Brother and sister co-managers Andrew and Jennifer Hallinen oversee daily operations of Mares-Z-Doats, which is owned by their parents Dave and Jean. (Journal photo by Rachel Oakley)

MARQUETTE – Marquette’s leading pet, grain, feed, garden, and aquarium supply store Mares-Z-Doats is hosting its annual Christmas Sale this year on Dec. 8-9.

“Everything in the store will be on sale and there will be door prizes to sign up for, too,” said manager Andrew Hallinen.

Hallinen co-manages the store with his sister Jennifer, who says they have been handling the store since graduation. Their parents, Jean and Dave Hallinen have owned Mares-Z-Doats for the past 35 years, a true family business.

The story behind how Mares-Z-Doats came to be is “actually kind of a sweet story,” said Jennifer Hallinen. “My parents had just had their first child, my brother, and our parents were having a hard time finding work in Marquette, in the area.”

With a child to take care of, Dave and Jean were considering moving back to Colorado where Dave had a possible building job lined up. That’s where their parents stepped in and drew a line.

“My grandparents said, ‘No way are you taking our grandbaby,'” explained Jennifer Hallinen. “They watched in the papers and found Mares-Z-Doats for sale, and that’s how it happened.”

With quality customer service, which includes helpful carry-out service for heavy loads to the car, a knowledgeable staff with experience and love for animals, and a wide selection of supplies, Mares-Z-Doats is a small business worthy of support.

Comprehensively, Mares-Z-Doats offers a large variety of dog, cat, reptile, small animal, horse, fish and aquarium, tame and wild bird feed and supplies; pet toys; footwear for people; grass, seeds, fertilizers and soils; gifts and novelty items, and more.

Mares-Z-Doats is located at 1400 Division Street in south Marquette. Its hours are 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday.

Rachel Oakley can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 243. Her email address is roakley@miningjournal.net.