The Millennium version of the stores is a new company design concept that offers a series of signs throughout the location to help educate visitors about pet care, and the presence of a variety of companion pets to greet visitors immediately upon entering the store. Special sections for reptiles and small animals, a bird room and a grooming salon also take up space in the outlet.

The Stafford store is the first Petco in the southern Virginia area. "We have over 550 stores in the US," Store Manager Gail Daniels tells GlobeSt.com. "We have them in Fairfax, Alexandria, DC and Maryland--we don't have anything down south here." Already, the Stafford locale has proven to be a good one for the company. "The weekend was very successful," she adds. "We did about four times than what we had expected [in sales]. It is a very profitable location, so far."