My Own Fish Store Build!

Free top off water Well, I guess it wasn't free because you had obviously already used it once in the tanks. But if you could have collected that water somehow where it was clean...hmmmm...reusable top-off water. sounds cool

And that back room is looking awesome, CJ. I can't wait to see a video walk-around in the store *hint hint*

 

What is the tentative opening date for the store? I will be in Monument, Colorado June 7-13 and would really like to stop buy and buy a SWC 300 skimmer from you guys!

 

Hope the end of March into April
I will open any day for a SWC 300 sale!

C.J.

 

The Solana displays with Ecoxotic LED's

 

Following along on this one! Can't wait to see it open!

 

Looking great CJ

 

This is so amazing! If Jwin and I make a trip to Denver in December, we will definitely visit! Will you have FW fish as well? My sister (who we would be visiting) just started a 55G FW tank and I'd be sure to tell her about your store when you open.

 

no freshwater....I don't want to compete against the big retailers. We also had a LFS that i thought had that market wrapped up but he actually closed down last month. Maybe we should have FW...but its not my passion.

C.J.

 

No you shouldn't!! Do what you know, do what you love, and do it WELL!!! After I left Planet Reef, S converted the new expansion area into freshwater....then freshwater and lizards.....then freshwater and lizards and turtles....then freshwater and lizards and turtles and pygmy hedgehogs. OK, how many people are going to go to Planet REEF to buy a guppy when there are big box stores all over St. Louis? The answer as he found out was NONE. They also didn't buy the freshwater foods, the freshwater chemicals, the freshwater filters, the reptile lighting, the reptile food......yada, yada, yada.

You've run a successful construction company. You know you need a business plan. It doesn't necessarily have to be written but it has to be in your mind. S always had "off the wall" ideas to make a few extra bucks. Once I was gone and no longer could say, "No", he acted on his impulses. Now PR is out of business. Do the math.

 

I agree about skipping FW, purely from a SW only customer's perspective (so maybe I'm biased ).

Just my 2c from what I've seen in local stores here. If you don't specialize then something suffers. Maybe if you are a large store and can afford to hire employees to service both SW and FW sections, and have space (and money) to do both types the right way, keep a good variety of equipment for both etc, I would avoid it. I think you would be diluting your space, and your knowledge-base and focus.
I think if you spread your focus out you're going to risk becoming an average store not an excellent store.
Looking go so far though, I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product (and the rest of the intermediate steps of course).