Paul Clark was in search of what he dubbed his “encore career” after years in the health care technology field.

He looked to a lifelong hobby of his to find it.

Clark, who has lived in Maple Valley with his wife Lori since 2002, realized while he was job hunting that he “was looking at my future from the wrong angle.”

“Instead of trying to continue the project manager IT career, I decided to look into an encore career,” he said. “I remember the first time I walked into a Wild Birds Unlimited store in St. Louis. I thought, ‘Wow, I’d like to do that.’”

That thought came back to Clark as he pondered his future and he decided to contact Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop’s corporate headquarters in Carmel, Indiana, and inquire about starting a franchise.

It only made sense to marry his work with a lifelong love of feeding birds in his backyard in rural northwestern Pennsylvania.

“When I was 7, I filled a bird feeder in my back yard,” Clark said. “This all began in my childhood because in Pennsylvania the winters are long, the weather was cold and you spent a lot of time indoors. Bird feeding allows you to enjoy nature without having to go outside. Backyard bird feeding is a way to enjoy nature. And you’re helping the birds to survive and be healthier and stronger.”

The timing must have been right because when Clark called Wild Birds, company officials told him they were interested in having a franchise in the Four Corners area of Maple Valley, which appealed very much to him as a location.

“When I first had the idea I was thinking I might have to go somewhere like Issaquah to make it work from the business aspect of it,” Clark said. “Once I did my demographics and looked at rental costs, it came down to Covington as being the better option, and a lot of that had to do with available space.”

On May 1, Clark will officially open the doors to the Covington franchise of Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop, located in Covington Esplanade next to the UPS Store.

“Wild Birds Unlimited is celebrating their 30th birthday this year, so, they have a system I can follow,” he said. “It’s not just me standing on my own. I have that support and backing.”

He expects to draw customers from as far west as the Kent Valley near the Green River as well as out to Renton, Maple Valley and south.

Clark plans to offer the great variety of products he said Wild Birds Unlimited has built a reputation on over the years.

“When you first walk in (to the store) I hope you have the feeling of being in a relaxing outdoor environment enhanced with birds and beautiful things, enjoyable things,” he said. “Primarily we are marketing bird seed mixes and that’s one of the things that really drew me to them was the seed mixes and they are committed to doing it right.”

His store will carry a range of items for beginners in bird feeding to help them get started, to attract birds and create an inviting environment in the back yard with feed and feeders, nesting boxes, functional decor, as well as items that appeal to many flying creatures from birds to bees to bats to butterflies.

In addition, Clark noted, he has reached out to the community in the hopes of developing partnerships with local parks and recreation departments and any other organization that may be interested in having him do presentations on bird feeding.

As a bird feeding enthusiast, Clark said, he hopes to be able to answer questions for his patrons but he also has the benefit of two ornithologists at his disposal thanks to Wild Birds Unlimited as well as connections to local resources.

There’s just something about the connection to wild life that Clark enjoys and he knows there are many others who share the hobby.

“I love the fact that here we have hummingbirds all winter,” he said. “The other morning it was 16 degrees and my Anna’s humming bird met me at the door. He was so happy to have a warm drink. To have that in the back yard and to be able to just look at it is wonderful. We give back to them and they give back to us.”

For more information about the Wild Birds Unlimited franchise in Covington log on to www.covington.wbu.com.