager Olivia Oravits. The venture as a pet supply delivery service out of his garage in 1997.

Cooney purchased the building at 19 Main Road in 2002. Before it was a pet supply shop, it was a grocery store, glass store and then Katie Kellogg, a small gift boutique.

Metro Pet Supply is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 973-335-2616