Sonnen’s Pet Shop, among city’s oldest stores, closes after over 130 years downtown

Sonnen’s Pet Shop, among city’s oldest stores, closes after over 130 years downtown

After more than 130 years in downtown St. Paul and 91 under the ownership of the Sonnen family, Sonnen’s Pet Shop, one of the city’s oldest retail stores, has quietly closed. Second-generation owner David Sonnen, 81, has retired, and the last day for the store — a tiny alcove in the historic Hamm Building that sold birds, fish and other animal accessories — was in May. Up until its final days, the store famously looked nearly identical to how it…