It takes a special breed of business owner to start from scratch after a devastating tragedy.

That is what Al Selmer, the owner of Selmer’s Pet Land in Huntington, N.Y., and subject of this month’s cover story, proved to be after a catastrophic fire destroyed his store in 1988.

In just a few short hours, the business that the Selmer family had spent a half-century building was literally reduced to ashes. The building was gutted and the inventory was destroyed, but probably the most heart-wrenching part of the loss was the 150-plus animals that died in the fire.

As Al Selmer arrived at the scene to find plumes of black smoke and scores of fire trucks, he could not help but have serious doubts about the future of the business.

“I thought that was the end,” he recounted to Pet Business editor Jennifer Boncy when she visited his store this spring.

But Selmer was not defeated. Instead of shrinking away with his tail between his legs, he set up some trailers to serve as a temporary storefront and reopened the business in less than eight days.

Over the year that followed, Selmer had the store rebuilt in its original footprint and even improved upon the old facility.

Today, the only evidence that Selmer’s Pet Land went through this devastating tragedy is a bronze plaque honoring the memory of all the animals that died in the fire, as well as a clear plan to prevent that kind of loss of life from happening again.

Today, the pets sold at Selmer’s Pet Land are housed in cages and habitats that can easily be removed from the building in the event of another emergency. What’s more, Selmer has designated a secondary building on the property (usually used for grooming) to serve as a safe haven for evacuated animals.

The average independent pet retailer can learn a lot from this tragedy and the subsequent rebirth of Selmer’s Pet Land. First is the importance of having a comprehensive plan to respond to disasters like the one described above. This type of strategy may save not only a pet retailer’s business, but also the little lives in its care.

Just as important is the example that Al Selmer set with his tenacity. Not only did he refuse to quit in the face of extreme adversity, he took the opportunity to actually improve his business as it rose from the ashes.