Pet Stores, Feed Stores, etc.

[Dustin07]

Anyone here have experience with such retail shops?

[Dustin07]

sooo.... no? lol

[Comtrad]

I've been to a pet store before. Does that count?

[Dustin07]

I'll think about it and get back to you

[Coach Morse]

Have you been thinking about getting into the pet shop biz?

[Dustin07]

for about 12 years. LOL. But in the last 12 months the only petstore in town went out of business. They were there for over a decade.

This is either an opportunity.......... or a warning to stay out. It's hard to tell because I personally was never really able to buy anything from them because their selection was so poor. And I have raised birds, dogs, cats, and even very exotic fish (seahorses) over the years. I've heard a few people say that their selection was horrible.. comparable to a Safeway pet section... so perhaps if done right it could work.

The types of questions I'm seeking answers on area really:

$ invested in start up inventory, fish tanks, etc.
typically square footage used
average profit margin
best profit items and worst profit items
niche ideas (I think for me it would be fish related)

I found a place that I think would be perfect, and it's in a pretty good downtown location of my town. it's $2k/month for 2k sq feet. I think it's about 600sq ft more than the avg pet store though.

[40_66]

I heard Pet Smart was a good one. I haven't checked it out yet. I believe you can get help online, as well.

Thanks,
40_66

[Dustin07]

Pet Smart is OK. But much larger than what I want. I'm looking for something that appeals more to the small town atmosphere. I think our town actually passed some ordinance a while back anyways that wouldn't allow a big box discounter like Pet Smart/Walmart/Fred Meyers in.

[KarenB]

Hi Dustin,

I could spend hours and hours in a pet store! I just love them. I exactly agree with you about the fish niche idea, in two respects: tanks and outdoor ponds. The reason I say the ponds is that here, even in cold southern Ontario, ponds are a HUGE business. People can't get enough of them. Everyone I know has a pond filled with koi, for example. The water plants and all the stuff that goes along with it has become quite the craze over the last 10 years. Plus the books, the fish food, the accessories (indoor and outdoor). I think an aquatic type store specializing in those types of things would do really well around here...I have to drive miles to get to my favourite aquarium store (my mom and brother both have outdoor ponds).

I probably wouldn't get into the mammals at all. The cost for their care could be very high, especially if they need veterinarian care, and you sure wouldn't want to get supplied by puppy-mills or the like. Birds might be okay, but if you have a real demand for the aquatic stuff around your neighbourhood, then you really could stay specialized in that. (Perhaps you could drive around and peek into everyone's backyards and see if they have ponds! LOL)

Seriously, nowadays, fish are so much easier as pets and lots of kids like them too. "Mommy, can I have a puppy?" "No". "Okay, then can I have a fish then?" "Well, maybe".

Another thing that is really popular around here are the small lizards and geckos and stuff like that. Almost every kid I know has a bunch of crickets (purchased from the pet store) to feed their lizards.

Maybe you can go hang out at the local pet shop and watch what people are buying...see how many adults and kids are staring into the fish tanks or lizard tanks. Nowadays with two parents working, a lot of folks don't have time or the ability to care for kittens and puppies.

I would tend to stick to what you feel most comfortable with as well. I think it's easier to become an expert in one or two types of animals, rather than in every species at once. Perhaps that's another reason that other pet store went out of business. Perhaps they were covering too many bases at once and people weren't getting the answers or advice they needed. That's why I ALWAYS go to one specific aquatic store and avoid the larger chains like the plague.

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck with it. If you do go the aquatic route, perhaps you can advertise with flyers and brochures that people get some free fish (say goldfish) with every tank purchased. I bet that would bring the kids in! LOL Then hopefully the parents would see all the other higher end stuff and go WOW!

Best to you,
Karen

[KarenB]

Oops, forgot to add that when I adopt a kitten or puppy, I go to the local humane society, and they don't usually have fish and lizards there. So you wouldn't have much competition from them.

K