People: Henry and Kelly Collin: all in the family

Running a business is a full-time job and often limits the time parents can spend with each other and with their children. Henry and Kelly Collin have found the perfect solution: They take their family--even their pets--to work with them. The Collins and Kelly's father, Joe McDowell, own the Pet Food Depot on El Camino Real in Palo Alto. They bought the store in April 1994, and since then it has taken up much of their time.

The Pet Food Depot sells an array of pet supplies, from bird seed to dog kennels.

Although they live 20 miles away in Campbell, the Collins spend so much time at work that they often feel as though Palo Alto is their home. Their 2-year-old daughter, Amanda, accompanies them to work every day except one, when she attends preschool.

Working as a family is important to both Henry and Kelly, although it's debatable whether Amanda is a help or a hindrance in the running of the store. "She spends a lot of her day chasing employees," laughs Henry. Their dog, Bart, also makes the daily journey from Campbell with them, while cats Micky and Mugs live in the store.

The Collins met at the University of California at Berkeley in 1985. Henry, who majored in engineering, graduated in 1986, and Kelly followed two years later with a business major. At first, they both took jobs in Silicon Valley: Henry designed semiconductor equipment while Kelly worked as a financial analyst for FMC Corp. and Intel.

The couple married in 1990 and moved to Chicago so Henry could attend graduate school. While he studied for a master's degree in management at Northwestern University, Kelly worked in the natural foods retail business. Their next move was to Portland, Ore., where Henry ran a company that sold computers.

By this time they were beginning to feel dissatisfied with their lifestyle and were looking for a change. "We were in the rat race that everybody's in. We wanted to do something different," Kelly said.

So, they went from the high-tech world of computers to the low-tech world of animal food. Although Henry and Kelly are animal lovers, they insist that buying the store was strictly a business decision. They were also pleased to move back to California, where both of their families live.

"We made the decision to move back to Silicon Valley to have the store. And that's when we decided to work together," Henry said.

Living and working together can prove to be too much for some couples. Not so for the Collins. Kelly puts their successful partnership down to shared ideals: She thinks they both have the same business philosophy. Henry is a little more pragmatic.

"We do very different things too," he said. "We may be in the same office, but we don't spend much time together."

While Kelly handles advertising, finance and employee supervision, Henry deals with the store's computer systems and facilities maintenance. They are both involved in purchasing for the store. Although the Pet Food Depot may be a far cry from the high-tech world of Silicon Valley, the Collins value spending time as a family and being in control of their own destiny.

Work pressures and a young daughter leave the couple with little free time. When questioned about their other activities, Kelly turns to Henry. "Do we have time for hobbies?" she asks with a smile.

Fortunately, the answer is yes. They enjoy camping, traveling and skiing, and are planning to take Amanda on her first ski trip this year.

And, of course, there are the animals. "We have a horse, a lizard, two cats, a dog and two tanks of saltwater fish," Kelly said.

Both got used to living with animals as children. Kelly, 32, was raised in Saratoga, in a house full of dogs. "Basically, my mom was the animal lover. She was one of those people who took in every stray," she said. She and her sister were also horse crazy and showed horses regularly.

Henry, 34, was born on a naval base in Japan, but he grew up in a farming community south of Fresno. His family, too, always had animals.

Although their love of animals was not a big part of their decision to buy the store, both agree that it has been a real plus in running the business. "It would be hard to keep our customers happy if we didn't have an interest in animals," Henry said.

The Collins are proud of the progress they have made with the Pet Food Depot. They now sell horse supplies, have expanded the range of products for reptiles and have focused on natural pet foods. On the service side, a dog trainer gives regular classes at the store, while a vet offers weekly low-cost vaccination clinics.

Continuing to educate both staff and customers in animal care is an important part of their work. The couple also want people to realize that their store is not part of a corporate chain but a family-owned store, with an emphasis on service.

Whatever the future holds for the Pet Food Depot, one thing is certain: The Collins will all be in it together.

--Jackie Sanders

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