More Than a Pet Store: Meet the Team Behind San Francisco’s Beloved Bernal Beast
High-quality products, cozy vibes, and always a friendly smile – these are just some of the reasons why San Francisco residents love shopping at Bernal Beast. For this year’s Neighborhood Pet Store Day, we’re continuing our efforts to build a stronger community in the pet care space by highlighting Bernal Beast, a locally owned and operated pet store. Being a family-owned business ourselves, we understand just how important it is to support and uplift fellow small businesses.
Step into this quaint neighborhood shop and you’ll be warmly greeted by Steph, Alan, or another member of their close team. With dozens of different pet foods, treats, toys, and more, there’s no shortage of fun paw-sibilities for your furry friend. We recently got the chance to chat with Steph and Alan about the incredible work they do.
(The ideas expressed in this interview belong to Steph and Alan and are not necessarily reflective of Pet Camp’s views.)
How did you both get involved with Bernal Beast?
Steph: I was friends with the former owner, Tony Crisanthis. We had engaged in some co-marketing together when I owned a puppy daycare and I had approached him to do in-store trainings for neighbors in the area. My intention was to help walk-in customers in my home neighborhood by educating the public on dog behavior and dog training. That way, more dogs could remain in homes and not be relinquished to local shelters due to preventable behavioral problems.
Six months later, after I’d written a few blogs for him and done some in-store training sessions, I ran into Tony on the street. He said, “Regarding our plan to work together, I think I’m ready to retire – how do you feel about retail?” And I said, “I don’t know anything about retail at all!”
For the last 20+ years, Alan and I had been working in dog walking, and I was also teaching classes at the SF SPCA on weeknights and weekends. The physical nature of the work, as well as the long hours navigating Bay Area traffic, was starting to take a toll on us. Tony then said, “Well, I’d really like you to take over the shop.”
At that point, I remember getting in my truck and just saying to Alan, “Okay, we’re gonna shift gears.” I told him, “We should take over Bernal Beast and run a neighborhood shop. We could build a real community right where we live!”
Alan: I was a local customer for many years before this, and when this came up, it was just a no- brainer. Who wouldn’t want to own a pet shop in the neighborhood where you live, where you know so many people with pets, and where you know it’s a great community? It was just perfect. And with our combined training experience and all of Steph’s ideas, everything changed. We totally transformed this place – a new ceiling, new paint, new layout, and new flooring.
What are your favorite parts of owning a pet supply store?
I love running the classes at Bernal Beast and having so many locals and loyal neighborhood customers who come by (always with their dogs!) often just to chat. It feels like a coffee shop! It’s nice to go to work in the morning – it’s not a chore. It’s such a great feeling because this neighborhood is tight knit and everyone really cares about their animals.
Additionally, when I was at the SF SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers, I learned a lot about nutrition and how it affects dog behavior and life longevity. I was looking into raw feeding, versus processed foods, versus gently cooked foods, versus raw bones, and so on. One of the things we try to bring into the shop is all the research that we’ve done before.
We also keep in mind that not everyone wants to feed that way; maybe they don’t have the budget for it. So we keep a spectrum of really high quality foods that everyone can afford, from budget friendly but reputable kibble all the way to more high-end foods like Jeffrey’s Raw food. It’s pretty stimulating for us to discover new products, and we’re not the only ones doing it. Our manager, Dylan, is very invested and does a lot of his own research as well.
What services do you offer to the San Francisco pet community?
We have our self-serve bath and offer non-anesthetic dental cleanings for dogs once a month through a company called Pet Tooth. We have a variety of dog training classes and one on one behavior consults available, led by certified positive reinforcement dog trainers Erika Slovikoski and Steph.
We’re also starting some human-only seminars on topics like how to bring a new dog into your life, how to prepare for living with an animal, and a primer on animal learning theory. With these, customers’ relationships with their furry companions can really blossom through empathy.
We’ve also just launched an online subscription service, so people can continue to shop from the comfort of their homes while also supporting a local business. In addition, if they live in Bernal Heights, we’ll deliver to them for free. We’re trying to meet the customers where they want us to be.
Are there any things that you wish pet parents knew about health that may not be common knowledge?
I think this may be controversial to say, but many veterinarians who aren’t considered holistic vets aren’t necessarily nutrition specialists. Oftentimes, dogs or cats will have a chronic condition, and they may be automatically pointed to prescription medications or a prescription diet. However, those foods may not be as high quality as some other food options out there.
One thing to keep in mind when you’re looking for a good kibble is that when you look at the ingredient panel, the first thing should be a whole protein. Not a byproduct. There shouldn’t be a lot of filler. Every ingredient on that panel should be something you recognize.
We’re really looking at the quality of the food. Even when it comes down to kibble (which is going to be the most processed food you can give a pet), we select our choices off the top 100 list published annually in the Whole Dog Journal. Our wet food section, our raw food section, and our air dried/freeze dried sections are all preferred options, but we recognize it comes down to a customer’s comfort level and budget. We want customers to keep in mind that your local pet store is most likely a better place to ask about nutrition than your vet, depending on the type of vet you’re seeing.
What are some of your own personal favorite products you guys carry here?
I personally like all the enrichment items and chews we have for the animals: bully sticks, tendons, tracheas, pig ears, duck hearts, etc. I also love the local toys made by P.L.A.Y (Pets, Lifestyle and You), our giant Croissant and Baguette toys made by PetLou, and the puzzle toys made by Outward Hound.
We love supporting local businesses, like Jeffrey’s Natural Pet Foods. Lynett, the owner, and her team make all of their products right here in San Francisco. We always have an array of locally made treats and accessories that we keep stocked on our shelves.
What do you think makes Bernal Beast such a neighborhood favorite?
Honestly, I think it’s the friendly staff. Our entire crew works really hard to make everyone feel welcome and seen. For example, our manager Dylan has been here for a really long time. He’s here Monday through Friday, so he’s a familiar face that all our customers see during the weekdays. We also have our phenomenal trainer, Erika. She’s a renowned dog trainer in the Bay Area and she’s been helping humans and their dogs for over a decade.
We try to treat our staff like family. This is a small independent shop and we want everyone here to feel like they’re part of a real team. We want all our employees to have a voice in what’s going on, and so we’ll go to them and say, “Hey, what do you think about this?” or “What do you think about bringing this product in?”
We also really try to instill strong customer service. We do special orders, so we tell everyone if we don’t carry a product in here that you’re using or you want, “Whatever you need, we’ll get it.” Additionally, we have a full section for our feline friends and also food for chickens and small animals like guinea pigs and rabbits. We are a one stop shop.
Bernal Beast has been part of this neighborhood for over 30 years. We’d like to end with a request: come join our Beast Bites subscription service! Or, stop by our shop for those intimate human (and animal!) experiences you get when you come into a local business like ours. Small businesses won’t be able to survive if people keep ordering everything online, and it’s our sincere hope that we will remain a part of this community for years to come.