Fish Stores

[loui]

Thought it would be neat to share pictures of local fish stores from outside Pittsburgh. I like to travel a lot and I always seem to hit a fish store or 2. I was in Fort Myers, FL last year I took some pictures, but they didn't come out very well I may put them up anyways.

The wife and I spent a couple of days at Lake Erie. They have a couple of shops up there, but the one I wanted to check out is Great Erie Reef. The store was pretty bare, but the owner said she is transitioning after buying out her business partner a couple of weeks ago. I don't remember her name We talked for awhile and came to find out she was the owner of Slippery Rock Corals before Rob bought it. I only took a few pictures like I mentioned not much going on, but the corals and fish that where there, where all very healthy and well taken care of.

 

[acer]

I missed Rob's final sale- I was a month too late. now I am ready - darn it.

 

[krshlln300]

Well there seems to be a new shop on the way in zelienople. Reef Gallery I believe. Having a hard time tracking down info tho. Anybody know about it?

 

[Jrambo88]

These are the stores. I know of, chime in people I'd you know or suggest more.
1. Aqua world
2. Elders aquarium
3. Seahorse pet store
4. Odd ball pets
5. Reef sanctuary
6. Williams reef and aquarium
7. Various chain stores

 

[vlangel]

There is Wet Pets near Canonsburg.

 

[beachguy]

These are the stores. I know of, chime in people I'd you know or suggest more.
1. Aqua world
2. Elders aquarium
3. Seahorse pet store
4. Odd ball pets
5. Reef sanctuary
6. Williams reef and aquarium
7. Various chain stores

In Canonsburg there is Saltwater Sanctuary not "Reef Sanctuary" and Wet Pets. Williams Reef is a home basement operation not a storefront.

 

[Jrambo88]

lol i got reef on my mind for some odd reason. Yes still a considered a place of business regardless of location. do you know of otehrs?

 

[vlangel]

Just to let every one know, the Seahorse in Allison Park is closing.

 

[acer]

Really?? Darn - I really liked Heather and I hate when small business fails.

 

[vlangel]

I know Ted, I hate it too. It's the right thing for Heather though...she has been tough ing it out alone in a store with old plumbing, a leaky roof in an unstable economy. Having worked there for 12 years I loved that store and Heather and her whole family but it's time. She needs to have a life where she is free to enjoy vacations and the normal things away from work like the rest of us.

 

[beachguy]

I know Ted, I hate it too. It's the right thing for Heather though...she has been toughing it out alone in a store with old plumbing, a leaky roof in an unstable economy. Having worked there for 12 years I loved that store and Heather and her whole family but it's time. She needs to have a life where she is free to enjoy vacations and the normal things away from work like the rest of us.

This^^^^^

Nothing against Williams Reef or the owner Rob but I refuse to support any of these guys selling cheap fish/corals out of their homes/basements no matter how nice of guys they are. And I do not consider them to be a true retail store.

Brick and Mortar shops have enough issues competing locally and against online vendors/Amazon. These home based guys selling cheap really undercut the LFS on any small profit they are making.

Running a business out of your home is no where close to an actual retail location. You are not paying a separate commercial rent/utilities/employees/insurance/etc. from your regular home costs. Most do not stock any drygoods, food, salt, etc.

Where are you going to get these items quick when you need to replace a broken pump or do a quick water change? Dave's Aquastock is gone. Slippery Rock Corals recently closed. Calfo's Aquariums and Ponds by Namado recently closed. SeaHorse is closing soon. If you don't support them when they are open, they will be closed when you need them.

I used to own a small retail business for many many years so I know how difficult it can be to open a location and keep the shop viable. I was luckily operating in a time before the internet and online shopping. I can't imagine the challenges these bigger shops like SeaHorse, Elmer's, and Wet Pets face with all the overhead and employees they have.

I know most people are online and price driven these days but I will gladly pay more for personalized service and the convenience to stop by a shop and talk with the owner and check out what they have in stock that week. Heck, my favorite shop, Saltwater Sanctuary, matches online prices anyways and then gives me another 10% off when I buy a fish or coral from him for giving him the business. That is what keeps me coming back. I feel good about supporting a local shop and he makes some money to keep the shop going. Win-Win in my book!

Of course I am old and grumpy as my wife says so what do I know! :deadhorse1::dance:

 

[Jrambo88]

Rob does sell dry goods and can get you anything you need. He is working towards a brick and mortar store. Everyone knows that business its tough to just open without having a name first. But that's fine don't support him, I will and get phenomal corals for reasonable prices.

The seahorse was wayyyy overpriced and had terrible looking corals. I would never support a business with livestock that looked like that. The people in there were always very nice to me. I also overheard an employee give advice about corals to a customer that was very bad advice. I prefer aquaworld for everything or Williams reed.

 

[beachguy]

Yes, I agree about Seahorse. Never did like their place much. Felt bad for the fish in those little plexiglass cubes.

I was not attacking Rob or his business. I apologize if it appeared that way. Just using his business and business model as an example. I have heard good things about him and the corals he sells.

However in my opinion, he is not a full line pet shop with signage, parking lot, regular set walk-in hours, dry goods in all brands and sizes in the shop and therefor has a different business model than a brick and mortar store. I can guarantee you if he or any of these home based businesses were in an actual storefront location their prices would be in line with what you find in the local shops around the area because they would have to be to survive.

About 10-15 years ago I looked into opening a pet shop myself. Thought about doing it similar to how Williams Reef is setup except I was going to build a steel building on my home's property. Did you know wholesalers won't sell to home based businesses? Want to know the reason why...it undercuts the local shops in the area. They wanted proof of retail storefront location with pictures of the shop sign/parking lot and interior shots of the store along with a yellow pages listing showing the business in the phone book.

A guy who has little to no overhead can sell for half the price of a true fish shop. The wholesalers know without the LFS who are competing against these guys selling at half price then they will be out of business too.

I'm glad to hear his business is doing well and you are getting great deals on nice corals and supplies but if you think once he or any of those guys eventually open a true storefront that his prices on those said livestock and supplies will remain at that price point you are naive to how a small business operates.

Again, not trying to be confrontational just my opinion. There is a reason why all these shops go out of business. It is a very hard business model to succeed at. Especially in a niche market like tropical fish.

And one last thing, again, I do not care where you purchase any of your livestock or supplies from, I have no skin in the game as they say. But if you think buying your livestock and supplies from Aquaworld is the prudent choice among the local fish shops in the area then you need to do some more research on their abysmal history and treatment of animals and their shady business dealings in general at that location.

 

[acer]

Well- If you read my other threads about my situation of how I got back into the hobby. Aquaworld was the first place I went to regarding the livestock in the tank that I had "inherited". They failed to even follow thru with a simple phone call and Heather at Seahorse took the livestock in and gave me store credit. Why ?- she knew the livestock would be best off in her store and maybe she could resell at a profit. But, also because I was a loyal customer she new the livestock would be exactly what I told her and there is a "trust" factor you don't get with a online stores or obviously at Aquaworld. I will miss seahorse.

 

[Jrambo88]

Well it sounds like Rob would be better off in his basement, which i have no problem with. A simple phone call is easy for me to do.

I know of their shady past. i really could care less to be honest. Every fish i bought from them is still alive today. Never got any diseases. I have good rapport with Aquaworld. They will keep fish for you until they eat and look healthy. They will order any item you need. I can tell you i do not buy corals from them. I get corals either online, rob or local hobbyists helping me out. (which i greatly appreciate). They may have a bad rap but there is a reason why they are still open and dare i say thriving?

 

[beachguy]

Yep. And that is what is so great about this hobby. A million different opinions and ways to do things.

Cheers to you for doing your thing.:beer:

 

[acer]

I hold no "ill will" to Aquaworld - hey I understand they don't want diseased second hand livestock- but they knew me as well. But, they did not even call to say they did not want to take the livestock so if I had counted on that call - I would have been up a creek.... I went to them first because I had bought coral and fish there before and I knew a few of the employees from years past. So, now I have a mixed feeling and certainly no longer have a sense of loyalty to them to look to see if they have something when I decide I am going to buy x,y, or Z. Mainly I just knew Heather and had shopped at Seahorse for many years, not just Aquarium stuff, but for our dogs too. - and As a small business owner I hate to see it go. I hope Heather sold the building and is walking away with a good chunk of cash in her pocket.

 

[vlangel]

I hold no "ill will" to Aquaworld - hey I understand they don't want diseased second hand livestock- but they knew me as well. But, they did not even call to say they did not want to take the livestock so if I had counted on that call - I would have been up a creek.... I went to them first because I had bought coral and fish there before and I knew a few of the employees from years past. So, now I have a mixed feeling and certainly no longer have a sense of loyalty to them to look to see if they have something when I decide I am going to buy x,y, or Z. Mainly I just knew Heather and had shopped at Seahorse for many years, not just Aquarium stuff, but for our dogs too. - and As a small business owner I hate to see it go. I hope Heather sold the building and is walking away with a good chunk of cash in her pocket.

Actually Heather is keeping the building and will rent it out. She is also keeping the Seahorse name as no one knows what the future could hold for her, (perhaps meeting a nice man who loves animals) and she could re-open.

I know many of you are critical of the cubes but Heather's dad set up the Seahorse in the 1970s. He was certainly among the most knowledgeable people in saltwater at that time. The reasoning behind the cubes is that a fish does not have to go through the stress of finding it's place in the hierarchy. Less stress means less disease. My experience is that the Seahorse had generally healthy fish. Those fish were meant to be housed in the cubes only temporarily.
As far as an employee giving out bad information, yes it happened at times. Remember the Seahorse was more than a fish store. A new employee had to learn everything about various dog breeds, cats, lizards,lots of birds, chinchillas, guinea pigs, hamsters not to mention all the dry goods associated with each animal. As an employee of 12 years I know both what it was like trying to learn and remember everything and also what it was like trying to mentor new employees. It was a huge task. Then being a mom and pop store and not having big bucks to pay high salaries and having lots of turnover made it a constant task. I KNOW that the Seahorse strove to be a knowledgeable store. I KNOW that they strove to send their fish and animals into homes that were equipped to care for them.
Heather was 19 years old when her dad died unexpectedly and she inherited the sole responsibility of running an all consuming buisness, a buisness in an aging building that was experiencing entropy. So before you are overly critical of the Seahorse try to remember these things and hopefully you can have a more compassionate response. I love/d the whole Mason family and I am a bit protective of them so please excuse my rant. Ted having dealt first hand with Heather understands this as well. They were/are a fine family and it is sad to see their buisness cease.

 

[krshlln300]

Found more info on the Reef Gallery opening in Zelienople!!

https://www.facebook.com/Thereefgallery

Grand Opening is August 21st!

 

[acer]

When is Seahorse closing?