John Chan, the owner of Pet Central in Chinatown, not too long ago decided to retire right after 40 years of functioning at his loved ones-owned organization. In order to discover a new owner for the shop, Chan posted an ad on the Nextdoor app, stating that he was seeking for somebody who loves animals and was prepared to take care of the shop. While the shop itself was not free of charge, with Chan hoping to recoup his investment in inventory, valued at about $120,000, he set the asking cost at $. Following his story aired on the news, Chan received an overwhelming response with hundreds of applications pouring in from all more than the globe.

The reputation of Chan’s story grew quickly, with Nextdoor calling him and urging him to post an update as his story became the top rated post on their platform for a week. Locally, persons had been interested, but quickly the story spread to other states like Texas and Missouri. Following a different week, persons from other nations like Singapore and Canada had been emailing Chan, expressing their interest in taking more than Pet Central. Regardless of the quantity of applications he received, Chan took his time to cautiously pick the correct candidate. Sooner or later, he discovered Christopher Blake, a former teamster with a passion for animals and a private connection to Pet Central. Blake and his partners, who also grew up in Chinatown, had been the excellent match to carry on Chan’s legacy.

For Blake, maintaining the shop was a way to honor his father, who had passed away for the duration of the pandemic. He felt like he had won the golden ticket, referring to himself as Willy Wonka. As for Chan, he is currently organizing his initially holiday in 15 years and is grateful for the interest his story received.