End of an era for Ernie's

End of an era for Ernie's After forty years in the pet business, Ernie Crankshaw is ready for retirement. "I've got a lot of things to do," he said. "You should have merchandise that the customer wants, such as good quality fish, and be courteous to the customer whether they are right or wrong," he said. He estimates that his service area and customer base reaches about 180 miles around North Platte. "I've seen a lot of pet shops come and go, but most do not last very long," he said. Last month he decided to get rid of the shop and retire. His shop is currently in its fourth location at 110 West Front St. Items at the shop are now 20 % off, that will increase later to 30 percent, and he plans to have an auction for the remaining items during the first week in July. Crankshaw, 83, is originally from Grand Rapids, Mich. "I married a girl from Chadron and worked for her brother at Allied Van Lines for twenty five years," Crankshaw said. Vawn Stark, of Vawn's Barber and Style Shop, worked next door to Crankshaw and his shop for about twenty-five years, before the building his shop was in was demolished. Crankshaw left Allied Van Lines in 1988 and "went strictly with pets" after that, running his pet shop on a full-time basis. Later, the shop moved to the corner of Jeffers and 6th Streets. His first location was at 2721 Rodeo Road, then at East 5th Street in 1977. "You'll never meet a nicer man," she said. Crankshaw's wife, Marilyn, died in January, and the couple had three children, David, Debbie and Sandi, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. "I've seen a lot of people come and go," he reflected on his many years in the pet business. Crankshaw has some advice for anyone who is thinking about getting into the pet business. When that building was torn down to make room for a parking lot, he moved to his current location in 2009. End of an era for Ernie's Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 03/06/2012