PetSmart Billboard Barks up the Wrong Tree
Owners of a 2-year-old pet supply retailer in West Hollywood are upset about the competition on their roof.
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Community pet shop Healthy Spot, which recently turned two, received a surprising birthday gift this week.
A billboard was placed atop the Santa Monica Boulevard store Monday that reads: "PetSmart: Happiness in store" in clear white writing, followed by a message directing passersby to the pet supply chain's new location at 330 S La Cienega Blvd.
Suffice it to say, Healthy Spot co-owner Andrew Kim was not happy.
"Petsmart decided to put up a huge ad on top of the building that we lease from," Kim wrote in an email to Patch. "We find this to be very distasteful and a classic example of David vs Goliath."
LAist reported PetSmart "had no knowledge that the specific retailer was a pet-specialty retailer." The Los Angeles website said the pet supply company was allegedly given a photo of the billboard location without the identity of the retailer below.
A post on the Healthy Spot Facebook page Tuesday garnered 62 comments from patrons. The responses were generally optimistic.
Justine Maitland Holberg wrote: "PetSmart doesn't have all the really nice things you offer. Not the same food, same cute high quality toys or apparel. We're still on team Healthy Spot!"
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David
7:23 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Healthy Spot should complain to the owner of the building they lease from.It's the building owner who leased the billboard sign to Petsmart.
Virginia Gillick
7:29 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
I am going to join team Healthy Spot!
Brian Hamilton
11:10 am on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Well, I think I'm also going to join team Healthy Spot! It's difficult enough for smaller independent retailers to combat the "Wal-Mart syndrome", with giant store chains attempting to squeeze them out of business. Placing a billboard on top of one of those smaller independents crosses the line, in my opinion. Not nice.
larry gust
2:00 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The company that leased the billboard should be sued !! Absolutly don't believe PetSmart didn't know where they were putting a sign. Even if it has to come down..the little press they'll get lets people know they've opened on LaCienega which I did not and wouldn't go anyway.......Healthy Spot...although expensive is pretty cool..........Collar and Leash down the street still does a great business and have never said a word about Healthy Spot opening 1 block away.......
Josh Arnold
3:23 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
This makes me that much more happier I shop at Healthy Spot. If I'm ever in a bind from now on and can't make it to Healthy Spot, I'll choose Petco over those other guys. How tacky can they get?!?!
RTL
8:07 pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
What's so healthy about Healthy Spot? I went in there months ago and couldn't find any mostly organic pet foods like Organix (mostly organic) for cats/dogs. Perhaps their other services are good, but the name of the store seems like a misnomer. I feed my pets organic food and filtered water in hopes of preventing kidney malfunction later in life. That said, I love seeing the dogs in the window at Healthy Spot! PetSmart and Petco carry lots of toxic cat litter and low-grade pet foods, but they also have some healthier options too. The billboard placement is in poor taste. It should at least be across the street, not on the top of a competitor's building. All pet stores should strive to be better and offer more healthier options for pets at reasonable prices for their owners.
joninla
9:25 am on Sunday, February 5, 2012
It is such clear predatory advertising from the Giant, but I live near and never noticed the billboard with all the cute dogs in the window.
Such specialized services, I don't think (well I would hope) it would not affect their business.
me
2:21 pm on Sunday, February 5, 2012
anyone remember the abbey putting a billboard on the roof of east west lounge and next to mickys a few years back?....so fun'nay
joninla
11:31 pm on Monday, February 6, 2012
OK - for the official record I talked with a group of employees from the store. The sign has been changed and they did think it was kinda rude, but were far more surprised by the intensity that the community has put in over the issue on their behalf.
They (the store) was not upset or personally felt attacked as they are a specialty dog boutique with such a different and unique clientele and market, it was no big threat to them.
So all is now good, and I think the store really appreciated the public outpouring, but was not really such a big deal to the store.