Open my own small store?????

[jlevan]

Anyone here own a saltwater fish store..ive had many tanks, and now, with some extra capital lying around..am thinking about opening a small store in my area. Where to start thou...where can i get my livestock wholesale...are there shows? If so, any in the New York area...also, where can i find some nice tanks to keep my livestock in??? Anyone who has the knowhow out there, please help a first timer...thanks to all in advance
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[55galgill]

i also was playing around with this idea

but i wanted to do a auction store type setup with my primary sales being refuge stuff cuz i think its cool :joy: im you might be able to do a deal with the owners of this website or find out who they go through.
goodluck!

 

[ophiura]

There are several livestock wholesalers but I am afraid that such discussions and links would probably not be welcome on the boards. I've seen many a newly opened LFS go out of business. You really need to do some big time research into the local competition, the local needs, etc. Find a local reef club and ask what they are looking for in a store. But there is no getting around it...there is a great deal of $$ that must go into the initial start up. Look in the papers for tanks and stuff, but there is just plain money needed.
There is a store here that isn't really a storefront. Mostly they make deliveries here and there. People put together orders and say "hey lets meet at this parking lot" or whatever and they'll bring stuff over. Basically standard clean up crew stuff, few frags as well. Look at what your local stores offer and where the opening is. There are only so many basic LFS stores that can be sustained within an area. So many go under. Look into something different, IMO.

 

[knots]

If you can answer yes to all the following questions than IMO you might have a chance:
Do you have extensive knowledge in all phases salt water and possibly fresh water also?
Do you have enough money to run your business and live for at least a year until hopefully your store starts making money?
Does your area have a need for a fish store?
Are you willing to work 10 to 12 hours a day 6 to 7 days a week?
Can you handle the stresses of owning a small business?
Can you handle dishonest employees and employees who really don't care about you or your business? (no matter how hard you try you will get them.)
There are lots of other questions that are just as important but if you can answer yes to these 6 questions then you might want to look further into it. If not then I agree with ophiura, look for something else.

 

[scubadoo]

Try that big auction site. You can often find used store set-ups at a fraction of the new cost. You may luck out and find a set-up near your location. As I recall there are a couple right now...or recently...I do not recall where they were located.

 

[exile415]

Originally Posted by knots
If you can answer yes to all the following questions than IMO you might have a chance:
Do you have extensive knowledge in all phases salt water and possibly fresh water also?
Do you have enough money to run your business and live for at least a year until hopefully your store starts making money?
Does your area have a need for a fish store?
Are you willing to work 10 to 12 hours a day 6 to 7 days a week?
Can you handle the stresses of owning a small business?
Can you handle dishonest employees and employees who really don't care about you or your business? (no matter how hard you try you will get them.)
There are lots of other questions that are just as important but if you can answer yes to these 6 questions then you might want to look further into it. If not then I agree with ophiura, look for something else.
I agree with Knots and I would like to add another.
Are you willing to take a chance of losign all your money and going broke ?

 

[jlevan]

i can answer yes to all those questions..and as for local need, there is a huge demand for a quality lfs, aside from the run of the mill pet store that houses overstressed fish in 2 gal tanks. The startup money is not a problem, and as said before, if it fails, which it wont, the money is disposable..its only money...figured it was about time to persue a career in something that would keep me happy, that had some lucrative benefits as well. Was just looking for help in finding a wholesaler or two, and possibly some good locations to get some tanks made, etc.

 

[ophiura]

I'll tell ya, selling animals is a whole different business. I thought it would be pretty fun, but I got to the point where I had to make pretty quick decisions on whether a person was capable of handling a saltwater tank, and whether I should sell them this fish or that. I was always wondering if I would see this fish back dead in a few days. If people were lying about their tanks and water quality, which they often were. Did they even know if they had a fresh or saltwater tank...yes, people sometimes couldn't figure it out. Ended up being very long days, hard and rather stressful work (and this is just as an employee...). Best of luck -

 

[knots]

I agree with ophiura it's gonna be tough. But it sounds to me like you might have what it takes to give it a go. I would keep researching if I was you. I would try what Scuba said also. Do a Google search for wholesalers.

 

[jlevan]

thanks for the help guys

 

[taz_12777]

Where in NY do you plan on doing this.

 

[harlequin]

Check on Wetwebmedia.com (it is a noncommercial site, ie. not competition mods) They have an entire forum on there about this very topic and its moderators are some of the leading experts in the field such as R. Fenner (The Conscientious Marine Aquarist) many of your questions will be answered there. Its not really a forum as so much as a huge FAQ where people ask questions and they answer.

 

[ohiorn67]

ok all, check this idea out my hubby and I had.....what if you had a CONSIGNMENT type store of fish/aquarium PIECES, PARTS, EQUIPMENT....from people just upgrading their tanks and buying new things? No fish selling but items would come with say 7 day warranty to be able to know it is in working order? HMMMMM...I know with the price of equipment, I would have jumped for a store like this to find a used setup....the tanks would have to be checked of course.....small details ironed out...but so many complain about costs of setup..would be nice to see consignement stuff..... :notsure:

 

[lion_crazz]

Originally Posted by ophiura
I'll tell ya, selling animals is a whole different business. I thought it would be pretty fun, but I got to the point where I had to make pretty quick decisions on whether a person was capable of handling a saltwater tank, and whether I should sell them this fish or that. I was always wondering if I would see this fish back dead in a few days. If people were lying about their tanks and water quality, which they often were. Did they even know if they had a fresh or saltwater tank...yes, people sometimes couldn't figure it out. Ended up being very long days, hard and rather stressful work (and this is just as an employee...). Best of luck -
I totally agree with all of which is said in this post. Runnnig a fish store is a lot of hard work. Are you willing to put in 12 hours days 5 to 6 days per week for the first couple of years? That is almost a must with any successful fish store. Are you willing to drive to the airport at two in the morning to pick up your fish, only to have to go back to the store and acclimate them all to your tank? Are you willing to deal with all of the ignorant customers who come along and want to put 20 fish into their 55 gallon aquarium? This is a really big decision and maybe one that you need to consider a little longer before you jump into. Best of luck either way however.

 

[lion_crazz]

Originally Posted by ohiorn67
ok all, check this idea out my hubby and I had.....what if you had a CONSIGNMENT type store of fish/aquarium PIECES, PARTS, EQUIPMENT....from people just upgrading their tanks and buying new things? No fish selling but items would come with say 7 day warranty to be able to know it is in working order? HMMMMM...I know with the price of equipment, I would have jumped for a store like this to find a used setup....the tanks would have to be checked of course.....small details ironed out...but so many complain about costs of setup..would be nice to see consignement stuff..... :notsure:
That's a really cool idea and I think a lot of people would go for an idea like this! I know I would shop there and buy a lot of my stuff there.

 

[ohiorn67]

yep, the temptation is there, but I have not been doing fish for long enough and would have to employ someone with knowledge.....