Looking for input regarding an LFS....

[RobinsonFam1]

I am looking at the possibility of opening an LFS and need some input. I already have it pretty much laid out/planned but i want to hear wants and needs from people all over....

i am more concerned with layout and products. I realize service, prices, and selection have to be first. so let me know what you want your LFS to carry and how you would rather the store be laid out.

thanks!
BR

 

[annoyingmirek]

a web site accompanying ur store would be awsome. with a current stock prices. good luck

 

[RobinsonFam1]

i was thinking the same thing. i will need all the sales i can get once i do open the doors and may even internet sell before the store is open.

thanks!
keep em coming!

 

[affan]

Where are you located?

 

[RobinsonFam1]

im trying not to say yet, South East......errr close to it

 

[affan]

Okay. I was just wondering if you would be within a 100 mile radius of me.

 

[baja_01]

First off, your going to get screwed on pricing. Most things that you get "wholesale" will be more expensive than on-line stores. Maybe stock some emergency/small supplies, but I would concentraite on live stock. Start a prop tank and grow out fast growing corals to sell to newbies. Try and get some rare stock if you can.

 

[RobinsonFam1]

affan: sorry but no i wont be....

Baja: i know i will be battling the world of internet sales the whole time.
the opinion i am looking for is what would you like to see in an ideal LFS. what would make you want to go there or call or website us first over a store that is 10 miles away????

 

[Paintbug]

wouldnt happen to be in the greensboro NC area man we need a good shop there. the main thing i look for in a LFS is the quality of livestock, and staff. somethings i just cant afford to buy locally. i cant see spending $100 more on the exact same skimmer for example. but most my live goods come from the LFS. small items like food, test kits, etc. i get local as well.

 

[RobinsonFam1]

paintbug: youre right. livestock my first impression too. I too cant afford to buy some things locally either which leads me to building or ordering.
pricing is going to be a horrendus project i can only bear to imagine. on the other hand though i dont want to have the number 1 prices. i cant imagine a family run small shop could afford to do that, but pricing will be VERY competitive.

lets keep rolling with layout and certain brands or products that you want to see.
Example: i dont have a single LFS in 50 miles that sells true skimmers. I keep seeing seaclones and prizims, etc. but yet to see a DD, beckett, or a good venturi.

thanks all!

 

[Paintbug]

you definatly want to keep the "pro" brands. but you need some of the cheaper stuff as well. some people just wont spend $300 for a skimmer, when they can get a seaclone for $100. but be honest and tell them its not the best. then when they realize they need that $300 Aqua C skimmer they will come back. for some expample of brands take a look at www.marinedepot.com they carry all the "pro" stuff.

i like to see package deals on things as well. like have an entire SW set-up with a list of each item and a total savings. it may only be $30-$50 but you will still save some.

 

[IndoorOcean]

One thing that frustrates me with the local LFS here is not a good selection of foods. There's pleny of dry foods, but not a great selection of frozen and live. Everybody of course has the brine shrimp, but what about all the other stuff we like to feed our fish?! At some of the online stores you see a huge selection of frozen foods, but you know you have to order a freezer full to make the amount you pay for shipping worth buying it! I would like to walk in a see a big freezer full of all kinds of different frozen foods, and maybe several tanks dedicated to housing live foods like mysis shrimp.

 

[omni2226]

Clean.
Water on the floors is to be understood.

Green hairy things snarling at me from dak corners or from under displays is not.

Did I mention keep it clean?

 

[whiteshark]

I totally agree with the food. Have lots of it and multiple brands. Plz, plz, plz make sure all your employees know what they are doing and what they are talking about.

 

[goalieman392]

i think the number one thing is honesty.. i cant stand it when LFS guys tell you something just to get ya to buy something.

you should really really really open a store in the atlanta metro area =D real estate prices are relatively cheap down here, with a lot of people from up north moving down to the atl for their jobs, with disposable income ... if you need any production of commercial advertisements just PM me

good luck

 

[IndoorOcean]

As far as the layout goes, it would be nice to see a section of tanks with fish labled as reef-safe, and a section of fish-only. I know people should know about the fish they are purchasing, but I'm sure most people just buy what they think looks good in the store not knowing it may destroy their tank.

 

[hopper]

There is a LFS shop in Hoover, Al. (I can't remember the name - Aquarium Designs maybe?) that I have never been able to go into because they are always closed when I am in the area. The thing that attracted me to this shop though was the two 150 gallon tanks sitting in their window that were absolutely stunning to look at. The tanks were the cleanest I had ever seen and by looking into the window, the entire store was the same way. Frag tanks were off to one side of the middle of the store and fish display tanks were off to the right wall as you walked in. Maybe one day I will get the chance to visit when they are open as I live 7 hours from them. The cleanliness and what appeared to be a great selection of livestock really caught my eye. So if I were to have a LFS, this is what it would be at the least. Cleanliness is the key to keeping people coming back IMO. Have a great selection of livestock and you will keep them coming back out of curiosity to see what you have gotten in. The website is a great idea also that you can post periodic specials on and customers tanks can be spotlighted.

 

[IndoorOcean]

Hopper, I totally agree with your comment about Aquarium Designs. I go there a lot - in fact, I was in there this afternoon. The store is very clean and well laid out. Those big tanks up front catch the eyes of every person walking by the storefront. I'm sure it pulls in a lot of people that just want to look, but who knows how many of them get hooked on the hobby afterwards!

Friends of ours from New York were visiting a while back and I took them in there. They were blown away. They said they never knew that aquariums could look so great and be so interesting. They now want to get into the hobby. So I would say that some really great displays and cleaniless are a must for any LFS.

 

[ACBlinky]

I agree with everything so far - a clean store with knowledgeable staff and a good selection of quality products and foods sounds like somewhere I'd like to shop.
Little things can also go a long way - clear labeling/pricing on the tanks is important, and keeping things in sections as IndoorOcean mentioned is a great idea. I wish the store where I work would stay on top of pricing, I often find myself calling the manager at home on his day off because half our pricetags are missing.
Try to make things as customer friendly as possible. One (very large, very busy) LFS I visit has a television and plays the Blue Ocean DVDs all day long. It's really nice to have something to look at while you're waiting in line; it may sound silly, but it keeps customers from getting grumpy. Where I work we have nothing for people to look at but the other customers and the staff... we experience a lot more yelling when it gets busy

 

[McCrary]

A killer display tank is a must, it shows people that you have the experience to create an awesome tank. One that really stands out to me was a SPS tank with tons of acros, montiporas, hydnophoras and such. It told me the second I walked in their that the owner knew how to set up a tank and keep it going. Rare corals also make this shop stand out. Offering a good selection of rare corals and fish keeps me coming back. One of the guys who works at the shop has a PhD and is a wealth of information. The more little things you can bring into a shop the more customers are going to come in and buy from you.