BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Zoo House, LLC. celebrated its first anniversary on Thursday, May 1, with a ribbon cutting sponsored by the North Florida Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Owner Rebecca Uribe said she launched her business as an e-commerce enterprise during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
“It was a big flop,” she said of the internet-based shop. “But I kept at it and kept at it and kept at it and kept at it. And I was like, I just want to be my own boss. I want to be a brick-and-mortar owner.”
The 1993 Bradford High School graduate said she loves animals and has rescued wildlife for several years. She added that there is a substantial community in Starke that not only loves dogs and cats but also raccoons, reptiles, fish, and other exotic pets.
The business owner said her biggest challenge was getting the word out about her business.
“It was tough and it’s still tough,” she said. “I don’t have a budget for advertising, and just for a billboard in Starke, they wanted over $2,000 for four weeks. I’m like, no, we can’t do that. That’s almost as much as the rent we pay here.”
Uribe said that besides her love for animals, she has an equal passion for seeing happy customers walk through her doors.
“I love customer service,” she said. “I love what animals do for me, and I know what they can do for other people. And there are other people like me who are fanatics about it. So, I’m not the only one, but it’s a service I want to provide to Starke instead of driving all the way to Middleburg or different counties.”
