Would you come to Corpus if I open a store?

[ReefOne]

Well I might be able to get some funds to finally start a store in Corpus but I figured I would check to see if anyone would make it a stop whenever they visit. It would be nothing big, most likely a small/med store to start off with(600-1200sq ft.). Probably about 75 gallons for livestock, 100 gallons for softies, 100 gallons for decent priced sps frags(thinking $15-$25), and of course a 400g Cube or 240gL as a show tank/ exotic sps tank(which frags would be available), and of course drygoods also. I would also make sure everything is extremely clean and well organized and properly maintained. Of course I would also be a sponsor of MAAST and give 20% discounts to MAAST members and maybe do a raffle every month for frags or such for MAAST members. I still have alot of planning/drawing/etc. before I even start to get the ball on the roll. If this pans out I want this to be one of the best stores in south texas. Please feel free to give some input on what you would like for a store to have and what you look for when you walk into a store. Thanks for looking everyone!

Ram

[cpreefguy]

Heck yes!
Sounds great, good luck!

[ReefOne]

LOL...I sure could. People would probably find that funny, fish store that also sells fishing equipment.

[abe77901]

give me a reason to get back into the hobby Ram, heck yeah i'd visit. Probably order the new tank from you too.

[ReefOne]

I'm really really thinking about it. That would be awesome Abe!

[blueboy]

i'd stop in when i was in town. i'd like to see a store with a nice prop tank, full of nice corals that are never sold, only fragged. that way it seems more possible to always have some nice stock, instead of just having nice stuff the day an order comes in. if a large part of your business drives in from out of town, this would make your store more reliable. i'm only suggesting this because i live at least 45 minutes from any nice stores, so when i spend a day doing a "shop hop" it's really disappointing to find everyones tanks picked over.

[ReefOne]

that's a good idea! I'll add that to the project.

[Ross]

If your serious, look into internet sales. Thats where all the money is if your gonna frag alot. Were all spoiled around here, people in other places pay alot more for the same frags. just a suggestion...

[Shark_Bait]

Hell yea Ram.. start something up.. Just so we have more than one.

[taldrich13]

I go to the beach a couple times a year. I guess it also depend on how close to I37 your store is as to how often I could convince my girlfriend to let me stop by.

[cpreefguy]

Yeah Ram, sell Coach purses too :P

[brewercm]

I second what Ross said. Be a good way to help make a real go of it. I'd definately stop in when I'm down that way, wife may not like it though.

[Shark_Bait]

If your serious, look into internet sales. Thats where all the money is if your gonna frag alot. Were all spoiled around here, people in other places pay alot more for the same frags. just a suggestion...

Yea but those in Corpus are not so "spoiled" we have ONE LFS. Though it is nice it still is only one. And there are lots of hospitals and doctors offices here, that are dying for nice displays. Don't know why but there seems to be more hospitals and doctors here than any other city I've lived in. But yea the internet could help. Well at least it couldn't hurt

[JimD]

Check to see if theres a local reef club, if not, start one! Since the majority of your business will be from the locals, you may want to see what the demand would be if your main interest is going to be specificly in saltwater retail sales. You may or may not have to diversify depending on local demand.

[Shark_Bait]

Check to see if theres a local reef club, if not, start one! Since the majority of your business will be from the locals, you may want to see what the demand would be if your main interest is going to be specificly in saltwater retail sales. You may or may not have to diversify depending on local demand.

MAAST is his local club.

[JimD]

What about the other saltwater enthusiests in that area? Is maast their reef club also? So far, I only know of two people from that area that are maast members, what about the others? Most have no clue that this club is available and Ill bet they would be delighted to have a local club of their own. Not to mention the fact that it could be a source of advertising for a new store. These are all just things to consider.

[5.0Stang]

DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT It will make me have a reason to see my brother in sinton

[dfowlks]

RAM please start one. Make sure you sell good RO\DI salt water and top off water. I get my water from Fish Haven. What I don't like about them is their selection and price. Also they have very limited knowledge. One of the guys didn't even know what chaeto was. I will definitely do some business with you. Another thing would be to trade frags for store credit. A big thing in San Antonio is to have discount days. Everyone in San Antonio does Tuesdays. They give 25% off certain livestock on Tuesdays and 10% off of corals. I hope you are able to do it. Good luck. Let us know when you open. It doesn't have to be a big store. Have you seen Finaddict? Their store is not very big but it has a lot of cool stuff.

[ReefOne]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I'm really going to go ahead and start laying everything down on paper.

Sean:
That's funny you say that about coach purses. My girlfriend said the exact same thing. She even said that I could also sell a little bit of jewelry near the register so that the g/f's having something to look at while the guys do their thing. So funny!

Rob:
I know what you mean, I think we definitely need more than one store. Every city should have more than one store.

Jim:
Rob is right MAAST is my local club. I would rather get the locals here to become a part of MAAST than start another club. It could help the club that helped me so much since I've started this hobby. Plus, it would make this family that much bigger!

5.0Stang:
That would be cool then. Family and fun in one weekend.

dfowlks:
That's why I want to open up my own store. Prices are crazy at TFH, I didnt notice it when I first started the hobby b/c that was the only store. That's why I ventured off to other cities(SA, Austin,Houston, Dallas) to buy stuff. I literally went to every store in the listed cities. About knowledge, that's what I tell my g/f that every store NEEDS to have. Employees that know alot about the hobby. Dont get me wrong, there are still alot of things that I dont know about the hobby. But I am constantly reading trying to gain more and more knowledge about our little friends from the sea. I want to be that store that people think of when they have trouble with their tanks. I want my customers to know that if I cant answer their question, I will find the answer one way or another. That's also a good idea about a local Discount day. I will definitely add that to the list.


Keep the suggestions coming everyone. Like I said, if I open up a store I want to make sure I have and meet the expectations of my customers. Thanks again

Ram

[Bill S]

Ram,

If I were in your shoes, I'd come up to SA and talk to a few folks. Try Richard and Mark at CB, Louis at AW and Felipe at FA. You also might bend an ear at Wolf Reef, since Ed just bought the place. I "grew up" in this business - many years ago. It's tough to make a living on the livestock. Money is made everywhere else. Dry goods, food, supplies, etc. are where the money is - what little there is. Look beyond fish. Dog grooming is a GREAT tag along business, for instance. That being said, I'd stop by when I'm coming home from the coast - hope you plan to be open on Sunday!

[Thunderkat]

I wouldn't be able to make the drive there :)

[ReefOne]

Finally got everything down on paper(equipment wise). Now i'm going to start my mock store in Google SketchUp to get an idea of how it would look. Will post once I get it done. Thanks again everyone!

[Texreefer]

if you open up a nice clean store that has some nice sized sps frags and a huge show tank.. i would make the trip just to visit you

[ReefOne]

that's exactly what I want. A CLEAN store, not only in appearance but also in my displays. As a SPS freak, I know exactly what you mean about nice size as well as nicely priced :)

What do you think?
400g Cube Show tank or 225g (72x30x24)

[Texreefer]

400 cube without question... my two dream systems would be the 300brick that Ace wouldn't let me have (just kidding Ace) or the 400 cube.. i have no room for the 400 so i might as well be able to go to your store to see it

[ReefOne]

sounds like a plan. 400g it is.

[dwdenny]

Ram I would go for sure there is only one store here all be it good I drive through Corpus often.

[ReefOne]

Sweet.

Here is what I have together so far for tanks:
120 gallon Livestock tank(16 12"x12"x12 tanks) (20L Sump) VHO Lit
75 gallon Softie Tank (60"x24"x12")(20L sump/fuge) 150DE or 175w MH Lit
70 gallon SPS frag/propagation Tank (36"x36"x12")(Tied to main) 400w MH in Lumenmax
400 gallon Cube Show Tank (48"x48"x48")(75 gallon sump/fuge/prop tank) 250DE's or 400w DE's
or
360 gallon (72"x48"x24") 3 Lumenmax w/ 250w MH

(2)100 gallon Rubbermaid for Live Rock(fiji/tonga)
(2)150 gallon Poly tanks for RO/DI water and Saltwater

What do you think?

Kinda leaning towards the 360 because it would use less watts as far a lighting goes. I could also do a Faux Wall like Brians(GreenMako) setup to create depth and make it look like a in-wall while hiding all equipment.

[thesponge]

The Frag Propagation Tank. would that also be a tank where people could bring in Frags and trade frags out of? If not I think it would be kewl to have a Trade tank. A tank where people can add something to it and then for a small i.e. $5 can take something out.

[ReefOne]

Hmm, that's a new one. Are you thinking SPS or softies? It could be, then the add price could depend on what kind of coral you want to swap for. It could be basically like a store credit for your frags, right?

[LoneStar]

I'd be interested in dropping by your shop when I'm down at the coast. Seems like I'm down there about 3-4 times a year. ;)

[Shark_Bait]

Only problem with the frag swap tank (though it is a great idea) would be flat worms or red bugs.

I'm gonna need a job in about 2 years Ram.. You hiring yet?

[Richard]

Only problem with the frag swap tank (though it is a great idea) would be flat worms or red bugs.


That is easily solved with dips. The real problem is how much is it going to cost to setup and maintain that frag system and how many $5 swaps do you need every month just to recoupe your investment and then how many more $5 frag swaps do you need just to pay for the cost of maintaining the system and then how many more $5 frag swaps do you need just to make a little bit of money. And then deciding if it is worth your time and effort.

All these ideas are well and good if your store is going to be just a hobby but the real work is figuring what kind of market you have for what you want to do and then crunching numbers to figure out if you have a decent chance of getting a paycheck for your work. Just be sure you know that what is your hobby now will be a tremendous amount of work when you make it your job. Far too much sweat and money opening a store just to discover that it's not what you thought it would be down the road.

[LoneStar]

Only problem with the frag swap tank (though it is a great idea) would be flat worms or red bugs.


That is easily solved with dips. The real problem is how much is it going to cost to setup and maintain that frag system and how many $5 swaps do you need every month just to recoupe your investment and then how many more $5 frag swaps do you need just to pay for the cost of maintaining the system and then how many more $5 frag swaps do you need just to make a little bit of money. And then deciding if it is worth your time and effort.

All these ideas are well and good if your store is going to be just a hobby but the real work is figuring what kind of market you have for what you want to do and then crunching numbers to figure out if you have a decent chance of getting a paycheck for your work. Just be sure you know that what is your hobby now will be a tremendous amount of work when you make it your job. Far too much sweat and money opening a store just to discover that it's not what you thought it would be down the road.

Yup I'm sure Alex Wolf can attest to that.

[ReefOne]

LOL, Rob your a funny man. Still work on base? I need a JOB, hook me up!

There could be a cap per month on coral swaps. That way it keeps the tank from being overrun by a single type of coral. Parasites are a worry, but like Richard said that could be prevented by dips. I know what you mean Rich, it is a big risk as is any attempt at starting a business. I think there is a great market here in CC, plus the rest of the south. There are not very many stores south of CC. Especially saltwater/reef specific. The ones that exist usually have a small section of saltwater livestock as well as drygoods. I mean I still have a TON of research to put into this vision. Numbers are a really important subject that I will definitely make sure I evaluate. That's why I want to start off small, I would rather fail at something small, than fail at something big(ie. $50k+). Of course I think a big + would be internet sales, especially for those who cant make it up but would like to shop at the store. Of course there would have to be a minimum order but what's good about Texas, ground is next day anywhere except places like Dallas(Lonestar can do it though). I'm trying to keep my cost down as much as possible. Low wattage pumps, lights(all e-ballast), etc, to keep cost down as much as possible. Keep the suggestions rolling!

[Texreefer]

dig up my old post on frag swaping for more ideas

here is shortcut
http://www.maast.org/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=22299&hig hlight=frag+swap

[ReefOne]

That's awesome. I wouldnt start the frag swapping until the system was fully stabilized and basically taking care of itself(6+ months of running). I think that this would keep losses down, as well as help in creating extremely healthy specimens. That is definitely a great idea. Added to the list!

[SoLiD]

I just saw this today and can honestly say that you would get a good chunck of my $250-$700 a month habbit. It would be nice to buy some of the more prettier corals, too. Sadly, I have bought about 98% of all my corals online or from other Maastards. Our one LFS has a very limited selection. I don't mind paying a premium price for a premium coral or fish, but I will not buy a so-so or butt ugly brown coral at a premium price. And it seems that anything decent (7 out of 10 stars or better) whether it be coral or fish is limited to one specimen and is usually NOT FOR SALE since a maintenance customer or employee gets first dibs. It's not like I haven't spent over $9000 with them in less than 8 months. What I'm saying is HELL yeah we'd buy from you. Heck, I just spent $150 last night on ebay and plan to spend the other $150 in 2-3 more days when I finish decideing what else I want. -SoLiD

[SoLiD]

Ram,
Keep in mind that most Saltwater Fish slash Reef tank owners in the Corpus Christi area DON'T know about Maast since our one LFS doesn't endorse or advertise here. They (TFH) are still ****ed off that a Maast member slammed them about their prices and coral selection. If a store was opened and gave recommendations to check out Maast and become a member, it would only build this community and encourage frustrated uninformed tank owners by giving them knowledgeable advice when they have problems and are ready to and eventually do give up. Look how much Ace's AEFW ordeal helped us all. Also how all of his fellow Maastards lent him equipment to get through it. What I'm saying is Building a Store is just as important as Building a REPEAT Customer Base. What better way than keeping them United on one Website Community like Maast. -SoLiD

[Shark_Bait]

Holy cow their still mad... I did that a few years ago.. Unless someone else did it. I even went and talked to Bruce about it...

Just remember Ram as I'm sure you already know; Pick your location very carefully! As we had that other Fish store open but because it was hidden and there was no signage or advertizing it is now a different kind of fish store (the kind you buy the stuff to make fish food). With all the new strip malls going up here on the south side maybe one of them would work.

[ReefOne]

Thanks guys. I'm with you on everything you said SoLiD. My feelings exactly. Hey Rob, that is exactly where I'm looking at. I really want to open up something on saratoga, somewhere b/w weber and cimmaron. I mean I still have plenty of time to find a good place, but Its okay b/c if I do this I want to do it right. I want to make sure I have every aspect of the store covered, from advertising to inventory and such. Thanks again guys.

[ReefOne]

What do ya'll think about this as a Show Tank?

450 Gallon (72x48x30)

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/2804/450gallonnm3.jpg

Sean's(cpreefguy) possible Upgrade (75 Gallon)
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1315/99825923gh5.jpg


Still working on the Drawing of the Store. Will post once I get it done. Thanks

Ram

[erikharrison]

make the stand taller so you can put a gigantic sump in it. I speak for the tall people when I say that I hate bending down constantly to look into tanks. The 75 gallon has a much larger stand in comparison.

[LoneStar]

Looks awesome! Don't you just love Google SketchUp? :)

[beaconstreet95]

heck yes.. i live in the area and would love more than two choices for my tank needs

[ReefOne]

The stand is 30". I was thinking about 36", dont really want anything taller than 3ft. I'm thinking of a 48x30x16 sump/fuge/prop tank underneath.

I love Google SketchUp OH so much! LOL

[dwdenny]

When are you planning to open up? I would travel to Corpus in a heart beat to get good stuff.

[Shark_Bait]

But us short guys hate not being able to see what at the top! Can't make everyone happy all the time :p
But I agree that the stand on the show tank should be taller.

[ReefOne]

dwdenny:
Not sure. Hopefully 8-15months. Really want to make sure I get everything down on paper first.

Rob:
Well how bout 33", not short, not tall. Right in the middle! I'll keep a stepstool so people can see what's at the top if they want to :)

[ReefOne]

Here is what I got just kinda rough sketching. Still have to add a couple more tanks on the right side and fish holding tanks on the stand. The black thing is my rendition of a Rubbermaid 150 gallon vat for live rock.

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/5517/storehh2.jpg

Ram

[Shark_Bait]

You gonna have a back room for your acrylic work? Maybe dry good on the other side?
And I hate to say it but the coral tank that TFH has up front is nice. Shallow and short enough that you can look from the top down and big enough to hold a good amount of corals. Might work nice after your show tank.
Things for sale in the "show tank"?

[ReefOne]

I would like to have a back room for acrylic work but I think I'll wait on that. If I open a store and it really takes off, then I'll have a place built with a acrylic shop out back with windows so people could see tanks and such being built. Dry good will be on the other side(right side). I'll make sure there is also walking room behind someone bending over looking at stuff so that no one feels crammed.

[beaconstreet95]

what part of town are you thinking of?

[erikharrison]

If you wanna do a top down, you should do one like that guy did in his backyard, on RC, only make it for indoor. What I am meaning is that he has a cover that has water touching the cover so the water appears clear from the top down, with a taller portion for in tank stuff. Great looking store so far, but you may want to build the inner wall on your build as it would be more cost effective in the begining. The other end of that is demand, and wether or not it would be worth it to dedicate your precious floor space to do such work.

[dfowlks]

Ram that sketch looks sweet. Remember I'll work for zoos. :D

[ReefOne]

beaconstreet95:
Somewhere around the saratoga/staples area

erikharrison:
I'm not quite sure what you are talking about(inner wall). As for Top-down tanks, I'm thinking of something like the overflowing Clam tank but a little more custom.

dfowlks:
lol, i'll keep that in mind.

[erikharrison]

I was saying that if you build a wall in the store to house a work area, and you don't do this at the start. I am speaking of the acrylic building area.

[ReefOne]

oh ok. That's what I thought. Yea, most likely I would keep that at my Garage until I was able to afford to have a brand new facility built.

[ErikH]

bump for the CC peeps

[sly fox]

very nice tank :)

[Jamie]

I'm new to saltwater and would love for this store to open. I can't wait....thanks for bumping this thread Erik. I hope ReefOne chimes back in with his store's status. Just knowing that his sign is up is awesome.

[tropicana]

Honestly where the bench is, its a waste of space... You should place that parallel to the "Rendition of the Rubbermaind Tub." Then you should utilize that wall for either more Corals/Livestock/crabs/snails or the Propagation Tanks..... You can keep all those Inline with the others to make up the lost space.... That way all dry goods can be kept on the other side of the store...

[DrMark]

I hope whoever it is does chime in here, Reefone or not.
This is a prime opportunity to be THE store in Corpus. Would be smart to post here and on a local freshwater site with updates, plans, etc.
mark

[SoLiD]

I don't think we'll hear from ReefOne. I've tried to contact him for months to no avail. Oh well.

Has anybody stopped by "Aquarium Masters" recently. Just what kind of store it will be is still up in the air.

-David

[DrMark]

Went by there yesterday afternoon.
Still no change or sign of anyone, just the sign.
Mark

[ReefOne]

Hey Guys!

It's not my store. Read some stuff that someone posted on how the new shop owner is setting up the store and I probably would not have my store like that. I've actually stepped away from the hobby for a while, I have not built anything in over a year. We were evicted due to my roomies when I was out of town so that really threw everything off. All my stuff had to go to storage. I'm coming back though. If anyone has any ideas on people to talk to about steps on opening a store as far as funding goes let me know. I still think that Corpus NEEDS a premier storefront/acrylic shop and I still have dreams of fulfilling the spot. I apoligize to all and any that I have lost contact with.

Ram