Ever thought about starting a fish store?

[eklikewhoa]

Nobody has a name for their store?

The fish mill.

[eklikewhoa]

You buy they die.

[Complexity]

I think I'd go with Homeless Fish.

I know if you opened up a LFS, many of us would be trampling down your door to buy from you! Any chance you're giving it serious thought?

[danielp]

The clown loach emporium

Dan's Tropical Fish

The Ichtyologist stop

The Ich stop

[danielp]

I know if you opened up a LFS, many of us would be trampling down your door to buy from you! Any chance you're giving it serious thought?

+1

[Bedlamer]

As to location, SH 288 and Beltway 8. The competition in the area would be ADG is just east and south of there on the Beltway 8 feeder, just past Fellows Rd. There is a Petsmart in the Silverlake shopping center of Pearland, about 4 miles down from there, a Wal-Mart that sells fish is across the street from the Petsmart. If you continue east about 4 miles down the road from there on Broadway/518 you’ll get to the new location of Fish Bowl & Moor. They are a small shop mostly focused on servicing SW tanks in the Pearland area. They do have a moderately sized SW livestock selection, a smaller freshwater livestock section, and a small but very pricey dry goods section. The owner and his brother are very personable and helpful, some of the other staff—not so much. My thinking is you would take in a lot of people on their way to and from work or on other errands at that location, and there are not a lot of LFH options available in the area right now—at least not until ADG gets their retail show room up and running. As you know while they do some SW, their specialty is high end Nature Aquarium styled FW tanks using boutique ADA products with a focus atm on design and maintenance.

I’ve been in just about every non-chain store LFS in the greater Houston Area, and I would tell you none is prefect, and I go to different stores based on their strengths more so than avoiding some because of their weaknesses. Some days I want cheap prices on dry goods. Some days I want a broad selection of healthy livestock. Sometimes I want to arrange a special order. Sometimes it’s been 3 weeks since the last GHAC meeting and my BFF will strangle me If I bring up one more fish related conversation—so I want somewhere where the staff are mostly knowledgeable, cordial, fluent in English, and not so overworked that they don’t have 5 minutes to spend with me. The hobby is a niche market I think for the average mom and pop style start up LFS the secret would be to find a few sub-niches that are underserviced and cater to them. For example I only know of one store that has a substantial koi/pond fish inventory in the Houston area and its up in the area east of Magnolia. Quite a drive for someone on the south end of Houston. It would be difficult to compete with the chain stores on regular dry goods prices due to the economy of scale. You’d want to stock stuff the chain store don’t carry maybe. I think you work find it prohibitively expensive to have the majority of your staff with degrees in marine biology and related fields—for your managers it would be nice. I’ve started a small business before. I found it difficult to get good staff, stressful at times, a heck of a lot of work, and in my case not a financial success.

As to name I would call it "Tim's Pimp Shrimp". Purveyors of the finest ornamental shrimp and shrimp accessories. Shrimp are neat, do not eat. Established 2012. Where shrimp are for displaying, not sautéing. Now offering the shrimp dive experience where the adventurous can experience the full ecstasy of interacting with actual shrimp by renting a dive mask and snorkel and immersing themselves—well at least their face--into the 29 gallon “La ciudad perdida del camarón” themed wonder water park. We will be continuing our mathematical Monday, derivatives for dividends sales promotion—just draw a single variable calculus problem from the exoskeleton of fortune. If you can solve it correctly in 3 minutes or less you will receive 10% off any livestock purchases.

[armthehomeless]

I know if you opened up a LFS, many of us would be trampling down your door to buy from you! Any chance you're giving it serious thought?

I've thought about it alot over the past year. I like my job... and it gives me a stable income. I don't have enough time ( or capital) to open my own store right now. I'm thinking about alternatives though.

[armthehomeless]

As to name I would call it "Tim's Pimp Shrimp". Purveyors of the finest ornamental shrimp and shrimp accessories. Shrimp are neat, do not eat. Established 2012. Where shrimp are for displaying, not sautéing. Now offering the shrimp dive experience where the adventurous can experience the full ecstasy of interacting with actual shrimp by renting a dive mask and snorkel and immersing themselves—well at least their face--into the 29 gallon “La ciudad perdida del camarón” themed wonder water park. We will be continuing our mathematical Monday, derivatives for dividends sales promotion—just draw a single variable calculus problem from the exoskeleton of fortune. If you can solve it correctly in 3 minutes or less you will receive 10% off any livestock purchases.

You are hilarious!!

[Complexity]

I've thought about it alot over the past year. I like my job... and it gives me a stable income. I don't have enough time ( or capital) to open my own store right now. I'm thinking about alternatives though.

This is, of course, a terrible time to open any new business; however, if you ever did open a LFS, I believe you have your feet planted on the ground firmly enough to pull it off.

What alternatives are you considering if you don't mind sharing?

[eklikewhoa]

I think with the poorly educated customers and those that are just not willing to learn would kill off the majority of sales when it comes to the nicer stock which would be the main point of it all.

Then imagine the disgruntle ones after they shell out all the money just to have them die.next thing you know you're a "bread & butter" LFS trying to survive

[danielp]

I think with the poorly educated customers and those that are just not willing to learn would kill off the majority of sales when it comes to the nicer stock which would be the main point of it all.

Then imagine the disgruntle ones after they shell out all the money just to have them die.next thing you know you're a "bread & butter" LFS trying to survive

Great point to an extent.

In Houston as proven by this forum and tons of advanced hobbyist who don't post I think it can survive. Yes there will be exceptions. I know my limits and I won't tackle trophs. One day I would like to do a petro tank. Most tangs, malawai's and S/A's are hearty fish that can withstand a moderatly knowleadgable person.

Look at how Fish Gallery has their stock set up. It's a great model that has worked for years. Look at how City Pets has their hardware side set up same thing.

I think another key is being able to special order for a person that want's that oddball fish and is willing to buy a box full.

[armthehomeless]

This is, of course, a terrible time to open any new business; however, if you ever did open a LFS, I believe you have your feet planted on the ground firmly enough to pull it off.

What alternatives are you considering if you don't mind sharing?

Thank you . . . I think of myself as a relatively grounded individual. It is that grounding that makes me hesitant about opening a store.

I'm thinking about alternatives with less financial risk . . .

[armthehomeless]

The Ich stop

I just now got this one... I was thinking of the disease at first.

[eklikewhoa]

You have a good start tim, few more racks and that room would put most lfs to shame.

[cichlidomaha]

I know this is a Houston Thread, and I live in the Midwest. But this would be my shops name.
African Cichlid Haven

Tom