CAMEO PET SHOP, Richmond Hill

by Kevin Walsh

It could be the end of the line for the Cameo Pet Shop, a venerable Richmond Hill institution at Jamaica Avenue and 116th Street, as well as its venerable handpainted pair of awning signs. Cameo, which has been owned by the Gruebel family since it opened in 1947, was recently spotted with “Going Out of Business Sale” signs in its windows. Until 2011, the pet shop was home to Buttkiss, the oldest fish in captivity (named for NFL Hall of Famer Dick Butkus) who finally passed at the age of 45; it was stuffed and mounted on the pet shop wall.

The store is featured in Jamie McDonald’s book New York Originals, concerning businesses which have been operated by the same family for at least 30 years.

Photo: Bob Mulero

5/23/16

1 comment

JEFF COSTIGAN May 8, 2019 - 3:43 pm

CAMEO WAS A GREAT PET SHOP. SEEMED LIKE THEY HAD EVERYTHING, IF THEY DID NOT HAVE IT, THEY WOULD ORDER IT FOR YOU AND IT WAS THERE IN ABOUT 2 DAYS. TRY THAT AT PETLAND OR ANOTHER CHAIN, NEVER GONNA HAPPEN THERE!! BOUGHT ALL MY TROPICAL FISH AND SUPPLIES THERE, SINCE AS A KID. AS I GOT OLDER, IN HIGH SCHOOL, I HAD A GUY IN MY CLASS, FRANK, HE WORKED PART TIME AT CAMEO. WE WERE TALKING FISH, HE MENTIONED HE HAS PIRANHAS, I ASKED IF HE GOT THEM AT CAMEO, HE SAID NO, THEY ARE ILLEGAL. I ASKED IF HE COULD GET ME A FEW, HE DID, THINK THEY WERE $5:00 EACH. I BOUGHT 3. A MONTH LATER I WENT TO CAMEO AND BOUGHT A 55 GALLON SET UP. TANK, STAND , GRAVEL, FILTERS. TOTAL BILL WAS $635. BECAUSE THEY KNEW ME THERE PRETTY WELL, I WAS CHARGED ONLY $555. NOT BAD, HUH. WHEN I HAD MY 3 PIRANHAS, I BOUGHT ALL MY FEEDER GOLDFISH FROM THEM, ALWAYS REMEMBER THE GIANT PACU THEY HAD THERE AS A PET, NAME WAS BUTTKISS. IT DIED & THE OWNER HAD IT MOUNTED AND WAS HANGING IN THE SHOP. GREAT STORE, VERY SORRY TO SEE IT CLOSE………………………

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