By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

Hays pet owners have a reason to celebrate as Petsense has announced Hays as one of its 12 locations currently under development.

Petsense is a pet supply store and groomer akin to Petco or Pet Smart.

The store will be located in the Centennial Plaza, 2510 Vine, moving into a 9,500 square-foot space once occupied by Sears.

“They are going to totally remodel and refurbish that whole store, so it will be like brand new,” said Gina Stern, plaza owner.

Work on the space is expected to start in early to mid-May, according to Stern, and will continue through early summer, with a July opening expected.

“We are over the moon that they have chosen us,” Stern said, noting the store is expected to bring a significant increase in traffic to the plaza.

“There’s nothing like this in the community,” Stern said.

The location will be the first in the small chain to be in Kansas, although a second Kansas location is planned for Pittsburg.

Petsense has locations in Oklahoma, Nebraska and across the nation.

Centennial Plaza is a 52,243 square-foot retail shopping center, currently home to Jalisco Mexican Restaurant, Brown’s Shoe Store, Sherwin Williams and other local tenants.

The plaza has benefited from facility improvements over recent years, including a new facade and the addition of Petsense will likely add to the effort.

“They’re going to make the space look absolutely incredible,” Stern said.

For more on the plaza, visit their Facebook page here or Petsense, here.