Since 1994, Tim Rose has dreamed of offering bred and rarely seen reptiles to the public.
Now, that dream has become a reality.
The Columbus man and his daughter, Scarlet Rose, 26, are the co-owners of Scarlet’s Primitive Pets.
The pet shop is located at 300 N. Chestnut St. in the Vehslage Building in downtown Seymour. Visitors should enter from the Chestnut Street side of the building.
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"For our Facebook followers, the VIP grand opening for our exotic pet store is tonight from 5 to 9 p.m.," Tim said. "Our Facebook friends are invited to this exclusive VIP event to get a first look, and there will be specials all night."
It’s not too late to become a follower of the pet shop. Just visit facebook.com/scarletpets and press the "like" button.
The grand opening for the public is from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday.
Regular store hours will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
On the wall of Scarlet’s Primitive Pets hangs a framed newspaper article from 1994 with a photo of Scarlet’s mother, Alexis Rose.
In the article, Alexis said she had become a fan of lizards, including iguanas, about three years earlier. Tim had bought her two lizards for a Valentine’s Day gift before they were married.
It was their hope to one day open a reptile pet store that would be named after Scarlet, who was 3 months old at the time. Alexis had said they wanted the name of their future shop to be Scarlet’s Primitive Pets.
It was during that same year that Tim, who was in his early 20s, began selling reptiles and amphibians, as he had been interested in them from a young age.
Around 1995, he went on to breeding projects. He successfully bred Chinese water dragons before eventually moving on to other lizards, snakes, frogs and other amphibians.
"Now, Scarlet has her own breeding projects and has had many articles written about her during the early year in reptile publications about being the youngest member of the Pittsburgh Herpetology Society and holding large lizards at exotic pet shows," Tim said.
The Rose family moved to Columbus 20 years ago to work in the mining industry and get a fresh start in the heartland, he said.
"Growing up in Pennsylvania was quite a cultural shock, seeing fields of corn and beans miles and miles long versus the mountains we had left behind," he said. "As Scarlet got older, she enrolled in 4-H and had a passion for animals."
Scarlet received multiple awards while in 4-H, including grand champion. After high school, she went to Vet Tech Institute in Indianapolis.
"Scarlet and I started talking about the old stories of opening a pet store," Tim said. "I would describe what the stores looked like often in basements of well-established businesses, such as traditional mom-and-pop pet stores and comic book stores."
They attended exotic pet expos in Indianapolis, Clarksville and Cincinnati to see how things had changed.
"It didn’t take long before we were vending at these shows, selling reptiles and amphibians to the public," Tim said. "What set us apart from other vendors was the condition of our animals. Everyone could tell ours were well cared for and the animals’ well-being came first."
The thought never left their minds on opening an exotic pet store. The father and daughter considered Columbus as a location, but with other pet stores firmly established, it would be hard to do a startup.
"We chose the Seymour location because of the lack of pet stores in the area versus population levels," Tim said. "The growing interest of being part of rejuvenating downtown also played a big part of our decision."
This year, they set their sights on Seymour with the idea of opening an old-time family exotic pet store, recreating the pet stores from the 1980s.
"This style of store would be more personable than the chain stores, focusing on pets such as lizards, snakes, frogs, toads, scorpions, newts and more," Tim said.
He said people are living in small apartments and houses, so these pets would fit in well for some people, compared to the traditional dog and cat that need the room to roam and play.
Tim said the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in people social distancing, is giving the hobby a real boost.
"There is a business plan in this, and the income generated from successfully selling at expos is what helped us start this store," he said. "We saved up for two or three years because among other things, there’s inventory cost and food cost."
He said when it’s all tied together, they still need to go to the expos as a supplement to sustain the store.
"We have over 1,000 Facebook followers, and we target through Facebook ads within a geographic region that is driveable to our shop," he said.
Scarlet said the categories of pets sold at the shop can be classified as exotic reptiles, amphibians, scorpions, tarantulas and things you don’t normally see. There is a baby American alligator in the shop, and they will be acquiring some baby bearded dragons, too.
“We have axolotls, which are a type of salamander, and these all came from one lake in Mexico and are almost extinct in the wild," she said. "But they’re really popular in captivity because they’re so easy to care for and one of my favorite beginner pets."
Scarlet said axolotls are a lot of fun, and she thinks they are adorable.
"Anyone that comes in, even if you’re a beginner, we’ll help you figure out everything you need to know," she said. "There is an area in the shop with chairs and a TV, where educational videos will be available to watch for those who want to learn more about the pets."
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What: Grand opening
When: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: Scarlet’s Primitive Pets, 300 N. Chestnut St., Seymour (use the Chestnut Street entrance of the Vehslage Building)
Regular hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Information: 812-390-9768 or facebook.com/scarletpets
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