A note from Darren and Corri Moura-Smith, the new owners of Pet

#msg6020660A note from Darren and Corri Moura-Smith, the new owners of Pet Ranch: Many of you saw the news yesterday that Jan and Kent Stevens have sold Pet Ranch after 48 years. We're the couple who bought it, and we wanted to introduce ourselves properly and let you know what this means for the store you love. First, our thanks to Jan and Kent. What began with Jan's parents, Jim and Joan Brown, in Humble in 1978 became one of Kingwood's longest-running family businesses, and they built it on treating every customer and every pet like family. We're grateful for their trust and their full blessing in handing it to us, and we take that responsibility seriously. Some of you may already know us. We've been Pet Ranch customers for more than 20 years, long enough to remember when the loyalty program lived on index cards. Corri has called Kingwood home since 1983, all three of our kids went through Kingwood High, and Darren has spent years coaching youth sports here. We live less than two miles from the store and share our house with six cats and three dogs, so we'll be regular customers as well as owners. Above all, we want you to know that Pet Ranch is staying Pet Ranch. Rowena and Amber will keep running the store, as they have for years. Reagan, Dee, Karen, Kathy, Bernice and the rest of the team are staying too, and our kids Colin and Haley will keep working alongside them. When you walk in, you'll see the same familiar faces, get the same grooming and service, and find the same products on the shelves. Your gift certificates will still be honored, and nothing about how you shop with us is changing. This team doesn't really think of us as new owners. We've spent plenty of busy Saturdays and holiday rushes bringing them lunch and snacks, and these days they call us Mom and Dad. As we see it, the sale just makes official a relationship that has been around for a long time. Our goal is simple: keep doing what has made Pet Ranch special for nearly five decades, and keep it here for the next generation of Kingwood families and their pets. Please stop by and say hello. We'd love to hear your favorite Pet Ranch memories. With gratitude, Darren and Corri