Arthur DeVitalis, Nederland. Nederland Feed and Pet has been a staple of the Peak to Peak area since its opening more than three decades ago. In its current iteration, the store is owned by Adam and Abby Pause, a local couple with a couple decades of knowledge in pet care and products. Both formerly worked at the Holy Natural Pet in Boulder and saw a ton of people coming from Nederland. Prior to that, Abby was a professional groomer at PetCo.
“Basically, it’s your one-stop, all-purpose shop for animal feed,” Adam said. “Livestock to pets, to wild birds, your dog, pet, goat or chicken. You name it.”
This includes toys, supplies, and a lot of products for reptiles. Nederland Feed and Pet has been open since the mid-80s, with three different owners over that span of time. Al Batemen started the store as an outlet for his hay operation. Abby and Adam purchased the business from the previous couple, Donna and Rich Kirkpatrick, who ran the store for about 18 years. He was even a customer at the shop prior to buying it.
Abby runs the full-service grooming shop, having been a professional groomer for more than 20 years.
Full-service haircuts, baths and blowouts are provided, in addition to products that support a healthy, long life. The grooming salon is open five days a week by appointment only currently.
“We see about every breed up here,” Abby said. “Our specialties definitely include the double-coated breeds, your malamutes, huskies and “wolfy” mixes. We help maintain your dog’s coat and diet, all in one stop.”
“When the business became available, we had both been working in the pet food industry for a while,” Adam said, speaking of the need for a diverse pet feed store in the Nederland area. “We order in 2,000 live crickets every week now, because so many people have geckos, bearded dragons, and frogs.”
Abby had a menagerie of animals growing up, and Adam’s roots growing up on a farm made the choice to purchase the business a no-brainer. They bulked up the store and used their experience in the industry to grow. They own a farm themselves, with a motley collection of animals that call the place their home as well.
“Over the past 10 years, we’ve collected eight goats, three sheep, a llama, a rabbit, some rats, 15 chickens, three bearded dragons, some geckos, some frogs, and of course, our five dogs and our store kitty,” Abby laughed. “We have quite the collection of rescue critters, and obviously the space and means to keep them pretty pampered.”
With hands-on experience and knowledge of what they sell, the couple has seen an increase in pet interest since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. People seem interested in companionship or working with animals like chickens to provide their own eggs. He was a little surprised at the number of tropical reptiles in the Nederland area, but is no longer fazed when someone inquires about their Red Boa Constrictor or warm-weather amphibian.
“Adam and I both have a lot of experience in nutrition as well. So, we’re happy to answer any questions people have about what to feed, how to feed,” said Abby. “We’re very familiar with a lot of the companies, how long they’ve been around [and] what they put into their products.”
For more on Nederland Feed and Pet, visit www.nederlandfeed.com. For Log Cabin Grooming, stop by www.nederlandfeed.com/log-cabin-grooming/.
(Originally published in the February 4, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)
