About Us
A little store with a big heart and tons of options.
Abrams & Weakley has a rich history as the first pet health food and supply store in the Harrisburg area. Our shop is nestled in a quaint Susquehanna Township neighborhood. Abrams & Weakley is just outside of the Harrisburg city limits on North Sixth street and accessible from Interstate 81, Linglestown Road and North Front Street. Our location makes us easily to get to from any direction.
In 1985, pet enthusiasts Beth Abrams and Judy Weakley fulfilled their dreams by opening Abrams & Weakley General Store for Animals. They wanted to offer the healthy pet products, grooming services, and excellent pet care advice. The shop quickly became a resource to customers near and far and a meeting place for pet lovers who wished to improve the health of their pets.
Beth retired from the business in the mid-nineties and Judy carried on. I met Judy in 2005 when I was shopping for my new rescue dog. Shortly after that first meeting, I began working with Judy and never left. She was like a mother to me. Her passion for animals was contagious. She possessed an incredible wealth of knowledge about animals that came from decades of experience, and I observed and absorbed all that she had to teach me in the four years that we worked together. When she was diagnosed with ALS in 2008, Judy arranged for me to take over her responsibilities and purchase the store. Judy passed away peacefully at home on April 18, 2009 with her beloved Golden retriever, Jolly Moonbeam, by her side. She left her store in trusted and caring hands.
Judy’s legacy is alive as our staff carries on the good work that she and Beth began almost four decades ago. It is a great gift and an honor to own a small business started and run by women 100% since 1985. We look forward to working with you to help keep your pets healthy.
Kristen Zellner, Owner
How We Choose Our Products
We love shopping for new products. That’s why you’ll always see something here that you didn’t notice before. Local products are at the top of our list if we approve of the ingredients. Supporting small, family-owned companies is also important to us, as we too, are just a small fish in a BIG pond. We find that smaller companies do a better job with customer service, quality control and they refuse to sacrifice their standards. Their products are often more affordable than large companies because they don’t spend millions of dollars on advertising. You will never find food containing wheat, corn, soy, powdered cellulose, artificial colors or flavors, BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, or by-products here. And, we do not sell food or treats made in China.
Get to Know Us
Kristen Zellner, Owner
From insects to horses and everything in between, Kristen has been helping animals since she was a child. Originally from the Lehigh Valley, she is graduate of Kutztown University and a former teacher. Helping people navigate care for their beloved pets came naturally to Kristen. Working as an educator for the first half of her career, she found a way to combine her passion for animals and love of working with people. It was easy for her to fall in love with everything about this community of animal lovers. Kristen lives in Harrisburg with her spouse, Kelly, their daughter, Cora, five cats, two dogs, eight rats, and often more than one foster cat. Her interests outside of pet care are spending time with family, camping, coffee, Star Wars, Legos and singing with her musical trio, Shoot the Moon.
Becky Schuchert, Manager
Becky is originally from Pottstown PA (no, not the town with Yuengling, the other one) graduating from Pottsgrove HS and then Kutztown State College with a BS in Art Ed. After 1.5 unsatisfying years as an art teacher and some bicycle touring she began painting signs which led to taking a course in neon sign-making in Salina KS and apprenticing at Bright Sign in Reading PA. Several relocations later she established a neon shop adjacent to Abrams and Weakley in August, 2001, where she had been shopping for her pets. This move segued into occasionally assisting Judy Weakley with receiving deliveries and staffing the store when Judy had triple bypass surgery. It was at that time she realized how much her pets (dogs, cats, rabbits…) had taught her through the years and she enjoyed being able to help customers and their pets.
As Kristen was taking ownership of A & W, LED’s were becoming a practical replacement for neon and it was an easy transition to working full-time with Kristen. In the spring of 2022 she quit making neon, ending a 35-year career.
She now shares her days with two dogs and two cats, and a multitude of pretty awesome humans who want to do the best they can for their pets.
Brenda Brenner, Assistant Manager
Brenda has been a part of the Abrams & Weakley team since 2015. She and her husband, Bob, Live in Susquehanna Township with their three rescue dogs and four cats. Brenda is passionate about animal rescue. For many years, she has been involved in transporting dogs from high-kill shelters in the south to safety in the north, and ultimately finding their forever homes. Her decades of experience with animals makes Brenda an asset to Abrams & Weakley.