Grand opening weekend August 15-16 at Unleashed by Petco in Silver Spring

Unleashed by Petco is open in the historic former U.S. Post Office in downtown Silver Spring. But they'll be hosting a Grand Opening event next weekend, on August 15 and 16.

The celebration will begin at 9:00 AM on August 15 with a VIP ribbon-cutting at the store. They will also honor service dogs, and a local animal shelter. You'll get a free "goodie bag" with any purchase, while supplies last. Self-serve dog washes will be available for $5, instead of the usual $10 charge.

Unleashed by Petco

8412 Georgia Avenue

Unleashed by Petco opens in former Silver Spring Post Office (Photos)

The historic Silver Spring U.S. Post Office is getting a new leash on life. Unleashed by Petco has opened in the building.

What is Unleashed by Petco? A scaled-down store that aims to offer a more neighborhood-oriented set of products and services. So don't expect the full-service grooming of a larger Petco, for example. The focus of the store is on dogs and cats.

Essentially, it is competing with the smaller, mom-and-pop pet stores you would usually find in neighborhood strip malls, as opposed to the big box pet emporiums off the highway in the exurbs. So expect it to jockey with Club Wags, Big Bad Woof and Paw Stop for the booming number of downtown residents who own dogs and cats. Like many local independent pet shops, Unleashed promises to stock locally-made products on its shelves.

For readers who are history buffs, the post office was built by the New Deal-era Works Progress Administration between 1936 and 1937. The building is now owned by Douglas Development.

Unleashed by Petco

8412 Georgia Avenue