Maplewood Pet Shop will close its doors by April 1 and move to downtown Millburn.

The store has operated on Maplewood Avenue in Maplewood Village since 1946, and will replace a long-time Millburn pet store.

Bill McClure has been the owner and operator of Maplewood Pet Shop since 1972. He was born and raised in Maplewood and still lives in the house he grew up in, along with his wife and business partner Candace.

But McClure has found business to be a bit cramped at his Maplewood Avenue location. With just 1,300 square feet of space and no storage areas, there's no room to expand. When McClure heard that his colleagues—the Boile family—at Millburn Feed were retiring, he was interested in taking on their space across the street from Town Hall. Millburn Feed has more than double the retail space of Maplewood Pet Shop, along with a full basement and a warehouse. Parking also is more convenient.

"It's a 150-year-old house," said McClure. "We're going to spruce it up, paint it up, bring it back to its heyday." McClure is also enthused about the history of Millburn Feed. "They used sell food to Barnham & Bailey back in the day, when they came to New York."

The new name of the shop will be the Millburn Pet Shop. Along with feed, McClure will add livestock—the same array of live animals found at the Maplewood location including fish, anole, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, parakeets and guinea pigs.

McClure will continue to sell his line of Maplewood sweatshirts and hats, but he's adding a Millburn line too. "The salesman is coming today," said McClure.

And Maplewood patrons need not be too sad. "We are going to consider deliveries" as a routine service, said McClure, "especially for our customers in Maplewood."

"We are so grateful for the patronage from our customers," added McClure. "They put our kids through school." McClure also had good words for the Maplewood Village Alliance, of which he was a founding board member. "It proved to be an asset." The McClures very well may get involved with Downtown Millburn.

McClure hopes to operate at the Maplewood location until March 31 before transferring to Millburn on April 1.