The rapid pace of development surrounding Angela Pfeil’s longtime Capitol Hill pet store left her with two options: Get swallowed up in the change or make it work for her. After 21 years of serving Capitol Hill’s pet needs, The Feed Bag Pet Provisions will be closing at E Pike and Belmont in order to transition into a new mobile operation.

“We’re not going anywhere, we’re going everywhere,” Pfeil said. “I’m changing the business to fit the needs of the community.”

With a commercial van ready to go, Pfeil is planning to close her brick-and–mortar shop in September when her new mobile store will take over.

Think of it like a food truck for pet supplies. The Feed Bag will initially focus on serving some of the very Capitol Hill apartment buildings that were partially responsible for the end of her shop, Pfeil said. As a die-hard Seahawks fan, Pfeil is also planning to tailgate with her van-full of Seahawks pet supplies and stake out other community events.

The Feedbagmobile will also make stops by appointment for a $5 fee or a $50 minimum purchase. Capitol Hill will remain home base, Pfeil said, but she’s looking forward to expanding into other neighborhoods. Unfortunately, Pfeil’s “bad boy” van won’t have enough room to stock the store’s current bird, fish, and reptile products. Customers shopping inside the walk-in van will also get to tap Pfeil’s decades worth of pet knowledge — something Pfeil hopes will make her business standout among delivery services like Amazon.

CHS caught up with Pfeil last year as she celebrated 20 years in business and discussed some of the challenges she’s faced along the way. The Feedbag came out of the deepest trenches of the recession with momentum, nearly doubling its floor space some four years ago as it moved just one door over from its original space to the Pike and Belmont corner.

Pfeil remains surprisingly upbeat about the major transition, but she’s also highly critical of the City for making many Capitol Hill businesses owners feel abandoned amid several turbulent years in the neighborhood.

“I kept thinking, my business is not failing, my customers aren’t failing me. It’s the government that’s failing to protect us,” she said.

Pfeil is part of the dwindling old guard of 90’s Capitol Hill small business owners that continue to survive on a mix of new and old customers. While some regulars were saddened by the store’s closure, Pfeil said many others were thrilled at the idea of not having to lug around 40 pound bags of dog food.

“Independents have to find a way to compete,” she said. “Small businesses can’t wait for the money to walk in the door.”