Milwaukee-based Skilos, A Family Pet Store is opening a second location later this year in the city’s Walker’s Point neighborhood.
The woman-owned, family-operated business will take over a 3,600-square-foot retail space on the ground floor of Zizzo Group‘s newly revitalized headquarters building at 131 S. 1st St., according to a news release Wednesday.
Slated to open Dec. 1, Skilos will sell a wide variety of food, toys and other supplies for dogs, cats and small animals including reptiles, bunnies, chinchillas. It joins the business’ flagship location, which opened in November 2021 at 2328 N. Farwell Ave. on Milwaukee’s East Side.
The new store is expected to help activate a highly visible corner situated on the border of Walker’s Point and the Third Ward, while providing a necessary amenity to the growing population of pet owners residing in the surrounding area.
That’s exactly the kind of tenant Anne Zizzo, founder and CEO of Zizzo Group, had in mind when she purchased the 157-year-old, 12,200-square-foot building in June 2021 and invested $3.5 million in its transformation. Zizzo Group relocated its office there last fall from its previous Third Ward office space and currently occupies the building’s second floor and the west end of the first floor.
“I received many offers to lease the (ground-floor tenant) space, but I took my time in making this decision because it was important to me to bring a tenant to these neighborhoods that would really benefit the local residents,” said Zizzo. “Bringing Skilos to the area fits with our mission of making Milwaukee a great place to live, work and play.”
Named after the Greek word for dog, Skilos is owned and operated by Judy Kurscheidt and her two sons Jerad Wagner and Zachary Dewitt. Kurscheidt has been in the pet industry for almost 30 years, serving companies in multiple capacities, including as a national sales manager at Emerald Pet and international sales manager at Kaytee Products. It was her longtime dream to open her own family pet store.
“We are extremely grateful and excited for this opportunity to open a second location, in the Walker’s Point neighborhood, and to also serve as a helpful, local resource for the Third Ward community,” said Zachary Dewitt. “We are looking forward to continuing to provide our customers with local brands and quality products that local residents love and trust.”
Double the size of its 1,800-square-foot store on Farwell Avenue, Skilos’ 1st Street location will carry additional product lines and feature a section of live crickets and mealworms. Similar to the Farwell Avenue location, pets will be allowed inside the storefront. Store hours will be Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
