Our Story

Collage of images from a pet store featuring people, pets, and pet products. Central image shows an older woman and man holding small pets inside the store. Surrounding images include a woman with a bird, fish tanks, pet accessories, aquarium, and pet supplies aisle.

Pet World is a locally-owned, family business that has been serving Western New York since 1971. 

Owned by Rochester locals Jim and Margie Seidewand, the store grew out of their love of fish keeping and aquarium care. Avid fish hobbyists, Jim and Margie were members of the Rochester Aquarium club back when most aquariums were still made of slate-bottoms,  stainless steel corners, and pitch cement.

A small fish swimming in the water with spotted markings on its body and fins.
Black and White picture of an Interior of a mall airport with rows of fish tanks, a retail store, and shoppers.

As full glass aquariums first came on the market and the Aquarium Club was planning to hold the first-ever fish show at Midtown Mall, Jim and Margie figured that purchasing the new all-glass aquariums in bulk would be most cost-effective. They landed over $3,500 of all glass tanks in the middle of Jim’s father’s front yard, which would also be home to their first basement store.   

Two people, a man with a beard and a woman with glasses, sitting at a cluttered store counter surrounded by boxes and various items, in a black and white photograph.
Wooden sign with engraved text that reads 'The Aqua Shoppie Jim & Margie'

Originally operating as The Aqua Shoppe, Jim and Margie’s hobby became a business through word of mouth. At first, they only sold the extra bulk glass tanks. But customers started to ask for advice, so Jim and Margie added a single shelving rack where they stocked their favorite aquarium essentials.  

A sign for Aqua Shoppe, a basement shop selling aquarium equipment and supplies, with contact details for Jim & Margie Seidewand on Dewey Avenue.
Black and white photo of a speckled fish swimming underwater, with particles floating in the water.

When they were looking to purchase their own home, the first place they went at each home showing was the basement — if the basement wouldn’t work for their growing small business, they left without looking at the rest of the house. Before long, The Aqua Shoppe settled into a spacious Dewey Ave basement where they sold tanks, supplies, and Jim’s home-raised guppies, cichlids, and killifish.

Exterior of Aqua Shoppe's Pet World store with a large sign on top, storefront windows, an orange door, and a parked car in front.
Three men standing at a counter in a store, looking at an item. Shelves with boxes and containers on the wall behind them.

By 1977, The Aqua Shoppe had outgrown the basement, and Margie and Jim moved into their first brick-and-mortar storefront on Lyell Ave. They built all the fixtures for the store by hand including the plumbing for the fish room, the hand-routed slat walls, and counter tops. 

As demand grew and their animal care interests expanded to include a wider variety of pets, Jim and Margie broadened their offerings and opened a second location in Country Club Plaza where they incorporated and launched the Pet World name in the early 1980s. A few years later, they’d move their Lyell Ave store to Ridgemont Plaza and officially adding the Pet World name across all locations.

Black and white photo of a narrow room with large display aquariums on both sides, filled with aquatic plants and fish, and a floor with a tiled pattern.
Two people, a man and a woman, sorting through packing boxes in a room filled with stacked cardboard boxes.

The Aqua Shoppe and Pet World have been a beloved local staple for over 50 years, and Jim and Margie are still at the heart of every day operations. With a commitment to quality products, customer engagement, and always fair pricing, Jim and Margie continue to emphasize a community-centered shopping experience with a focus on caring for your pets of all shapes, sizes, and types.

A store with empty fish tanks, aquarium supplies on shelves, and various fish tank accessories.
Pet World pet store storefront with red awnings and 'Open' sign in window

As Margie says, “the original business idea was just to help people understand how to keep aquariums and give them real, honest advice on what would help them do that. That’s still what we do.” Which is why there are generations of Rochesterians and their pets that have been shopping with Pet World, just as there are now generations of Seidewands that have grown up in the store. Pet World is and always will be a place for our family and yours.