T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA
The Pampered Tail, located at 22 S. Fourth St. in Martins Ferry, offers a wide variety of pet supplies.
MARTINS FERRY — A new business hopes to bring residents of Martins Ferry and their furry friends a place to shop closer to home.
The Pampered Tail is a pet store that opened July 6 next to Hot Rod Tattooing at 22 S. Fourth Street.
Owner and operator Cheryl Willaims is the former owner and operator of Fantasies Unraveled Anime Haven at the same location, along with her husband Larry. Fantasies Unraveled closed in the summer of 2023 due to Larry’s death.
“The anime thing was something we shared, it wasn’t just my interest. After he passed I had zero interest in continuing with that, so I decided I needed to find something that was sustainable and that I loved and had knowledge of,” Cheryl Williams said. “I’m a big lover of animals, and the old business wasn’t in my heart anymore, I just couldn’t do it.
“Animals are always something that has always made me feel better. They are something I am very confident talking about because over the years I have had a lot of animals.”
Once she decided on opening a pet store, she spent the next year painting and decorating the shop to reflect what she believed a small town pet store should feel and look like.
“I want it to feel almost like a nursery because animals are like my babies, and I know that’s how it is for many people,” Williams said.
Williams spent time researching and finding the best and most effective wholesalers for her inventory. Her goal is to be able to price competitively to the bigger chain pet stores in the Ohio Valley.
“From Martins Ferry, you have to drive … to the mall or The Highlands, so to put it bluntly my goal is to get all of the people who drive up there to come here instead because we are in walking distance,” Williams noted.
The name of the store may not do it justice. The Pampered Tail offers supplies to a plethora of pets. Williams offers supplies for dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, rabbits, guinea pigs and many more.
“We kind of got a bit for everything for everybody,” she said.
The store offers over-the-counter medication, food, bedding, toys and cleaning supplies.
Williams plans to reach out to the Belmont County Animal Shelter to have a display board at her store where she will advertise pictures of animals that are available for adoption. She also plans to have the display board available for anyone in the Martins Ferry area to display animals that are up for adoption or lost pets.
“Basically I want to make a community board for anything that is pet-related,” she said.
She added that the community has really taken to the over-the-counter medication that is available for the animals. She said she carries several medications for multiple different concerns.
Another thing Williams believes sets The Pampered Tail apart from the rest is that she offers coffee and water to her customers, as well as a water bowl on the ground for any customer who brings in their pet.
