Right on Grove Street in downtown Jersey City lives a familiar favorite bar to locals, Pet Shop. Pet shop is the pop star of bars in Jersey City. The bar is labeled as a vegetarian restaurant on google, upholding a high status with their vegan chicken nuggets. The bar creates a cozy atmosphere with its dark wooden interior, illuminated by yellow Christmas lights hanging all along the ceiling. There's quirky art displayed, an intimate wine bar in the basement, a spacious patio, and a sweet instant photobooth. While the bars staff does an excellent job in maintaining a polished and cleanly space, the place is still able to hold a grungy bar-like feeling. The bathrooms are blasted with stickers from all sorts of musicians and tagged often by familiar graffiti writers.
Pet Shop feels as though you are taking a step into a cabin owned by a dachshund that wears a monocle. (Here is a drawing of my vision of said Sausage Dog)
The owners of the bar are David Rappaport, Shen Pan, and Erick Speck. They were initially looking to open up a music venue. Erick Speck says, "It's a shame because this area needs it." Although it is not a venue, shows are hosted often enough to create a reputation of one. Bands are invited to perform and DJ's such as Bad Habits and Slim Carrey spin vinyl very often. With the owner's appreciation for rock n roll and cheap beer, they created a space for musicians and artists to feel at home.
I turned 21 on June 22 of 2025. Prior to that, Id often bike down grove street and hear music from outside the bar. Not being able to enter, I would feel what one calls FOMO. Since turning of the legal drinking age, I have been able to spend a handful of nights popping in Pet shop and over consuming green tea shots. On December 11th of 2025, I finally caught my first live show there.
The bands that performed were Juniper, 3 dollars, Skinny, and Young and Doomed. I am proud to say that they are all local and skilled bands in the North Jersey scene. All 4 bands differentiate in alternative genres yet created a cohesive and exciting bill. The show was hosted by the familiar "Dancing Tony" who brings a liveliness to Jersey City by consistently curating events. It had been every bands first time preforming at Pet Shop, making it a memorable night for the local bands and supporters.
On December 18th of 2025, I attended my second show at Pet Shop. My friends that play in the noise rock band, Rotoscope, were performing for the first time at the bar alongside Ouchie, and Dark Surfers. Rotoscopes electronic synths and epileptic light show is enough to make you dance sober, so it paired splendidly that night with Jameson. After the show I was conversing with my friend Soul. He had revealed to me that Pet Shop used to quite literally be a pet shop...
Soul moved to the apartment above the bar in 2008, when the business below was still bannered "Village Tropical Fish & Pet Supplies". The business opened in 1976, being one of the oldest running businesses in Jersey City. When I asked Soul what vivid memories he had living above the original store, he said "I was obsessed with reptiles as a kid. Being right above a tropical pet store only influenced me even more. Every other day I'd go inside the store when I got home. It had a classic pet store smell but a bit funkier than most and looking back at it the animals could've been kept much more responsibly. I recall seeing tropical birds, rodents, fish, etc... The owner was an older man, who despite being rude at times, explained the caretaking of the animals well. I had two iguanas, a bearded dragon, a tarantula, and I was surprised with a cat all from the same store." Just like my pet enthusiast friend Soul, the shop had many loyal customers. However, in 2014 the shop closed down after 38 years of business, due to what we can assume to be rising rent in the gentrifying area.
When David, Erick, and Shen were looking to rent a place out, they thought to keep the name of the prior businesses. In the blog post "Pet Shop Bar" by "Jersey City Gal.", Dave Rappaport says "We almost rented Beauty Land and were going to call it Beauty Land." Renting 99 Cent Dreams was also amidst conversation between the owners. A beer and a show at a spot named "99 Cent Dreams" does sound enticing... Nevertheless, they landed upon the pet shop. They decided to craft a vegetarian menu, which one can deem as a commemoration to the spots 38 years of being animals' territory. Their bar logo is an empty bird cage with a bent bar, symbolizing the liberation from their day jobs to pursue their passions.
(Here is my friend Keilani and I liberating ourselves as well...)
