New mural at Loyal Companion on Maple Avenue. Photo contributed
After the pandemic forced Pet Valu to close in Alexandria this month, the employees looked elsewhere for a job, but the Pet Valu manager was hired by Loyal Companion pet supply store in Vienna. They needed a mural for their plate glass window, so the new manager sought out her former employee Cynthia Salmon, another displaced employee from the Alexandria shop who is also an art student at VCU. Cynthia brought in some paints and an idea, and now the Loyal Companion has a new look to greet the shoppers on Maple Avenue.