- Aug 21, 2010
- 32,673
- 9,803
- Parrots
- Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /
RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
A Bird Haven, the only specialty bird store in northern San Diego County is closing after 40 years of operation. 
Owners are retiring, and their other store near the city of S.D. has been purchased by employees. My first bird, Gonzo was purchased from them 34 years ago. Always a friendly place with several very long-term employees.
Escondido bird shop flying the coop after 40 years San Diego Union-Tribune, Monday March 19, 2018
At Bird Haven in downtown Escondido, owner Sharon Petrarca holds "Miller," a citron-crested cockatoo. Behind her are employees Eonah Woodward, left, Larry Brown and Maxine Whitesel. The 40-year-old business will close March 27. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Sharon Petrarca isnāt sure what sheāll miss most when she and her husband, Mark, close the doors later this month on their 40-year-old business, A Bird Haven, in Escondido. Maybe it will be the jungle-like cacophony of tweets and caws from the dozens of exotic birds in the store at 249 E. Grand Ave. Or it could be the longtime customers, who arrive in a steady stream each day to wish the Petrarcas a happy retirement before closing day on March 27. But it will most likely be the employees, many of whom have worked at the store for decades, like 24-year staffer Larry Brown, an ever-smiling man in his 60s with autism. Store manager Maxine Whitesel of Valley Center said she canāt imagine what sheāll do come March 28. Sheās worked at A Bird Haven for 18 years. āThereās something very rewarding about matching up a bird with the right person and seeing them happy together,ā Whitesel said through tears. āItās so hard to believe that this wonāt be here anymore.ā
In preparation for the closure, many of the cages, hand-mixed bird feed and other merchandise at the Escondido store have been sold and cleared out. But there are still dozens of birds available for sale, from tiny zebra finches priced at $5.99 to a large 9-year-old Catalina macaw named Copious, whoās priced at $2,000. Thereās also Oliver, a 3-year-old, citron-crested cockatoo with an ebullient personality, and Paris, a regal, 14-year-old, blue-and-gold macaw with tail feathers two feet long. The Petrarcas, who are both 61, met as teenagers in Florida. When they were 19, they packed up their car and two pet birds and headed west to San Diego. Their dream was to open their own bird store someday. āWe just loved birds and always wanted to be our own boss,ā she said. āItās just a fun job. We get to come to work every day and play with all these beautiful birds. Who wouldnāt like that?ā In 1978, the East County couple opened their first store in North Park, Our Feathered Friends, which was later relocated to 4420 Rainer Ave. in San Diegoās Grantville neighborhood. In 1988, they purchased A Bird Haven from its founder, Chris Estep, who still runs a sister shop, Reptile Haven, in Vista. Five years later, the Petrarcas bought the building on Grand Avenue and moved A Bird Haven from its original location on East Valley Parkway at North Citrus Avenue. Although A Bird Haven is flying the coop, Our Feathered Friends will carry on under the new ownership of its longtime store managers, Rafael and Alison Hernandez.
When the Petrarcas started in the business in the late 1970s, birds were popular pets, thanks in no small part to the TV show āBarettaā about an undercover cop with a trained cockatoo. Back in those days, the Petrarcas imported most of their birds from Latin and South America. But when import laws changed in the mid-1980s, the couple started their own breeding ranch in Arizona, where all the babies are raised by hand. Disagreeable birds prone to biting arenāt offered for sale. Whitesel said sheās filled two aviaries in her backyard with these ornery rejects. Escondido resident Patty Monahan, who has worked at A Bird Haven since 1992, said sheās hand-trained hundreds of baby birds at the shop over the years. She said the storeās people-friendly birds and its customer service are what the store is known for. Among the many customers stopping in to say goodbye on Thursday was Akino Tsuchiya of Carlsbad, who bought her first bird from the shop, a dusky conure, in 2008. āThe staff here is really expert at answering all my questions and they were always so kind and warm,ā Tsuchiya said. āItās the best pet store experience Iāve ever had.ā Also visiting Thursday was former employee Kristen Webster of Lakeside, who worked at both stores for four years back in the early 2000s. She said sheās been fascinated with birds ever since the age of 7, when her mom brought home the familyās first bird, an African gray parrot that sheād purchased at Our Feathered Friends. Multi-generational bird owners are common at A Bird Haven, since many of these birds can live 50 years or more. Petrarca said sheās seen little kids come in with their parents to buy a parakeet and come back after college graduation to buy a parrot. Sometimes birds outlive their owners, like Chewbacca, an 18-year-old white umbrella cockatoo that was returned to the shop after his elderly owner died. Petrarca said Chewbacca wonāt be sold again. Instead, sheāll move him to the Arizona ranch where heāll be paired with a mate. Bird matings donāt always work, and neither do pairings between owners and birds. African gray parrots can be trained to talk easily, but theyāre not cuddly. Cockatoos love affection but theyāre noisy and demanding. Because of this, A Bird Haven offered a one-year trade-off policy for matches gone wrong, as well as free wing and toenail trims for life. Our Feathered Friends will continue to honor those policies with A Bird Haven customers. Petrarca said she and her husband had always planned to retire at 65, but with the economy strong and the Hernandezes eager to take over the San Diego store, they decided to retire early. Their plans are to travel the world, including the Amazon where many of the birds they sell are native species. āItās been a good run,ā she said, praising Councilwoman Olga Diaz and the city of Escondido for keeping downtown alive with farmers markets, Cruisinā Grand and other events. āWe canāt say enough about how great the city and our customers have been to us over the years.ā
Close up view of "Copious," a Catalina macaw for sale at A Bird Haven in Escondido, which will close March 27 after 40 years in business. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Sharon Petrarca, left, owner of A Bird Haven in Escondido, watches as longtime customer Akino Tsuchiya holds "Copious," a Catalina macaw for sale at the soon-to-close shop. Akino stopped by to say goodbye. (Charlie Neuman /)
Owners are retiring, and their other store near the city of S.D. has been purchased by employees. My first bird, Gonzo was purchased from them 34 years ago. Always a friendly place with several very long-term employees. Escondido bird shop flying the coop after 40 years San Diego Union-Tribune, Monday March 19, 2018
At Bird Haven in downtown Escondido, owner Sharon Petrarca holds "Miller," a citron-crested cockatoo. Behind her are employees Eonah Woodward, left, Larry Brown and Maxine Whitesel. The 40-year-old business will close March 27. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Sharon Petrarca isnāt sure what sheāll miss most when she and her husband, Mark, close the doors later this month on their 40-year-old business, A Bird Haven, in Escondido. Maybe it will be the jungle-like cacophony of tweets and caws from the dozens of exotic birds in the store at 249 E. Grand Ave. Or it could be the longtime customers, who arrive in a steady stream each day to wish the Petrarcas a happy retirement before closing day on March 27. But it will most likely be the employees, many of whom have worked at the store for decades, like 24-year staffer Larry Brown, an ever-smiling man in his 60s with autism. Store manager Maxine Whitesel of Valley Center said she canāt imagine what sheāll do come March 28. Sheās worked at A Bird Haven for 18 years. āThereās something very rewarding about matching up a bird with the right person and seeing them happy together,ā Whitesel said through tears. āItās so hard to believe that this wonāt be here anymore.ā
In preparation for the closure, many of the cages, hand-mixed bird feed and other merchandise at the Escondido store have been sold and cleared out. But there are still dozens of birds available for sale, from tiny zebra finches priced at $5.99 to a large 9-year-old Catalina macaw named Copious, whoās priced at $2,000. Thereās also Oliver, a 3-year-old, citron-crested cockatoo with an ebullient personality, and Paris, a regal, 14-year-old, blue-and-gold macaw with tail feathers two feet long. The Petrarcas, who are both 61, met as teenagers in Florida. When they were 19, they packed up their car and two pet birds and headed west to San Diego. Their dream was to open their own bird store someday. āWe just loved birds and always wanted to be our own boss,ā she said. āItās just a fun job. We get to come to work every day and play with all these beautiful birds. Who wouldnāt like that?ā In 1978, the East County couple opened their first store in North Park, Our Feathered Friends, which was later relocated to 4420 Rainer Ave. in San Diegoās Grantville neighborhood. In 1988, they purchased A Bird Haven from its founder, Chris Estep, who still runs a sister shop, Reptile Haven, in Vista. Five years later, the Petrarcas bought the building on Grand Avenue and moved A Bird Haven from its original location on East Valley Parkway at North Citrus Avenue. Although A Bird Haven is flying the coop, Our Feathered Friends will carry on under the new ownership of its longtime store managers, Rafael and Alison Hernandez.
When the Petrarcas started in the business in the late 1970s, birds were popular pets, thanks in no small part to the TV show āBarettaā about an undercover cop with a trained cockatoo. Back in those days, the Petrarcas imported most of their birds from Latin and South America. But when import laws changed in the mid-1980s, the couple started their own breeding ranch in Arizona, where all the babies are raised by hand. Disagreeable birds prone to biting arenāt offered for sale. Whitesel said sheās filled two aviaries in her backyard with these ornery rejects. Escondido resident Patty Monahan, who has worked at A Bird Haven since 1992, said sheās hand-trained hundreds of baby birds at the shop over the years. She said the storeās people-friendly birds and its customer service are what the store is known for. Among the many customers stopping in to say goodbye on Thursday was Akino Tsuchiya of Carlsbad, who bought her first bird from the shop, a dusky conure, in 2008. āThe staff here is really expert at answering all my questions and they were always so kind and warm,ā Tsuchiya said. āItās the best pet store experience Iāve ever had.ā Also visiting Thursday was former employee Kristen Webster of Lakeside, who worked at both stores for four years back in the early 2000s. She said sheās been fascinated with birds ever since the age of 7, when her mom brought home the familyās first bird, an African gray parrot that sheād purchased at Our Feathered Friends. Multi-generational bird owners are common at A Bird Haven, since many of these birds can live 50 years or more. Petrarca said sheās seen little kids come in with their parents to buy a parakeet and come back after college graduation to buy a parrot. Sometimes birds outlive their owners, like Chewbacca, an 18-year-old white umbrella cockatoo that was returned to the shop after his elderly owner died. Petrarca said Chewbacca wonāt be sold again. Instead, sheāll move him to the Arizona ranch where heāll be paired with a mate. Bird matings donāt always work, and neither do pairings between owners and birds. African gray parrots can be trained to talk easily, but theyāre not cuddly. Cockatoos love affection but theyāre noisy and demanding. Because of this, A Bird Haven offered a one-year trade-off policy for matches gone wrong, as well as free wing and toenail trims for life. Our Feathered Friends will continue to honor those policies with A Bird Haven customers. Petrarca said she and her husband had always planned to retire at 65, but with the economy strong and the Hernandezes eager to take over the San Diego store, they decided to retire early. Their plans are to travel the world, including the Amazon where many of the birds they sell are native species. āItās been a good run,ā she said, praising Councilwoman Olga Diaz and the city of Escondido for keeping downtown alive with farmers markets, Cruisinā Grand and other events. āWe canāt say enough about how great the city and our customers have been to us over the years.ā
Close up view of "Copious," a Catalina macaw for sale at A Bird Haven in Escondido, which will close March 27 after 40 years in business. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Sharon Petrarca, left, owner of A Bird Haven in Escondido, watches as longtime customer Akino Tsuchiya holds "Copious," a Catalina macaw for sale at the soon-to-close shop. Akino stopped by to say goodbye. (Charlie Neuman /)
Last edited:
