Grosse Pointe Park businesswoman
loves pets, and the neighborhood

Cheri Musial managed a dental office in St. Clair County for 21 years when she decided she didn’t want to do it anymore and started looking for something a little more fun. Maybe something where she could take her dog to work with her.

That was in 1994. She opened Pointe Pet Supply at 15133 Kercheval in the Park not long after. Her husband, William, runs the barber shop next door and the two live during the week in an apartment on the second floor. Her original Bouvier de Flandres, Sir Kercheval, took up residence in the front window. And it’s been all good pretty much ever since.

"With the economy the way it is, it's a blessing to still be here. We're not high-end, we're not custom-making anything. We just know what most of the pets and pet owners like," Musial said.

At first, Musial thought of opening a straight pet store. But with so many orphaned animals awaiting adoption, it didn’t seem right. A pet supply store, however, carrying everything from leashes and collars to food and chew toys, fit the bill for a retail space that formerly held a used-book store.

Today, with so much of her life invested in the store and neighborhood, she’s working to reinvigorate the lively little shopping district at the foot of Kercheval. The Grosse Pointe Park Association and several of its business owners are joining to erect a sign that would welcome people into the business district. The sign, which will read "The Park – Kercheval,” will stand on that street between Beaconsfield and Nottingham.

"The sign is already approved by the city, and it reflects the many businesses that are family owned, like Mueller's Market and the famous Pointe Hardware and Lumber," Musial said.

On weekends, the Musials go “home” to St. Clair County, where they own a house on the banks of the St. Clair River. It's the presence of so many small businesses close by that makes their Monday-through-Saturday morning life in the Park so enjoyable, she added.

Musial makes donations of ripped food bags and extra collars to the Michigan Humane Society. And for the past 15 years, she has been supporting the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society, which places homeless pets with new families.

After retirement, Musial plans on continuing to save animals. With the help of Coach, her new Bouvier, she plans to work with more Bouvier rescues throughout southeast Michigan to make sure they get the support they need. "We're training people to run the store when Coach and I finally retire, but we can't imagine doing anything else."

• Login or register to post comments
• Printer-friendly version
• Send by email