The Lexington Pet Place invites drained students to visit their variety of cute and adoptable rescue animals after long days of studying. 

Located on W. Nelson St near the movie theater, the store welcomes students  to come in and peruse tanks of fish, pet fluffy bunnies or even play with the ferrets at this women-owned business. 

Lexington’s only pet store currently hosts guinea pig pairs, ferrets, rabbits, cats, parakeets, fish, frogs and more. 

For those who want to pet all the furry friends, the store asks that people stop by the hand sanitizing station before and after interacting with the pets to ensure guest and animal safety.

Lily, a member of the store’s team, said that every animal in the store is up for the adoption with the exception of their house cat, Nibbins.

She said he “lives full time in the store and has happily made himself at home on shelves, tables and everywhere [else] he can find.”

To find animals they can put up for adoption, the Lexington Pet Place partners with the Buena Vista Shelter, the SPCA, Cats Unlimited, and the Reptile Rescue in Fairfield, although they also accept rescues from local sources in special circumstances. Anyone interested in supporting them can offer a monetary donation at the store’s front desk, or bring in unneeded fish tanks, cat food and other pet necessities that will go toward supporting the animals at the store.

Kylie Thierran, ’25, visited the store last weekend with her friends. She reported that it was really relaxing to visit after a stressful week of studies and “made [her] heart happy.” 

Thierran said that she vastly enjoyed petting Nibbins and felt welcomed by the calming environment filled with cute animals.

Similarly, Lizzy Nguyen, ’25, visited the Pet Place recently and shared the joys of her experience. 

“I really enjoyed getting the chance to see all the cute animals,” she said. “It was a huge stress reliever and a really good distraction after an overwhelming week. I just wish I could actually adopt them!” 

The Lexington Pet Place is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.  

The store welcomes those curious about what all is in the store to pop by, offer some support to Lexington’s local shelters and pet some cute animals. Store employees said they love getting the chance to meet new students and appreciate seeing visitors enjoy all the animals.

It might be the purrfect pit stop after a long day of classes.