Greentree Pet Center is celebrating 50 years of business

CLARKSVILLE — For 50 years, Greentree Pet Center has been providing pet supplies to the residents of Clarksville.

On Sept. 3, 1973, Brent Poyner opened his pet store in Clarksville when he was 19 years old. His store was one of the first pet stores to come to the town.

For the anniversary, the store will have sales and celebrations throughout the month of September. Each day a customer has a chance to win a $50 gift card to the store from a drawing each evening.

When the store first opened, Brent’s father had to sign the lease for him because he was too young to do it himself legally.

The store mainly sells aquatic animals such as fresh and saltwater fish along with the tanks and other necessary products needed for fish. It also sells birds, reptiles, guinea pigs, ferrets and other small animals.

The store was in a different location in the beginning, but in 1977 it moved to the current location, 1604 Greentree Blvd.

“In the beginning we had a total of 28 tanks,” Brent said. “At the time I was raising fish at home. I had more tanks at home than we did at the store.”

Eventually he was able to move all the tanks from his home to the store, which quickly started to grow.

In December 1973, Brent married his wife, Mary Poyner, and they have been running the pet store together ever since.

“We get along fine as far as working together,” Mary said.

In the beginning they worked every day together, from opening to closing. Now they both work fewer hours, but Brent still works six to seven days a week.

The community has been supportive of Greentree Pet Center and has been shopping there ever since it opened its doors.

“I’m on my third, sometimes fourth generation of customers with the same family,” Brent said. “People that were coming in when we first opened, they had kids and now those kids are bringing their kids in here. We’ve been kind of a family tradition with a lot of people for three or four generations now.”

He is very thankful for the customers he has had throughout the years. They have supported him, his wife and his dream the whole time they have had their store.

“No business can survive without customers,” Brent said. “I want to thank them for their support over the years. We’re looking forward to being here for another 50 years. I want to keep things going.”

His parents were a big help to him when first starting, and he is also very thankful for them and their help supporting his dream and passion.

Brent plans on working at the store for as long as he can, staying involved before he fully retires.

He will have to step back from working his normal six to seven days a week in the fall because of back surgery coming up, and he will be 70 in November.

Greentree Pet Center has been Brent’s dream. He cannot imagine himself doing anything else and wants to see the store thrive after he fully retires.

“I wouldn’t want to do anything else,” Brent said. “I look forward to coming to work. Each day is a new adventure.”

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