A decades-old family business’ legacy in Johnstown is soon expected to end.
Harvey’s Pet and Home Heating Headquarters, at some point this season, will shut down all retail and grooming services, co-operator Christina VanValkenburgh announced Monday.
Only the store’s pet hotel will remain. Current manager Crissy Castelluccio will take over that portion of the business under a different name.
VanValkenburgh, who also serves as supervisor of the town of Johnstown, said that she worried about leaving owners without a place to drop off their pooches while mulling over a closure with her husband and co-operator, Mark.
“If it was just about money, that would never be in the back of my head,” she said.
Starting with the COVID-19 pandemic, Harvey’s Pet began to take a hit — a situation Christina VanValkenburgh has tied to business regulations and shoppers moving online. A sizable chunk of the family’s customer base never returned.
On top of that, she said that the stress of owning Harvey’s Pet became too much to bear.
Harvey's Pet and Home Heating Headquarters on North Comrie Avenue on Monday, April 1, 2024.
“No one really thinks about the toll that it actually takes on the owners and even when we tried to set boundaries, it didn’t matter,” she said. “I get a text message at 11 o’clock on a Saturday night, ‘Do I still have my last check from the pay period before?’ I’m sleeping.”
The business launched as the Johnstown Agway in 1987 under the management of Harvey VanValkenburgh. After he died in 2012, the reins went to his son and daughter-in-law.
The couple renamed the store Harvey’s Home, Garden & Pet Center in homage to the former owner. The name was later shortened to Harvey’s Pet, reflecting a change of direction around 2020.
On the other side of the store, Mark sold biofuel, pellets, gas stoves and wood. He doesn’t plan on running his own establishment again, according to Christina.
“He wants to be an employee,” she said.
Christina’s business experience was partially cited by then-Johnstown Town Supervisor Jack Wilson upon her appointment to the role of deputy supervisor in 2022. The Republican was elected town supervisor last year, filling the role of the outgoing Wilson.
VanValkenburgh will continue to hold the part-time role. She also expects to ask the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals for authorization to set up a home-based pet grooming operation.
According to the business owner, Harvey’s other groomers are also currently looking at different locations to set up shop.
Overall, between 20 and 24 people currently work at Harvey’s Pet and Home Heating Headquarters. Both businesses are anticipated to shut down by the end of April on condition of how many staff are left to steer the ship.
Harvey's Pet and Home Heating Headquarters on North Comrie Avenue on Monday, April 1, 2024.
“I’m not going to be upset at them [for leaving] nor am I going to try to bring some other new staff in because that would be a waste of time,” Christina said.
About nine employees work for the pet hotel. Christina isn’t certain how many of them will remain involved in daycare operations.
Castelluccio’s next business will be leased under a different building owner. The VanValkenburgh are in the process of selling the North Comrie Avenue location. They are scheduled to close a deal as soon as May.
Christina declined to name the next potential owner.
“We will just try to keep that to ourselves until they want to come out, I guess, but I know they plan on renting it out,” she said.
In a sea of corporate chains along the Mayor Harvey W. Mansfield Highway, independent businesses make up a lesser extent of Johnstown’s commercial district. The list includes Sam’s Seafood Steakhouse, Romana’s Italian Kitchen, Brown’s Ford and Unique Xpressions.
The list of independent pet stores across the region, too, is scant. The closest one-location seller of the like is Sacandaga Dog Supply & Feed in Northville. Benson’s Pet Center across the street from Harvey’s is indepently owned, but has several locations across the region.
Johnstown Mayor Amy Praught described the forthcoming closure of both Harvey’s Pet and Home Heating Headquarters as the loss of a community cornerstone.
“They certainly provided the community with a lot,” Praught said. “I hate to see it go away, but I certainly wish them well: happiness and good fortune.”