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Didn't know where to put this topic but I guess here will do. I was just wondering if anyone knows how one would go about starting up a mom&pop fish store?

Fishy,
I was thinking of doing the same thing! How do you find wholesalers? Phonebook is no help!
Let's see what you get for answers.
Blazzaro

One idea for you, as I'm working on starting my own business. But try talking to other local shops and seeing what information they will give you.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

i would like to do the same eventually. maybe more than just fish though. i would say find a commercial building that you could lease. a high traffic area would be nice, such as near a mall or shopping center. but avoid being close to a mainstream petstore such as petco or petsmart. next i would browse ebay. i frequently see commercial display tanks that are in good condition or even new. another thing you may find on ebay is petstores that are going out of buisness that are auctioning off all of there inventory for a cheap price. as for wholesalers i would try www.thatpetplace.com they have a wholsaler request section or try www.aquariumpros.com they have a link to several fish wholesalers

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I can't imagine what the electricity bill would be for all those tanks though haha. There's been a few small LFS around here that have gone out of business but I think it was mainly due to location, lack of advertising, and lack of making the outside of the store look welcoming and noticeable.
I'm also into art so I think it would be cool to figure out how the typical fishtank ornaments are made (castles, ships, etc) and create my own line of ornaments to sell in the store as well.

As for fish it would be cool to have a whole back room of the store for breeding fish that way only the original pairs would cost money and their fry would be money in the pocket! But that means more tank setups. Also I would definitely have an "adoption tank" where people could come give their fish away if they no longer can take care of them or no longer wanted them for whatever reason. The fish would then be sold but as like a $1 sale or something cheap as an "adoption fee". I would definitely take special fish orders from customers and possibly special tank ornament orders if I had reliable store workers to run the store while I was working on the ornaments.

It might be alittle far fetched of an idea but its definitely an exciting idea!!

the ornament line sounds cool, i think you should create line(start small then expand) you could offer them at your store, take orders and then do them during any down time if any. you mentioned having helping work you should have a back room so you can monitor performance while still working you ornaments
now for the adoption deal sounds like a great idea

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I have no idea how to make the ornaments, dont know whats safe to use and whats not and all of that. But its definitely something I want to look into.

I also could hire people to help make the ornaments from standard molds of the original ornaments and they could help paint the items. And then for the custom orders I would make them myself and make no molds of them.

Also if I do this I think I would get a good many ornaments made and open up the shop with just ornaments, and maybe a small wall of a few tanks with a little selection of fish but for starters the ornaments would create some interest amongst people looking for something different, and also they would bring in more money than a few fish would!

Hmmm another good idea maybe is to figure out how to make custom backgrounds, lamenated ones. Also I could have a section of the store be for home decor items with a fish theme: small paintings, small sculptures, etc.
Because a true fish enthusiast probably likes fishy decor to compliment their tanks.

I wonder how much it costs to make fish tanks compared to how much it would be to buy ones like you see at a LFS (the ones they keep their stocks in).

This is exciting...except I need to win the lottery to even get this thing started haha.

Here's an older thread about it, but the only one I could find.

I don't know much about the business aspect of it, but you'd first have to get a license, buy or rent a venue, plumb everything, construct shelving and a work area/back room, find wholesalers and distributors to buy from, set up tanks, make everything look nice, etc. I imagine it would be a pretty lengthy and expensive process. It's probably the biggest reason why I decided long ago to never own a pet shop.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

well im into all kinds of pets, so i think the easier way would be to start with less expensive goods like products for dogs cats and of course the small fuzzy critters. then once established work in a fish dept. the reason i say this is becuase companion pet items are cheaper and easier to get started with. which will bring income to help offset the expenses. this way you dont go way into debt from the beggining, you can go small amounts then add on as money allows

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i quess if you are selling items for other pets it wouldnt be an lfs then. but of a lps

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Don't lnow where you located but here in Miami,FL you can go to the wholesales look them up onthe internet. As far a tanks learn to build your own and filteration system you will save money. Location someone seid not close to a chain store, how wrong they are The closere the better you will save money advertisment, they ad for their store you have a better product, after all a good LFS is hard to come by and must people who work at a chain store know   about fish let alone water quality and products. If you buy wholesale your not going to pay more than them and you will charge what he market will let you charge. a 1.99 fish atpetco is a 1.99 fish everywhere else. unless you don't know.

DjRichie
"Don't Panic"

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams

I think instead of starting out with other types of less expensive pet prodcuts I would start with the fish decor idea, selling my own small artworks of fish scenes, etc., then to tank ornaments, and then to live fish.

I'm still trying to figure out how to make tank ornaments though, I know they are made of polyresin but thats not saying much. I guess I could make the ornaments out of clay or something and then make a mold from the clay and then figure out the resin thing.

djrichie good point about the hard to find a good lfs, i didnt think about the advertisement bit. in that case it would be a good idea to be close to the bigger chains. when replied i was coming from an overall pet store type idea, in this case being farther from the chain would be better imo. the reason why i say it is better is coming from the average consumer stand point bigger is better. if i knew i was gonna get dog shampoo, cat food, and pick up a goldfish,and i found a petco and a mom and pop shop next door. common sense says go to the petco more variety. but if you are bit away from a petco and you see the smaller shop its more of a "hey lets go in there, maybe the will have what we need" and save some gas and time of going the rest of the way to petco or other chain


ps. all mentions of petco are strictly on an example basis. i am not promoting or boycotting petco in any way

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fishyfish i agree about the whole ornaments deal i was just saying that i would like to do it from an overall pet store as i was telling djrichie.

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I think being near a bigger chain store might be beneficial IF you truly have better pricing than the other store and if you can get the word out to that store's customers that you have the better prices, and it being close by the customer could go into the big store check out their prices and then go to the small one and check out their prices and find out that way about the better pricing...along with better customer service, more knowledgeable staff, maybe a price match deal, taking custom orders for fish,etc., and taking overall better care of the fish and making it a fun welcoming place that the big chain store cannnot offer. Putting a small LFS (or LPS) away from a big chain store could also be beneficial because it would draw people in that live too far from the big chain stores.

Here's an actual example

A friend of mine opened a resturant in a location that had the same style resturant in it. It was very sucessful for him, while other place were being struggling he was doing great. Why was this happening? Does he hve better food, better service, great entertainment? No his food nothing to write home about. His service about average for todays standards, and his entertainment was the same as everyone elses within 5 miles. Than why?

GIVE UP here the answer

Foot traffic - it had a Movie Complex in shopping center. People would come to see a movie and than go get somthing to eat. About 6months ago the movie complex closed and his resturant is about to, because he is just the same now as everyone else. He does have good food service and entertainment. People generally now a days do not go out of their way for things they can everywhere but if they are their and you are their they will come. Now offer great service a good price your in business.

2nd example: Setup is the same except 2 LFS and a petco within 2 blocks. One LFS brand new has everything you could want it big I mean real big, the 2nd LFS is small has everthing you could need and will get the rest. Everyone I know goes to the smaller of the two. Why? better service friendlier owner. both have knowledge both have health fish. No one goes to Petco but the Petco is why we know they are there.

I live in a MAJOR city so I sure if I lived in the country it would magified 10 folds.

I will tell you what professor seid to me one day its not what your selling it LOCATON LOCATION LOCATION

DjRichie
"Don't Panic"

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams

i see the logic in what you are saying. movie and dinner go hand in hand. but too competing stores in one location seams a bit risky. but i guess each person has there own opinion on what would work better. i guess being near by say within 2 blocks or so is ok as djrichie is saying but i think being within the same shopping center would be disaterous.

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I have designs i have come up with for a fish store cafe. I live in Miami, FL so I want it to be outside, benchs to sit on soft music playing just drinks coffee, wine etc. I nice relaxing place where you can come enjoy aquascaped tanks and buy healthy fish and get good techincal advise(i guess I'd have to pay someone for that)LOL. Breed my own fish, and sell supplies. I won't care if you bought a thing just come in and enjoy, maybe bring a date or do your work, read a book. Like an aquarium park. But I havn't been able to find the right LOCATION.

What do you think, will it work. I don't know but the investment would almost be $150,000.00 not including the monthly rent and overhead.

DjRichie
"Don't Panic"
"What a Long Strange Trip It's Been"

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams

that sounds like a cool idea but sounds like you are trying to manage to much all at once.

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I would have it just be a cafe, no selling of the fish just have the fish there to enjoy and to help creat the mood of relaxation.