Opening a fish store

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Anonymous

Guest
So, I have been toying with the idea for a while now. My Dad and I always wanted to open a fish store in NY, but never did. I have been doing a lot of thinking about it and may just start seriously planning this. My idea is an African Cichlid specific store. "Jewel of the Rift" is the working title for now.

What I want from you guys is ideas on what you want in a fish store. What would you like to see? What would sway you to a store even if it was out of your way?

Post up your thoughts and I will post up what I have in mind.

Thanks!
 
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Anonymous

Guest
i say a store that would sway me is veriety, clean, and doin it right, dontt cramp fish, or no one will go. sure put a jack dempsey in a 20 gallon, but only if its small...... just dont put full grown fish in tanks to small for them. i understand that you would have to have fish that grow to be big in small tanks because you dont plan on having them for a long time.

ALSO, have a couple displays, show them what you can do... have maybe a small tropical fish section, like tetras, angels, plecos, and cories or sumthing. and make sure you have tanks for plants!

IMO i wouldnt run it on one filter because of sickness, i would get a huge shipment for some cheap canisters or run like 4 tanks per filter.

i dont wanna see dead fish in tanks, so when you get it set up take a walk around the whole store looking at every tank every hour or so.
 
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baglel10

New Member
dont limit yourself to freshwater or at least just keep a few salt water items on hand just the basics :king:
 
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Anonymous

Guest
not looking for basic. In fact, I will have a "no dumbass" rule in place. No salt water, this is a specialty store.
 
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lars on

New Member
Like last night, refuse service to people who dont have adequate tanks

buy fish from local breeders also, breed your own fish
 
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Anonymous

Guest
well the problem with refusing is that its really opinion. if your doing saltwater and someone wants to buy a mandarin dragonet, there are huge debates on minimum size, between 25 gallons and 150 gallons. although i would say 50 gallons is minimum, someone may say differently. this is just the best example i could think of, so just think of it as a cichlid of some sort. also, if you tell them it wont work in thier tank, show them other options, dont just tell them no then walk off.

also, have a breeding set up in the back, and make it presentable, a lot of people love that stuff and also, you can have them put thier name down for the certain brood. show the parents to and DONT sell the parents...

write on the glass with wax or sumthing like that. you will be getting different fish and different shipments so no stickers. i hate it when i cant find what im trying to buy because all the tanks are mislabeled. just update it when you get new inventory and when you bad something just cross out the name, if there are some left leave it.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
My idea is a clean, ultra modern store, a complet submersion experience. A place you would like to hang out in, even if just to look at everything. There will be a coffee bar/lounge area. There will be cool lighting, interactive kiosks that answer questions you may have about certain fish. Big screen TV's on the wall showing cool African Cichlid related documentaries. A super knowledgeable staff that knows how to treat a customer. Low prices and high volume are key in a venture like this. I am going to be starting a market saturation survey Monday to ascertain a suitable location.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
make sure you have a lot of dry goods. even add in skimmers, i know its not freshwater but even though you may not have saltwater fish its still nice to have an LFS that has them. also with low prices comes low quality OR low income. you can chose. also, i would offer the coffee free. have a computer that someone can go on and search the fish they want to buy. dont have expensive lights on top of fish only tanks, just enough to see the colors nicely, add a lot of LED's, they make the color of the fish pop!
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Teddy, while I appreciate your input, I have owned several extremely successful businesses, from a night club in NY to a detailing shop in Florida. I am well aware of business practices and customer service.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
i dont doubt it, and im not telling you your wrong or right (although your right :p)... i just want to put it out there for others, and if you didnt know, or dont remember. im sure this store will be amazing, i just want you to get it right the first time! also, i like to add little tips on stuff that my crazy mind thinks up :p
 
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Anonymous

Guest
There will be a few key things in this store. One will be the display tanks. I am thinking 500 gallon tanks, all lake specific biopes. Malawi, Victoria and Tanganyika. I will not be delving into riverine, but it is a possibility later on. As for low cost = low quality, that is not necessarily true. Acquisition pricing vs quantitative pricing dictates lower prices for the same merchandise at higher quantities. So, that being said, you can get the same filter for much less if you buy more. You then pass the savings on to the customer..and the cycle continues.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
true that! i think a few 500 tanks would be a bit overwhelming for me, i would be more interested in 100-200 gallons because that is actualy possible in a house withough pouring a seperate foundation. also, im sure you already thought of this, but have at least 1 tank of every size for sale, and have some pre thought up set ups or offer a set up that they can chose from stuff in the store for a set price.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
I do like Teddy's idea on the breeding area. I really want to grow my own stock. That would be another key feature of the store. Making it presentable is a must. I am into very neat, well organized spaces. This store will be a study in working smarter, not harder.
 
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