If you were to start an LFS....

[NickT]

i wold keep a hawkeye on the local chainstores as far as price goes.
i stoped shoping at the closest petshop becuse i purchased a filter that was 1/3 more expensive ($14 @chain store $25 at petshop) i know this happens becuse it costs more for them to buy the ammount they do as aposed to bulk but why not go buy it for 14 at chain store and resell for 18-19$ insted.

also i wold have the fish and the hardware sections completley seperate. some places like petsmart and some shops make there fish an ile in the back. usualy the back wall. mine wold be a seprate room.

my fish room wold be all black. walls floor ceiling and the tank gravel. and not lighted so the only light was from the tanks. that seems to help the eye focus on the fish/plants/decor.

i wold hide my federfish in the back room. this helps keep that ugly tank thats way too full of goldfish out of site.

and the last thing i can think of that wold be a must for my petshop.
fully automated DIY (to save money) waterchangeing unit that purges water up threw a UGF for a short time while the tanks water is being pumped out.
that shold let you limit the ammount of tank vacumings.

 

[konrad05]

to freddyk

I also liked sirminions plan. A large display tank is absolutely necessary!

 

[bluefire]

here are some ideas i have thought of:

A large planted display tank wich can be viewed either through the window or as soon as u walk in the door so u get peoples attention.

manufacture your own tanks, u will be able to sell them cheaper this way and when people come in because of your cheap tanks the will most likely buy a full setup from u.

have all the fish that people want to see at the back so they have to walk throuhg the rest of the shop and look at everything else.

stock as many colourful/unusual/big fish as you can, this is what people want to see

price everything cheaper so u have a lower profit off each item then people will buy more and u will have a higher turnover of items.

give people the right advice form the start, then they won't give up the hobby when all their fish die(i no i almost did!) this way u can get more customer coming to u for longer

just a few ideas i had!

 

[Puffer_freak]

OK, haven't read all of this, so this might sound REALLY random, lol!

I would have an easily noticed yet small entrance, this would be decieving and leave more space for tanks. I would advertise al over it, and let people advertise their own services - for a fee. They would have to put their prices on the cards. This would leave me able to compare prices and keep mine competitive. Some of the things I would advertise would be:

• ~Aquascaping
  ~Water testing
  ~Beginner help
  ~Equipment for sale
  ~Oddballs
  ~Rarefish

My shop would be huge. It would be laid out, so that when you went in, you can only see things like food and equipment. Moving further in, there would be plants, lots of them, but good quality, good prices and a good variety.
As for the fish, I would have them laid out as beginner, slightly experienced, and fish gurus. I would try to find oddballs and the likes for the beginners, so that they didn't get bored with the stock I have, and go other places and get given wrong advice. Im would use the tape measure idea as a visual effect, and on some of the really specialist fish, I would only give information on request. This would deter beginners from buying, but leave the gurus who are really keen for the fish, to get it. If people were trying to irresponsibly buy fish, I would simply not sell it to them. This would earn me the respect of those who cared, which are the ones I want. But I wouldn't just shrug them off, I'd advise inform and teach, and get them to buy suitable fish and cycle, etc. I would only sell feeder fish to those people who really need them, and not just those wanting them for fun. Soem snails would be free, others would be expensive. Live food would be in often (at LEAST once a week) and I would have a constant source of frozen and freeze dried food. As for the fish themselves, they would be housed in suitable sized tanks, and I would hire two experts on saltwater and two on coldwater, and another to help me in tropical. They would not have to help all the time meaning they could have a decent paying job (lol) outside of fish. People looking for a simple Saturday job who have no knowledge fish would not be hired in the slightest.some of the fish I would stock are:

• ~A mbu
  ~Several other species of puffer
  ~Guppys etc
  ~Coldwater, in several ponds dotted throughout the shop
  ~Saltwater species
  ~Lots of oddballs
  ~Rare finds
  ~Decent sized fish

I would probably hire the minions to help me on the tropical oddballs though! Lol!

There would al that and so much more, but I can' think of anything else off thetop of my head, and I'm probably boring you.

Also sorry for the mindless typos that are undoubtaby in this post! L!

 

[Aussie_Star]

Well, i am trying to start a backyard business, aftre my dad fixs his garge up, he and i want to start breeding and of course sell the fry. I think if we get some good pairs and be patient we can makes some money. The LFS arent anygood around here ask chooklet, but i have to save so money fish and find some breeding pairs all i have is a pair of electric yellows at the moment and a lot of female rams and apisotos waiting for males lol

 

[CFC]

One thing i have always felt is very important but rarely done is a display/s done in normal sized tanks that Joe average can fit in his front room, huge displays with enormous fish look great but are totally inpractical for most hobiests to house at home. A nice display in 30g tanks set up next to each section of fish showing the customers what they can achieve in their own tank at home with a little effort and a few extra pounds/dollars is far more likely to get the cash out of their pockets than a 500 gallon display with a couple of huge catfish and 10 oscars that have been returned. This said i would not do away with the large display tank but i still wouldnt stock it with large fish, by advertising something like "see our amazing 1000 gallon Amazonian biotope" you may well attract extra customers who just want to see what a 1000 gallon tank looks like.

Another of my ideas is to have refference books with the pages cut out and covered with laminate sleeves in ring binders around the the shop, this way people can research a fish on the spot rather than either buy the fish blindly or rush home to get their own books out, most fish keepers have a large distrust of fish store owners/employees and may not ask for help or believe you when you offer it.

As a fledgling business i wouldnt stock a huge range of rare/expensive/difficult to keep fish but would make it very clear that these fish can be ordered in if wanted and would have a available for order list on the counter, so if a customer cannot see what they want in the shop they can look through the list to see if i can order it in.

Another thing that most lfs let the customers down on is giving a fair price for tank bred fish, i'm not talking about common livebearers which anyone can breed but fish like dwarf Cichlids and Corydoras which are still easy to breed but take a bit more effort. I would have a sign up asking for tank bred and raised fish and would offer good prices for these fish as a incentive for more people to try their hand at breeding and visit my store, breeding fish needs more tanks and extra supplys.

 

[RYO]

wow some sound ideas in here, shop made in heaven lol. One simple idea in which ive only come accross in 1 shop is when people buy a new tank the shop will deliver and set up for you.They also do a home visit within a certain milage to help sort out you problems for a small cost.

 

[Puffer_freak]

I'd sell chips actually...

 

[nightlife20]

i agree with cfc on his first idea, 'joe stay-at-home' cannot normaly fit a 100gal tank in the living room to house one fish, if they are anything like me funds arnt always around when things go bang (take my external filter, still havnt been able to replace it yet!)

i saw an idea like this at a garden center, next to there fish tanks they had a 36x18x15display tank it was wonderfully done, live plants and bogwood with a handfull of angels. how they had done it tho made it look like a forest... it was a case of I WANT I WANT!!!


i have no idea how i would start with my own lfs.. but i do love some of the ideas that are commin out..

 

[BobK]

If I were opening an LFS, I would need to find a way to differentiate my store from any others in the area. With limited funds its not going to be a shop with either low prices or a huge selection. The key would be "SERVICE". I would attempt to hire people that don't need to be there but "WANT" to be there. There is an LFS not too far away where 1/2 the employees have been there 10-15 years. Most are part time and have full time jobs and work there for the "FUN" of it. They are hobbyists who had a love for aquatics and want to learn more. I went in there starting out in the hobby. I was in there for about five hours and walked out $500 broker. I bought a 75g with a stand and all the works. They showed me what to buy and, more importantly, what not to buy. I could go on and on but they were more interested in establishing a long-term relationship with a new customer than giving them bad information just to get that last extra dollar. I would pride my store on the following:
Service
Knowledgeable and courteous staff
cleanliness/appearence
not overcrowded store
willing to go the extra mile
willing to special order hard to get stuff for a customer even if there is little or no $ in it for me.
Hold mini-classes/education sessions
Recruit customers as employees (if possible)
Be careful not to overextend myself with products and inventory
Sell only products I would buy myself and that I or my staff would be knowledgeable in
As funds allow, offer new and innovative services such as in-home tank setup and maintenance
Grow the business slowly, intelligently, profitably

Just some thoughts, everyone else had some great ones. If ya go ahead with it let all of us know. You'd probably wind up with a lot of customers from out of town!!!!!!

 

[daza]

Lots of really good ideas have already been said so I will just add a couple of simple things.

Some shops have rows of the tanks that they sell, just sitting empty. This is probably those shops where the showroom is also the warehouse. I would make sure that any tank on display had at least a piece of driftwood and some gravel in it to spark aquascaping ideas in shoppers minds. But using them as show tanks would be better and make people see what they can have in their own home (as others have said).

I would also make sure the light level in the shop was low, cutting out most/all daylight, with the main light coming from the tanks themselves. And ensure that a water trickle sound could be heard. I always want to spend time in those sort of shops, where as the ones with just concrete walls, normal high level lighting or daylight just make me want to buy what I came for and go. Must be a phsychological thing.

I would also consider setting up a computer with this forum open in a browser for people to read (rather than post to). I would also produce some leaflets on cycling, etc. And I would sell ammonia for fishless cycling!

 

[SirMinion]

have refference books with the pages cut out and covered with laminate sleeves in ring binders around the the shop, this way people can research a fish on the spot rather than either buy the fish blindly or rush home to get their own books out,

Excellent idea.
We always make sure we take our Aqualog & Baench books with us when we go fishopping, because although our main LFS does sell them, there're all shrink-wrapped or behind the counter where you can't get to them.
Being able to research a fish right there in the shop from an independant source would cut down on impulse buying and therefor mortality which, if you offer a livestock guarantee is bad for business (and the fish!)

 

[Loupe]

My LFS has a great idea, which I would certainly use. They give oput free starter leaflets, (nothing fancy, just done on MS word), for freshwater, saltwater and coldwater, explaining cycling thoroughly as well as some good starter fish.
They also have a poster on the wall showing the fish they sell and how mature or old the tank has to be before buying them.

 

[SirMinion]

My LFS has a great idea, which I would certainly use. They give oput free starter leaflets, (nothing fancy, just done on MS word), for freshwater, saltwater and coldwater, explaining cycling thoroughly as well as some good starter fish.
They also have a poster on the wall showing the fish they sell and how mature or old the tank has to be before buying them.

That wouldn't be Shotgate Aquatics would it?

Excellent Fish Store. Bought many L-numbers from them, and they gave me free live food on my birthday!

 

[chkltcow]

Another nice touch would be to offer a used filter sponge/cartridge to anyone that buys a full tank setup with a filter and such from you. Just keep a few of each type you sell on various tanks around the shop, and whatever the customer buys, just grab one out of your tank, put it in a zip-loc bag with some water, and tell them to either put it in their filter to start with or just squeeze it out in it. That'll get them into the hobby quicker and safer, taking away a lot of the cycling time.

Talk to a local contractor who can dig and install a pond.... pouring the cement and such if necessary. Then, if someone wants a pond, you can work talk to them about sizing, stocking, etc... and help set it up with the contractor to build it. It's a service you can advertise, and it might not net any money for you from the construction... but you'll get it from fish, plants, and dry-goods. And it never hurts to have friends in the construction industry.

Find a local cabinet-maker or someone who does nice woodworking that you can contract tank stands and canopies through. Figure out a few designs that you can display on your show tanks, and again.... if someone wants a nice canopy made to order, you can jump in with "Yeah, we can get you that." Get some chips of the various types of veneer, or pieces of wood stained with various stains so people can pick out what will match in their home, and then send the order down to the cabinet builder. Something like this will set you apart as a higher end shop.

And lighting.... we all know how important lighting is, but not all newcomers to the hobby will. Make sure you can show the difference between generic lighting for a basic tank with just fish in it, no plants or anything..... lighting for a freshwater planted tank that's of the right spectrum, and the various types of marine lighting. And a lot of the pre-made lighting is expensive and not really designed for use in canopies..... but likewise, it's hard to find LFSs that carry ballasts and other DIY parts to wire up your own. It's something that you could sell as parts or even offer as a service, wiring up metal halides or power compacts on the canopies they buy.

And finally.... custom installs. Advertise your business as being able to do custom installs for whatever. Lots of businesses like having fish tank around..... namely doctor's offices having them in the lobby because they're calming and soothing. Talk to construction companies or architects that do higher end custom built homes. You always see houses on TV shows with those beautiful "in the wall" 6-8' long tanks that have access for maintainance through a closet. SOMEBODY has to install those.... might as well be you, right?

Basically what it all boils down to is establishing yourself as a service based company. Granted, it may not all be services you perform yourself, but your help planning and organizing a customer's pond or custom cabinetry can go a LONG way toward customer loyalty. Most of us keep fish because we're fascinated by them and love learning, but not everyone is that way. Some people just want something pretty in their living room/office, and would gladly let someone else worry about setting it up and even maintaining it. With all the chain stores and internet stores, you have to do something above and beyond, because you can't compete with their prices most of the time. Set yourself apart from the rest and get your hands dirty with all manner of things. It can get pretty boring sitting behind a counter all day