Reptiles brought Robert and Marcy Coral together, and now the husband and wife will give Roseville residents the same chance.
They're the owners of The Serpentarium, a reptile store at 1850 Douglas Blvd. that opened in late April. The store will hold a grand opening at 11 a.m. Saturday, with giveaways, vendors and a Memorial Day weekend sale.
"Instead of a pet shop look, we have exhibits," Robert Coral said, pointing to some of the terrariums lining the aisles of the Roseville shop. "We bring a piece of their natural environment into their homes."
The Corals took over the main Serpentarium location, a two-story museum in Lodi, in 2009. Robert Coral had previously worked in IT in Silicon Valley, and decided to return to a passion he's had since he was a teen: reptiles.
"I do love lots of them, but not the way he does," Marcy Coral said, looking at her husband. "He's like, crazy passionate about them."
In fact, the Serpentarium offers free general health inspections for animals, even if they were purchased somewhere else. And the stores accept surrendered reptiles from anyone who is unable to keep their pet.
"As soon as we bring them in, we'll start calling people who could maybe adopt that animal out," Marcy Coral said. "We try to rehabilitate animals as best we can."
The Lodi Serpentarium hosts school field trips and birthday parties, and is home to a 250-pound, 17-foot Burmese Python who eats rabbits. The Corals opened a store in Elk Grove two years ago, and are planning four to five more retail stores.
They said their customers range to little kids to an 80-year-old, and when they show their reptiles for birthday parties, the stereotypes don't always hold true.
"It's always the little girls who want to hold them, and the boys are afraid," Robert Coral said.
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The Serpentarium
1850 Douglas Blvd., Suite 300
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