By John Burton
RED BANK – T.J. Moss has always loved animals and this Christmas he got the best gift he could hope for.
“It was the only thing on my list,” said Moss, a 22-year-old Little Silver resident and self-described animal lover, who has taken over last month as the owner of Fins and Feathers, 134 Monmouth St.
Fins and Feathers, a long-established pet, pet supply and pet grooming shop, now in its third location, was previously located at 16 Monmouth St. and then 91 Monmouth St., before resettling in its current spot.
On Dec. 22 Moss took over ownership from Helen Davis, who started the business with her now ex-husband on Nov. 4, 1984. Davis noted of Moss, “He’s older than I was when I started,” the business.
Moss was 16 when he started working with Davis. But the then teenager who always had a passion and affection for animals, had come to know the store and Davis starting when he was about 14, dropping in to spend time there.
“She used to joke with me when I was in high school,” Moss said of Davis, “telling me, ‘You’re going to take it (the store) over.’ ”
“Animals have always been my passion,” Moss noted, and said he’s had a wide array of pets growing up – including turtles, lizards, cats and fish – and even studied zoological science in college.
Davis certainly has appreciated Moss’s passion and is something of a kindred spirit. Growing up Davis said there were family members who had horses and she had wanted to be a horse trainer. However, she hadn’t planned this business; initially it was her husband’s but she loved it and bought him out and continued with it for the last three decades.
Now, though, she feels it is in good hands. “It’s not just a store. It’s a living, breathing thing,” Davis maintained, telling how following Super Storm Sandy and the extended power outage, she had to pack up the animals and take them home with her. “This is with you 24 hours a day. It’s not just ring the cash register and go home.
“It’s not really something you would understand if you don’t have that passion,” she stressed.
And with that in mind, “I know he’ll make it because he has the passion,” Davis said of Moss.
“Helen and I worked hand in hand for a long time. She’s taught me a lot,” Moss said of his former boss.
And she’ll still be around, they said, as Davis continues to assist the young owner and will be responsible for the animal grooming services.
“It’s still a family business,” Moss noted. So, “in 2044, I’ll think about retiring.”
