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Anonymous
Guest
lol, i so gotta work there, the store would be spotless with my major OCD. although i would be bugging you 24-7 about a saltwater section, i bet youd let me set up a 10 gallon >.> LOL
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Anonymous
Guest
Tanks will abound. I want my display tanks to be overwhelming, that's the idea. My stocking tanks will be bigger than most, but uniform. I HATE seeing a store with 100 different size stock tanks. I'm just trying to decide on tank size. Filtration is going to be another issue to tackle. Right now, I am thinking a FPT (filter per tank) setup with mostly sponge filters in the stocking tanks...but heating is another issue. The electric bill is going to be AMAZING! lol
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Anonymous
Guest
get a room heater, it will be nice and toasty 
you could cook eggs on the floor
you could cook eggs on the floor
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Anonymous
Guest
I'll be working on a floor plan here shortly to get a good feel for the layout.
One idea I have is the front windows of the store. Ever seen a window that looked like an aquarium? Think about that. viewable from inside and out, like you were walking through the Seattle Aquarium.
One idea I have is the front windows of the store. Ever seen a window that looked like an aquarium? Think about that. viewable from inside and out, like you were walking through the Seattle Aquarium.
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Anonymous
Guest
amke sure its thick glass!!!!! dont want any punks trying to break it.
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Anonymous
Guest
2" thick acrylic. We will have roll up doors..not to worry.
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Anonymous
Guest
oh by the way, if you send me the layout, i can make it on google sketch up with a walkthrough for you, for a cheap price of course
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Anonymous
Guest
I have an architectural firm in Florida working on it..some friends of mine doing it for free.
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Anonymous
Guest
poo...
LOL- really? Every LFS has a 100-200 gallon display tank! 500+ is what i'm talkin' about! He wants to set himself apart from everyone else, that's the whole idea I am getting from his plan. Although I don't know why you would waste a huge tank like that on just cichlids, but of course that is just my opinion.teddyzaper said:
Good luck if you follow through with the store!
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Anonymous
Guest
I'm taking what I like and making a business out of it. The huge display tanks will be awesome. This will be a different kind of store.
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Anonymous
Guest
just make sure you have beginer fish! obvious but ive seen some stores that are just advanced.
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Anonymous
Guest
Mikey, if all goes as planned, I will have a location in a year. Then 6 months of building and a grand opening 18 months from now.
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Anonymous
Guest
nothing is set in stone yet..lots of planning left to do
larry.beck
New Member
Hey Spyral,
Very exciting! One thing that I think would go over really well with the community you're talking about serving is selling a stock of F1. Since we mostly have to mail order these today I would imagine there's some room for someone willing to go bigger on their orders and take advantage of wholesale rates. Another thing - if you could build a network of local breeders that would really help keep your inventory costs down.
I look forward to seeing how this idea shapes up over the coming months - keep us updated!
Very exciting! One thing that I think would go over really well with the community you're talking about serving is selling a stock of F1. Since we mostly have to mail order these today I would imagine there's some room for someone willing to go bigger on their orders and take advantage of wholesale rates. Another thing - if you could build a network of local breeders that would really help keep your inventory costs down.
I look forward to seeing how this idea shapes up over the coming months - keep us updated!
I'd advise you to setup shop in your basement first, and learn how to maintan, 50 aquariums, all that is learned there can be transfered to the business.
First of all, decide where your fish are coming from. There are 3 wholesalers, 2 in washington, 1 in oregon. Then there is out of state, which means you'll want to be located near seatac.
Also, 50% of your sales will be guppies, tetras etc. Don't get me wrong, you'll have lots of cichlid patrons as well. However you will net more profet from common fish than the cichlid die hards.
Next I advise you to not carry many dry goods. As wholesale prices vs internet pricing is difficult at best. Your competitors are dr fosters, big als etc. Get wholesale price list, then compare it to online, and realize they're oporating without a storefront overhead, and run at only a %20 markup over list cost.
A local fish store should focus on what is rather bought in person than online. Fish, tanks, emergency meds etc. Food, lighting, filters, etc, will be bought online for the most part, still have some of those on hand, cause some people will want to support you. However people also like to save their dollars where they can.
In my experience, the most important thing to a store is, fish health, and fish knowledge. People are willing to pay extra for a fish that is healthy, and someone who can advise them and help them from making a mistake when setting up a tank.
Pick your niche and stay with it, don't be a jack of all trades. You'll just get down rated by customers. You'll have to staff an expert saltwater person every hour you're open, or you'll get a rep as bad as petco for advise etc. Same thing goes for your cichlids, you can't have someone who can keep fish, but can't show the difference between your victorian cichlids. Anyone can show some people peacocks, mbunas etc. Victorians make employees head spin, and honestly they probably don't care enough to learn them.
Don't focus on being the cheapest price, there is always someone out there that will undercut you. Focus on offering the best knowledge. Time is money, if you can provide someone with correct knowledge the first time, they will value that, over saving $2 on a fish, but having compatibility problems.
There are many aspects to this business, that you've never realized will come into play, until you've been in the business. For instance, finding a tax accountant, that specializes in livestock, so that you can claim your losses on your taxes etc.
As for aquariums as the storefront. The reason it isnt done, is it makes it much harder to control your store temperature. Not to mention those display tank's temperature. On days like today, you'd be losing fish, or having your roll doors down. Giving the impression you're closed. In Washington, you don't need to glitz and glam of the north east where good fish shops are a dime a dozen, all you need is a honest trade, with knowledge to back it.
First of all, decide where your fish are coming from. There are 3 wholesalers, 2 in washington, 1 in oregon. Then there is out of state, which means you'll want to be located near seatac.
Also, 50% of your sales will be guppies, tetras etc. Don't get me wrong, you'll have lots of cichlid patrons as well. However you will net more profet from common fish than the cichlid die hards.
Next I advise you to not carry many dry goods. As wholesale prices vs internet pricing is difficult at best. Your competitors are dr fosters, big als etc. Get wholesale price list, then compare it to online, and realize they're oporating without a storefront overhead, and run at only a %20 markup over list cost.
A local fish store should focus on what is rather bought in person than online. Fish, tanks, emergency meds etc. Food, lighting, filters, etc, will be bought online for the most part, still have some of those on hand, cause some people will want to support you. However people also like to save their dollars where they can.
In my experience, the most important thing to a store is, fish health, and fish knowledge. People are willing to pay extra for a fish that is healthy, and someone who can advise them and help them from making a mistake when setting up a tank.
Pick your niche and stay with it, don't be a jack of all trades. You'll just get down rated by customers. You'll have to staff an expert saltwater person every hour you're open, or you'll get a rep as bad as petco for advise etc. Same thing goes for your cichlids, you can't have someone who can keep fish, but can't show the difference between your victorian cichlids. Anyone can show some people peacocks, mbunas etc. Victorians make employees head spin, and honestly they probably don't care enough to learn them.
Don't focus on being the cheapest price, there is always someone out there that will undercut you. Focus on offering the best knowledge. Time is money, if you can provide someone with correct knowledge the first time, they will value that, over saving $2 on a fish, but having compatibility problems.
There are many aspects to this business, that you've never realized will come into play, until you've been in the business. For instance, finding a tax accountant, that specializes in livestock, so that you can claim your losses on your taxes etc.
As for aquariums as the storefront. The reason it isnt done, is it makes it much harder to control your store temperature. Not to mention those display tank's temperature. On days like today, you'd be losing fish, or having your roll doors down. Giving the impression you're closed. In Washington, you don't need to glitz and glam of the north east where good fish shops are a dime a dozen, all you need is a honest trade, with knowledge to back it.