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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2022)
BUSINESS & AGLIFE B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022 REPTILES SAVAGE SERPENTS Continued from Page B1 Shannon Golden/The Observer Owner and operator Allyson Smith stands outside the recently opened Savage Serpents at 1307 Adams Ave., La Grande, on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. ZIPLY Continued from Page B1 Ziply Fiber’s work in Cove is part of its com- mitment to invest more than $500 million to build an advanced, fi ber net- work to both suburban and rural communities across the Northwest that have been underserved in terms of internet access, Miller said. “We absolutely want to provide fi ber-optic internet service to as many people as we can,” he said. Ziply, in Union County, is already providing ser- vice to La Grande and Union, and is preparing to begin off ering service in Elgin and Imbler. Ziply is also providing internet ser- vices in Wallowa, Enter- prise and Joseph. In every location it serves, Ziply off ers internet and phone services for residential customers and small busi- nesses, and the company is already providing or is preparing to provide fi ber- optic internet options. at Petsense, where she brought in some of her reptiles and shared her insights with shoppers. The store didn’t sell live mice, so Smith began breeding mice and various species of insects to sell as live feeders by word of mouth. Her ven- ture quickly gained popu- larity among La Grande’s reptile owners. After giving birth to her daughter in January, Smith decided it was time to turn her passion into a brick-and- mortar business. Her father, Ron Smith, found the Adams Avenue location on Face- book Marketplace shortly before she was set to move into the old Schwartz Ink storefront on Jeff erson and Fir avenues. Smith began to set up shop at the beginning of June, and with the help of friends and family she opened the store to the public on June 18. “It’s been a dream of hers for a long time to open a store like this,” Ron Smith said. Now open at 1307 Adams Ave., La Grande, Savage Serpents’ hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon- day-Saturday. To learn more about the store’s off erings, visit the Savage Serpents Facebook page or call 541-605-0031. The new store, which used to house Find Your Why Travel Agency, now is home to almost 100 animals, from corn snakes and ball pythons to tarantulas and tor- toises. Smith noted that being on the main street through downtown has been good for business. “I can’t tell you how much clientele the movie theater alone has gotten me,” she said. “People walk by and they’re like, wait, what is that?” Customers can purchase animals and supplies from Savage Serpents. Smith sells food and enclosure supplies, as well as heat lamps, fake foliage and hiding places. For locals such as David Sams, having a specialized store in town is a welcome change. Sams, who grew up in La Grande and rescued reptiles and birds for more than 20 years in Union County, met Smith when she worked at Petsense. He recalled having to commute to Boise or Walla Walla for frozen feeder mice with an ice chest. “Now we can buy them locally,” he said. Smith said she plans to expand her educational pro- grams, breeding projects and aquatics selection. She will continue to off er rescue ser- vices around the county and hopes to provide short-terms and long-term boarding services for reptiles and amphibians. As for the storefront, Smith wants an interactive space for customers. “I’d like to build out a lot of enclosures and have a lot more display animals,” she noted. “So it’s a lot more like a zoo.” Smith still recalls her fi rst sale in the store — a tokay gecko. For her, it was an amazing feeling to send the bright blue, orange-spotted home with a new owner. “It’s my passion to share these animals with people,” she said, “and to actu- ally let people know that a lot of times these are very rewarding pets.” Computer not running as fast as when it was new? Let us install lightning-fast solid state drive! Are you running an outdated Windows Operating System? We’ll help you avoid critical issues by installing Windows 11! C lassifieds Published by The Observer & Baker City Herald - Serving Wallowa, Union and Baker Counties PLACING YOUR AD IS EASY...Union, Wallowa, and Baker Counties Phone La Grande - 541-963-3161 • Baker City - 541-523-3673 On-Line: www.lagrandeobserver.com www.bakercityherald.com Email: Classifieds@lagrandeobserver.com Classifieds@bakercityherald.com DEADLINES: LINE ADS: Tuesday: 10:30am Monday Thursday: 10:30 am Wednesday Saturday: 10:30 am Friday DISPLAY ADS: 2 Days Prior to Publication Date THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022 CALL or visit The Observer 541-963-3161 TheObserver.com or Baker City Herald 541-523-3673 BakerCityHerald.com
