Living Things

A Southwestern Ontario Pet Store Tradition Since 1973

Living Things, also known online as LivingThings.com, has been part of the Southwestern Ontario pet community since 1973. What began as a pet store on Malden Road in Windsor, Ontario, grew into a well-known independent pet-store business with locations in communities throughout Southwestern Ontario. For generations of customers, the name Living Things became associated with quality pets, knowledgeable service, competitive prices and a genuine interest in animals.

Long before large national pet-store chains and online shopping became common, Living Things provided local pet owners with a place where they could see, learn about and purchase the animals, food, supplies and equipment needed to care for their pets. The business grew over the years and operated several stores across Southwestern Ontario, bringing the Living Things name to thousands of families.

The philosophy behind Living Things was simple: a pet is more than a purchase — it is a responsibility and a companion.

That meant offering customers more than products on a shelf. Living Things developed a reputation for carrying a wide variety of pets and pet supplies while helping customers understand the needs of the animals they brought home.

The Living Things Tradition

The Living Things stores were known for their broad selection. Depending on the location and time period, customers could find products and supplies for dogs, cats, tropical fish, birds, small animals and reptiles, along with aquariums, aquarium equipment, live aquarium plants, cages, habitats, food, treats and other pet-care products.

Tropical fish and aquariums were an especially important part of the Living Things tradition. Generations of aquarium enthusiasts visited Living Things for fish, aquarium plants, tanks, equipment and supplies, whether they were setting up their first aquarium or were already experienced hobbyists.

Birds, small animals and reptiles were also an important part of the Living Things experience, giving families the opportunity to discover and learn about many different kinds of animals under one roof.

One of the enduring strengths of Living Things was its connection with local pet owners. Customers could walk into a Living Things store and talk with people who understood pets and their care. Whether someone was setting up an aquarium for the first time, choosing food for a dog or cat, caring for a bird, or learning about the requirements of a small animal or reptile, the goal was to provide useful information along with the products needed to care for the animal properly.

Living Things in the 1980s and 1990s

The early years of Living Things coincided with an important period in the history of retail in Southwestern Ontario.

During the 1980s and 1990s, enclosed shopping malls were among the prime retail destinations in the region. Several Living Things stores were located in these busy shopping centres, where they became familiar destinations for families who were already shopping, visiting and spending time in their local communities.

At the time, a shopping-mall location offered excellent exposure and brought Living Things directly into the daily lives of customers. The stores became places where people could browse, ask questions, look at tropical fish and other animals, purchase pet food and supplies, or simply stop in to see what was new.

As Living Things expanded, the name became familiar well beyond its original Windsor home. The business served pet owners in communities throughout Southwestern Ontario and became part of the local retail landscape in several communities.

Living Things in Chatham

One of the longest-lasting chapters in the company's history was the Living Things Pet Centre at 436 St. Clair Street in the Nortown Centre in Chatham, Ontario.

The Chatham store operated for many years as an independent local pet centre and became a familiar destination for pet owners throughout Chatham-Kent and surrounding communities.

The Chatham store offered a particularly diverse selection of pet-related products and animals, including tropical fish, aquarium supplies, birds, small animals, reptiles, exotic pets and pet supplies.

For many customers, a visit to Living Things was about more than shopping. It was an opportunity to see animals, discover something new, talk with people who knew about pets and perhaps leave with everything needed to start or maintain an aquarium, care for a bird or small animal, or look after a dog or cat.

The Chatham store ultimately became the final remaining Living Things location and carried the name forward long after many of the earlier locations had closed.

More Than a Pet Store

For more than five decades, the name Living Things has represented a very traditional kind of independent pet store — a place where people could discover the fascinating world of animals and learn how to care for them.

The business reflected the changing world of pet ownership. As pet care evolved, so did the products available to customers, including improved pet foods, aquarium equipment, habitats, toys, treats and specialized supplies.

Through those changes, the basic idea remained the same:

Provide pet owners with good products, fair prices and helpful service.

That simple philosophy helped Living Things establish lasting relationships with generations of customers.

The Changing Face of Retail

The history of Living Things also mirrors the changing nature of retail in Southwestern Ontario.

During the 1970s and 1980s, enclosed shopping malls had been among the most important retail destinations in the region. Over time, however, shopping habits changed. The role of many enclosed malls declined, and some of the shopping centres that had once been thriving retail destinations were no longer the same places they had been.

As those changes took place, some Living Things locations were closed rather than relocated. There was no longer the same reason to continually replace every store that disappeared.

There was another factor as well: time.

After decades of building and operating the business, the owners were reaching a stage in life where continually pursuing new locations and new ventures was no longer the goal. Living Things had already enjoyed a remarkable run. There was no need to keep expanding simply for the sake of expansion.

Gradually, one location after another closed as circumstances changed.

Eventually, the Chatham store became the last remaining Living Things location, carrying on the name and tradition that had begun on Malden Road in Windsor more than fifty years earlier.

A Final Chapter

After more than five decades in the pet business, the decision to close the final Chatham location ultimately came down to something that every long-running family business eventually faces:

Retirement.

The Chatham store had become the final chapter of a business that began in Windsor in 1973 and went on to serve pet owners in communities throughout Southwestern Ontario.

Closing was not the result of losing interest in pets, animals or the community. It was simply time for the people who had devoted so much of their lives to Living Things to retire.

Retirement had to come sometime.

And so, after more than 50 years, Living Things Pet Centre closed its final store.

A Name Remembered by Generations

Today, Living Things, Living Things Pet Centre, Living Things Pet Store and LivingThings.com represent a piece of Southwestern Ontario's independent pet-store history.

From its beginnings on Malden Road in Windsor in 1973, through its years of operating multiple stores, to the final Chatham location, Living Things was built around a simple appreciation for animals and the people who care for them.

For former customers, the name Living Things may bring back memories of walking into a local pet store, looking at rows of tropical fish, watching birds and small animals, choosing a new pet, setting up an aquarium or simply visiting to see what was new.

For the owners, employees and customers who were part of that history, Living Things was never simply another retail business. It was a place where people and animals came together, and where generations of families discovered the enjoyment — and the responsibility — of keeping pets.

That is the legacy of Living Things: a Southwestern Ontario pet store that began on Malden Road in Windsor in 1973, grew to serve communities across the region, and remained dedicated to pets and their owners for more than half a century.

Living Things — serving pet owners and animal enthusiasts in Southwestern Ontario since 1973.