I have ben tossing the idea of a pet store as my main sorce of income for about two years. Can you please tell me a little more about things like markup of salt water fish, fresh water? Or markup of things like filters, or supplies like that, or if you like the pet store business? Thank you! John
Want to start a pet store... a GOOD ONE!
- Thread starter bb7551
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It's a great business to be in (especially these days). Main thing is know what you want to do (exactly) and do it better than anyone else. Your local suppliers should be able to get you more information about your local market place. It does however take *a lot * of start up capitol do really do it right.
That is one of my biggest problems, I need the mony to start my business up, I hope to have aproximatly 400-600 freshwater tanks, and 300 saltwater tanks. All either 10 gallon (on bottom) or 29 gallon tall (on top) the fish departmet alone will be alot of money not to mention the repile and bird desplays. Also I was thinking of carrying puppies. John
chip, do you have both salt and fresh? I need to go to the LFS and count how many tanks they have there, I want to be at least the size of theres with a larger SWF secton, I am sure the LFS is regreting making a smaller SWF section (about 30 tanks) I don't want to be the LFS I want to be the one people will ride an hour to get to you know? I want it to be the BEST pet store in south jersey. What size store do you think I should plain on having? I hope to get a location by a big drawer, like by a grocery store or something? I wonder about how much I will need total for the store? And How much are ten gallon tanks wholesale? dose anybody know? all glass of corse. Thank you. John
Hi John,
You'd best start at the beginning. Take a course at your local Small Business Development Center. Then, if you haven't worked in the retail pet trade, I'd suggest spending at LEAST a year doing so for somebody else. You'll learn all the wholesale pricing etc., and make a lot of contacts that way. While you are doing that, start your business plan - you'll be surprised at just how much it all costs to get going. Between rents, deposits, licences and permits, fixtures, furniture, computers, employees..... it adds up to a lot of money. Bob Fenner has a good article about opening up a store on his website: www.wetwebmedia.com
If you plan to seek funding somewhere, you will NEED a business plan to show your potential investor(s) and even if you win the lotto and do it yourself, you need a solid business plan to anticipate expenditures and revenues.
There's a lot more to it than what the wholesale price of 10 g tanks, or the markup on fish...
Jenn
You'd best start at the beginning. Take a course at your local Small Business Development Center. Then, if you haven't worked in the retail pet trade, I'd suggest spending at LEAST a year doing so for somebody else. You'll learn all the wholesale pricing etc., and make a lot of contacts that way. While you are doing that, start your business plan - you'll be surprised at just how much it all costs to get going. Between rents, deposits, licences and permits, fixtures, furniture, computers, employees..... it adds up to a lot of money. Bob Fenner has a good article about opening up a store on his website: www.wetwebmedia.com
If you plan to seek funding somewhere, you will NEED a business plan to show your potential investor(s) and even if you win the lotto and do it yourself, you need a solid business plan to anticipate expenditures and revenues.
There's a lot more to it than what the wholesale price of 10 g tanks, or the markup on fish...
Jenn
taking a three year business corse, Am trying to get a job in the LFS, I am friends with the managers in there. And need the 10 gallon wholesale price to figure what the reptile and fish department are going to cost. I have the bird dept down. It will be built into a wall with 7 cages eye level with reptiles under that, ten gallon tanks, side by side, with heat tape under the front half so they will be in the front of the cage more then in the back. I will Have a large aquarium in the front of the store, by the window as a feature tank, with large angels, lion fish... just an impressive desplay! with the words "touch tank inside" over the tank. The touch tank will be in the back stocked with starfish and sea urchins, like at the aquarium. In the back, will be a large freshwater desplay. Also, as you are walking back to the touch tank, you will be surrounded by fish tanks full of fish for sale. Bothfresh and salt. From there they will be lead to the puppy window where you can see all the puppies, from there there will be the birds, with reptiles and small animals housed in 10 gallon tanks behind glass, into a different room so the smell dosn't get to the people (some people can'tt ake the smell of pine) Sound good, all the animals will be housed around the whole store. The interior will be for aquariums and pet supplies for sale. Impulses like little toys and stuff will be up by the cash regester. So... sound good? yes/no? TY John
No Eddie was going to put us all out of business with his coral farming operation in greenhouses, by selling totally kewl stuff mail order. Totally different to what John is proposing.
If you want that many tanks AND a full line store, you'd better rent the space that the grocery store occupies now
I've got 1400 square feet with just marines and I'm already bursting at the seams. If I could grow another money tree I'd be seriously thinking about renting the suite beside me, but I have neither the time, resources or the energy to do it.
My advice: start small and if it gets big on its own, more power to you. Biting off all of that with no prior experience in the industry is a huge risk, IMO.
I personally don't like to see dogs and cats for sale in stores - if I want a dog I'll either go to a reputable breeder, or to the pound (most likely the latter, I love my mutt), and my cats were refugees too. There are enough surplus mammals around... but that's just my opinion. There is a huge market for the stuff to maintain those mammals.
Sounds like what you are undertaking will cost between $200K and $300K or more, depending on what rent goes for in your area.
Jenn
If you want that many tanks AND a full line store, you'd better rent the space that the grocery store occupies now
I've got 1400 square feet with just marines and I'm already bursting at the seams. If I could grow another money tree I'd be seriously thinking about renting the suite beside me, but I have neither the time, resources or the energy to do it.My advice: start small and if it gets big on its own, more power to you. Biting off all of that with no prior experience in the industry is a huge risk, IMO.
I personally don't like to see dogs and cats for sale in stores - if I want a dog I'll either go to a reputable breeder, or to the pound (most likely the latter, I love my mutt), and my cats were refugees too. There are enough surplus mammals around... but that's just my opinion. There is a huge market for the stuff to maintain those mammals.
Sounds like what you are undertaking will cost between $200K and $300K or more, depending on what rent goes for in your area.
Jenn
You're easliy looking at a cool half mil just to do the build out. And then another half mil to stock the store, (probably more). Not to mention you are going to need at least 10-20 employees to clean up after all those animals, especially if you are going to have that many tanks, plus birds and reptiles, and especially if you are going to have puppies, or else things will get real nasty real quick. Then you have the appropriate deposits, (rent, utilities) and business licenses, plus signage and advertising. Then you'll need cash on hand to carry you through to the point where your sales are paying your over head. I'd say 2 million would be about right for the operation you described.
I have wrestled w/ the idea of starting a store myself so I can appreciate your interest. If you get the money together, by all means go for it. I have worked in LFS as well as a major chain pet store. You might be surprised how your idea of how fun it can be will change after a year in that market. Kudos to the dog thoughts. I was heart broken to see puppies in cages. Not to mention cleaning up poop really sucks. Might work a deal w/ local breeders to start a referral service & allow them to post when litters are in at your store. People might buy the food, toys, and training supplies from you then. In one years time I was stung, bit in the face by a Burmese Python, bit by an jerk of a macaw( I think he thought the same of me), was pooped on by 2 Ball Pythons in one week, and got screwed out of my departmental bonus for managing the fish dept. The LFS experience really sucked too. I was hired as the saltwater expert by someone who didn't want a saltwater expert. He certainly didn't think much of the knowledge I gained from reading constantly or driving 3 hours to Louisville for society meetings once a month.
Working for yourself would be much better, just work for someone else first and get your plan together so it is a success. Cheers.
Working for yourself would be much better, just work for someone else first and get your plan together so it is a success. Cheers.
I was figuring it all up and I figured it up to be about 300k, I have no idea where I would get that money. I was thinking of the LFS, If I don't go big, I might as well go home LOL. There facilities are great, in a good location (by walmart, pathmark and staples) SO what I got to do is have my prices at least match there prices. Plus they run a weakly ad which you can get buy one git one free freshwater fish, and they usuallu have other things like two free fish or something liek that. I was really thinking of fish and coral only, and then after a while expant into a regular pet shop. But, my focus is on wuality. If it were up to me, I would QT all the fish before I put them out in the desplay tanks. but that takes space and time. If I figure they are in the QT and they look good. then I am guessing that I can offer a 14 day garantee-beat all the other people out. Also, there is a place up about 15 miles away from here that has a small pet shop and I would ACTUALLY like to partner up with them, and have a fish place and they can specilize in what they are good at, reptiles and other pet products, like dog food and puppies, they have a mesly 30 tank set up (no offence, but no saltwater unless they get seahorses whitch they promptly kill. Or they just got a shipment of clowns in, they set up a SW tank out of an eclips and put them all in one. and called them nemo fish. :roll: Where do you recomend I go to start the business? any secret spots that do surprisingly well, like by a ??? vet clinic? or something? I HAVE decided to go smaller, with just fish reptiles and a FEW birds, 10-15 keets, one or two cockatiels, and a larger parrot, like a macaw or something. Thank you! John
John, I admire your entepeneurial spirit, but before you invent a better mousetrap, work for the cat for a while You will discover a lot of things that you thought you knew, you don't.
Quality and quantity don't necessarily go together in this industry. Start small, know all your customers' names. Know their tanks, know their kids' names. The rest will follow. The last thing the world needs is another pet superstore. You cannot beat the big guys, not by being bigger. You improve on them by being better.
Jenn
You will discover a lot of things that you thought you knew, you don't.Quality and quantity don't necessarily go together in this industry. Start small, know all your customers' names. Know their tanks, know their kids' names. The rest will follow. The last thing the world needs is another pet superstore. You cannot beat the big guys, not by being bigger. You improve on them by being better.
Jenn
do you think a small (50 K start up small) pet store would work? I want this to be my only income and I hope to get at least 30k/year out of it. With that small of a business I can deffinaly fun it with three people. I large tank with a large fish is a MUST, All the other one around here have them. Remember, I WILL be competing with a 1000-1500 square foot pet shop with both freshwater, and saltwater. I plain to get a loan for that 50k, and will try to get 75 to cover the first few months. Will it work? I am scared that it will fail if I go to small, you know? The one LFS has 30 tanks, 6 puppy cages, about 4 cockatiels 2 lovebirds and about 6 keets at a time. Along with the stuff they sell for dog care and fish care ect. They seem to do OK. The actuall shop they are in now is about 20x65 whitch is pretty cramped. They moved from a bigger place I think because they were charging to much for rent. Plus they are now 10-15 miles away from that bigger pet store. Now they both go the two best places to have a pet shop, I have a place in mind, but do not think there is any space avalable, nor will there be in the next few years. I gotta start saving my money. 50 K, I can buy a HUMMER H2, another dream of mine, how about I get a hummer for a business truck, you know, for deliviring those big tanks? Mabey some day. now I have to focus on my business. nother Q once I do get to know my customers, whitch I have no problem with mind you, won't they stop coming in once they get everything set up, and running? So what do you think? Dose it sound good, the tiny business LOL? O B4 I for get I was also thinking of aquaculturing live rock, and selling it for a wholesale price, so maby I can get a total prfit of 1.00/lb so everybody can afford the proper amount of LR for there tanks? I have seen people with 2-3 lbs in a 55 gallon tank made into the cave and them telling me that is all they need for that size tank. Thanks! John
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