Here's what I would do:
- With enough room & funds, I would actually build a public aquarium into the store and charge admission.
- The aquarium would house adult sized fish of all the commonly sold large species, such as Pacu, RTC, TSH, Balas, Mbu, large plecs etc so that people considering buying them could see what they are letting themselves in for.
Many of the fish in these tanks would be donations from people who no longer have the room for them.
- I would have a small photography concession in there too, selling camera films and a small range of cameras & accesories.
- I would give admission vouchers as sales incentives such as buy £2000 of hardware, get free admission for a year or spend £100, get two free tickets.
- My staff would all be fishkeepers themselves, each having an interest in a different range of species.
- Each tank would be labled with the fish's water requirements, it's adult size and it's temperament. There would be tape measures on strings so people could see what 36 inches actually looks like.
- Each tank would be labled as to it's suitabilty to the local water.
- I would have a separate section for beginner's fish where all the easy to keep fish could be found.
- I would have a 'photo wall' where people could pin up photos of the fish they've bought and are thriving - I'm attempting to make the store into a community and build customer loyalty.
- I would have a cafe in the public aquarium, surrounded by large fish while you drink your tea. The main lighting in the cafe would be the dancing light reflected from the water in the tanks.
The cafe would also be hired out as a function room and conference facility.