New Store
- Thread starter BCashion
- Start date
CeaHorseMaShell
New member
1401 Southside Drive in Salem
Michael R
CWebHokie
New member
OH MY PIPE!!
OH MY PIPE!!
Matt and I went to Salem today to check out Ultimate. I've got to say the name doesn't do the place any justice. I went just expecting to look at stuff but couldnt resist buying a pair of misbarred oscellaris clowns and a pretty nifty zoanthid rock. The prices on fish and corals are competitive to say the least and the selection of dry goods and equipment is on point with prices that are hard to beat. I cant wait to see what he's got when I go back in a couple weeks, if not sooner.
OH MY PIPE!!
Matt and I went to Salem today to check out Ultimate. I've got to say the name doesn't do the place any justice. I went just expecting to look at stuff but couldnt resist buying a pair of misbarred oscellaris clowns and a pretty nifty zoanthid rock. The prices on fish and corals are competitive to say the least and the selection of dry goods and equipment is on point with prices that are hard to beat. I cant wait to see what he's got when I go back in a couple weeks, if not sooner.
manderx
New member
yup. everyone has to go see. it's refreshing to see a store in the area that knows what they are doing, stocks the things we need and will actually buy on a regular basis and not just the cheapest crap with the highest %markup. by looking at his drygoods, you can tell that he hunts down the good stuff, and doesn't just rely on the standard lists/distributers that most stores limit themselves to. he even had those boston aqua-farm reef frag plugs. i don't think any of the other stores in the area even know what a frag plug is, let alone would stock such a thing out of fear that it would encourage people to trade frags. which if they weren't so paranoid to begin with would realize makes it easier for us to afford corals so that the end result is we buy more corals as a group. i won't drop $75 on a coral unless it's *amazing* (and what are the chances of that), but i'll always kick in $15 to split one without even looking at it. and it develops the local market, getting more people excited about their tanks and more into spending money on them. i mean just look back when our club was hopping and we were trading stuff, that's when the most corals/fish were sold at at the local place. when we fell apart, so did their sales. plus UA's prices compete *extremely* well against mail order prices. i picked up a can of esv kalk for less than it would have cost to order from premium. just the fact that he had esv products impressed the heck out of me, let alone being affordable enough to actually buy. so tired of first having to spend 5 minutes to explain what something is, then hearing 'it's not on our list so we can't get it'. and then they whine that it's our fault their business isn't doing better because we mail order everything.
his livestock selection and prices are also amazing (fish costing 1/2 of what i'm used to seeing), with immacculate systems and top of the line equipment to keep things healthy and looking better and better every day it's there. unlike other stores that put together inadequate and poorly designed systems, showcasing junk products that suck, and hope everything sells before it dies (and jack up the markup to account for that increased mortality).
it really is the total package. price, selection and demonstrated knowledge/experience. and the place is really easy to get to once you know where it is. just a block or so off the main drag running through salem. hop the river near that dynasty chinese/mongolian place, then take a left immediately after the gas station. i'd be more than happy to tag along and give directions for anyone going
.
his livestock selection and prices are also amazing (fish costing 1/2 of what i'm used to seeing), with immacculate systems and top of the line equipment to keep things healthy and looking better and better every day it's there. unlike other stores that put together inadequate and poorly designed systems, showcasing junk products that suck, and hope everything sells before it dies (and jack up the markup to account for that increased mortality).
it really is the total package. price, selection and demonstrated knowledge/experience. and the place is really easy to get to once you know where it is. just a block or so off the main drag running through salem. hop the river near that dynasty chinese/mongolian place, then take a left immediately after the gas station. i'd be more than happy to tag along and give directions for anyone going
.
surfnvb7
Premium Member
amen to all that.
i finally got a chance to visit strictly marine near richmond. its not an eye catcher by any means, but the guy who works their is great, and he knows what people want and stocks his tanks/shelves accordingly. he'll bend over backwards to find anything a customer wants and give it to them at a great price so they'll come back for more.
i like that mentality, it keeps me wanting to go back if they at least *try* to please the customers.
if they dont try to please their customer base with what they want, they shouldn't expect much in return.
Well, you are all right. Ultimate Aquarium is a great store. Their prices are extremely reasonable, the livestock is amazing, and they carry almost everything that I would normally order online and again at very comparable prices. And what they do not have in stock, they can probably get for you at reasonable prices.
The fish did look fantastic, and the systems appear to be very well thought out and designed to properly handle the high turnover. I would suggest that everyone go visit as soon as possible.
Its only 30 minutes or so from Blacksburg, so it is still convenient. Highly recommended .. I would gladly drive an hour or more to see this store!
The fish did look fantastic, and the systems appear to be very well thought out and designed to properly handle the high turnover. I would suggest that everyone go visit as soon as possible.
Its only 30 minutes or so from Blacksburg, so it is still convenient. Highly recommended .. I would gladly drive an hour or more to see this store!
throatoyster
New member
It's only open from 3-7 during the week?
