PENN PLAX

For more than six decades, Penn-Plax has been creating innovative products designed to make life better for pets and the people who care for them. Today, the family-owned company is a recognised name across the global pet industry, offering an extensive portfolio of products for aquatics, reptiles, birds, cats, dogs and small animals.

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The story of Penn-Plax began in 1956, when the Goldman and Rosen families opened their first pet shop in Brooklyn, New York. The shop quickly became a local destination for pet owners and animal lovers, giving the family something that would prove invaluable in the years that followed: a first-hand understanding of what customers wanted and, more importantly, what pets needed.

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That experience inspired the Goldman brothers to begin developing their own products directly from the back room of the shop. Working with incredibly simple equipment—including an oven and a vacuum cleaner to create vacuum-formed plastic—they began experimenting with new ideas and refining products that could solve everyday challenges for pet owners.

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Some of the company's early innovations included 3-D aquarium backgrounds, unique aquarium filters and underwater rivers, alongside products for other areas of the pet industry such as cat pans and dog bowls. As customers responded positively and demand continued to grow, the family recognised the potential to take their ideas beyond their own shop.

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By the 1960s, product development had progressed into large-scale manufacturing on Pennsylvania Avenue, and Penn-Plax was born. Originally operating under the name Pennsylvania Plastics, the newly established Penn-Plax brand began building a reputation for creative, high-quality products across multiple areas of the pet industry.

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Innovation has remained central to the company's identity ever since. Across its history, Penn-Plax has continued to introduce proprietary products and respond to changing trends within the pet industry, always with the goal of improving the experience for both pets and their owners. The company's ability to adapt to cultural, environmental and generational changes has helped it remain relevant through more than six decades of evolution.

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Today, Penn-Plax is led by the third generation of the Goldman family and continues to operate with the same entrepreneurial spirit that inspired its beginnings. From aquarium equipment and décor to reptile habitats and pet accessories, the company remains committed to combining creativity, quality and value to help strengthen the relationship between pets and the people who love them.

With products now enjoyed by pet owners around the world, Penn-Plax continues to build on a legacy that began in a small Brooklyn pet shop—proving that sometimes the best product ideas come from simply understanding what pets and their owners need.