A
I'm truly sorry to hear it Glenn. It's a tough business and it doesn't seem to get much easier as time goes by. That 11K rent would suck the life out of a lot of good business people. 8O Even if you are successful and manage to survive in this business it usually comes at the great cost of sacrificing any type of a normal family life. In the long run you'll probably end up being much better off. Good luck.
Mitch
Mitch
Eeeks, that REALLY sucks Glenn. Mitch is right, that 11K rent is a real life sucker 
I'm glad to hear your being upbeat about it though, thats really hard to do when your loosing your baby. Like you said though, it has/was a learning experience and one I have yet to do (own store). I've worked thru a closing though and it's really sad. Best of luck.
I'm glad to hear your being upbeat about it though, thats really hard to do when your loosing your baby. Like you said though, it has/was a learning experience and one I have yet to do (own store). I've worked thru a closing though and it's really sad. Best of luck.Wow Glenn... what can I say? I'm really sorry to see you close your doors, but I can understand your reasons. Wow $11K rent IS a bloodsucker, plus utilities, staff, and the thousand other things a place needs to keep on running. Not to mention the "sweat equity" you put in day in, and day out. Can't put a price tag on that.
Best of luck to you, my friend. I'm sure it will all work out in the end, and I'm glad you are still looking at it all as a positive experience.
Jenn
Best of luck to you, my friend. I'm sure it will all work out in the end, and I'm glad you are still looking at it all as a positive experience.
Jenn
Times are a changing, Say good bye to the brick and mortar. (Hell-o-online)
There is a reason ten local Atlanta stores have changed owners or gone out of business in the last three years.
Two more are currently up for sale and two more have just been put down.
Rover has just given up. Pets unlimited is still for sale, few month back Pieces in south Atlanta gave up. Marine fish has sold and changed owners three times. Aquarium showcase, Fish store and More, etc.
The future of this hobby is unclear?
When the local fish stores are gone, whats going to spawn the new generation of hobbyist?
The current system has the customer in a win win situaton, shop in the local stores and buy online.
But it cant last much longer....... Im about to change my entire game plan. :wink:
There is a reason ten local Atlanta stores have changed owners or gone out of business in the last three years.
Two more are currently up for sale and two more have just been put down.
Rover has just given up. Pets unlimited is still for sale, few month back Pieces in south Atlanta gave up. Marine fish has sold and changed owners three times. Aquarium showcase, Fish store and More, etc.
The future of this hobby is unclear?
When the local fish stores are gone, whats going to spawn the new generation of hobbyist?
The current system has the customer in a win win situaton, shop in the local stores and buy online.
But it cant last much longer....... Im about to change my entire game plan. :wink:
I've been warning wannabe fish store owners for years that this business was tough and getting tougher all the time. Most shrugged it off as lfs owners wanting to hog up all the cake for themselves. The list of etailers that come and go as sponsors on these sites leaves little hope that going in that direction will work for more than just a few big ones who can cherry pick the pockets of 104th street. When the brick and motars are gone who will the wholesalers be able to sell the B-grade leftovers too? When the wholesalers are gone who will the online guys be able to cherry pick. One, maybe two large wholesalers should be able to supply Petco and run their own online sites. There is really little need for any more than that. Service may be the salvation of the blue collar pet store owner if they can humble themselves.
Perhaps some of the new coral farms can market directly to aquarium society buying groups.
We appear to be headed for hard times in this country with the increasing costs of gasoline and home heating fuels. Only those with abundant disposable income will not feel the pinch. Look for virtually every product you buy, local or online to become more expensive as the result of the higher costs in shipping. When it comes down to a choice of having gasoline to get to work, or money for the natural gas bill, or that neat new fish or coral, the choice will be obvious for most. I sure would like to hear JT jump in here and tell Jeff how easy making a living online is.
Perhaps some of the new coral farms can market directly to aquarium society buying groups.
We appear to be headed for hard times in this country with the increasing costs of gasoline and home heating fuels. Only those with abundant disposable income will not feel the pinch. Look for virtually every product you buy, local or online to become more expensive as the result of the higher costs in shipping. When it comes down to a choice of having gasoline to get to work, or money for the natural gas bill, or that neat new fish or coral, the choice will be obvious for most. I sure would like to hear JT jump in here and tell Jeff how easy making a living online is.
Actually our fish sales have never been better. We got put under by a well funded franchise moving into a premium location and taking all of our dog food business. My space was just way to big, and the demographics of my area changed faster than I could keep up. We built our business by carrying and promoting brands that prmosed not to go into the chains and franchises only to have a franchise move in that was treated as an independent. We had nothing to fall back on, and fish can't pay the bills on 10,000 sq feet.
I find it really ironic that the President of AMDA owns six or seven "franchise" stores and then goes on to defend the independent retailers. They aren't any more an independent local business than McDonalds.
I find it really ironic that the President of AMDA owns six or seven "franchise" stores and then goes on to defend the independent retailers. They aren't any more an independent local business than McDonalds.
I believe the key to surviving will be keeping your overhead as low as possible. Our saving grace was buying our land and building a store 15-years ago. The area has gone from just beginning to developing into prime real estate. Of course Petco also chose this area to put their store. We get hit pretty hard on property taxes but we have a very low note payment on a 8,700 sq ft store.
There is only one other independent in town. They started out as a Petland franchise at the mall. The franchise buying requirements and the high mall rent put them under. They closed up shop and packed up and left in the middle of the night to the surprise of the mall landlords and everyone else. A couple of months later they reopened in a small strip center across from the mall. To their credit they have been able to survive for quite a few years now as an independent. I watched the Petland franchise con several different owners into handing over their life savings for the right to give it a go at that location. The coming of the big box invasion has appeared to bring about the end of the high overhead mall pet store franchises around here. I suspect Burton is successful in spite of being associated with PSP rather than because of it. Wait and see what happens to your PSP when Petco and Petsmart get finished with them. I can tell you they didn't make it in the Nashville market.
Mitch
There is only one other independent in town. They started out as a Petland franchise at the mall. The franchise buying requirements and the high mall rent put them under. They closed up shop and packed up and left in the middle of the night to the surprise of the mall landlords and everyone else. A couple of months later they reopened in a small strip center across from the mall. To their credit they have been able to survive for quite a few years now as an independent. I watched the Petland franchise con several different owners into handing over their life savings for the right to give it a go at that location. The coming of the big box invasion has appeared to bring about the end of the high overhead mall pet store franchises around here. I suspect Burton is successful in spite of being associated with PSP rather than because of it. Wait and see what happens to your PSP when Petco and Petsmart get finished with them. I can tell you they didn't make it in the Nashville market.
Mitch
clarionreef
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- San Francisco
Burton is in fact the anti-franchise franchise owner.
He rails against the ammoral chains and the souless, no service big box stores.
He pays more for staff help, especially knowledgeable help then any independant I know.
[I deal with their managers and they value their jobs as careers they get paid so well.]
Then, I happen to know that in polar opposite to the conventional chain
store, and most retailers for that matter....the buying power is philosophically driven to support netcaught fishes despite the grumblings of some staffers that just want to buy whats cool for the moment.
They have company policies against carrying unsuitables and they pressure importers to produce more netcaught livestock.
To behave this way goes 'against type' and makes this group one of the biggest allies the independant store and eco-sustainability mission has.
I find it 'ironic' that someone with buying power has a conscience and puts it into practice.
Wow! We need more of this.
Steve
He rails against the ammoral chains and the souless, no service big box stores.
He pays more for staff help, especially knowledgeable help then any independant I know.
[I deal with their managers and they value their jobs as careers they get paid so well.]
Then, I happen to know that in polar opposite to the conventional chain
store, and most retailers for that matter....the buying power is philosophically driven to support netcaught fishes despite the grumblings of some staffers that just want to buy whats cool for the moment.
They have company policies against carrying unsuitables and they pressure importers to produce more netcaught livestock.
To behave this way goes 'against type' and makes this group one of the biggest allies the independant store and eco-sustainability mission has.
I find it 'ironic' that someone with buying power has a conscience and puts it into practice.
Wow! We need more of this.
Steve
The ideal that coral farms are going to sell direct to the public is silly.
The farms in Bali cant move what they have as it is, they have corals piling up over there. More farms in Tonga, PI, Samoa , etc., will just further the glut of too much product and not enough demand. When the farmers find they cant make any money growing corals the industry is going to find itself in a tight spot. All these promises about ending wild collection and relaying solely on farmed corals is going to come back and bite us. When the farmers find theres too much product out there and not enough hobbyists to support multiple farms. They may all fold.
Then what?
The farms in Bali cant move what they have as it is, they have corals piling up over there. More farms in Tonga, PI, Samoa , etc., will just further the glut of too much product and not enough demand. When the farmers find they cant make any money growing corals the industry is going to find itself in a tight spot. All these promises about ending wild collection and relaying solely on farmed corals is going to come back and bite us. When the farmers find theres too much product out there and not enough hobbyists to support multiple farms. They may all fold.
Then what?
clarionreef
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- San Francisco
"It seems that AMDA is for helping the latter from the former....??"
:roll:
The mission of AMDA is primarilty environmental.
Read the mission statement...
If you wanted it to become a chamber of commerce for an elite bunch of self proclaimed "platinum stores..." with their own self annointing stickers then you have missed the boat entirely.
Anyone who joins with a "whats in it for me" type attidute will go away disappointed as its not about self sevice.
When you outted MAMTI on the internet for all to see.....that was the spirit! Remember it? We were all proud of you!
Steve
:roll:
The mission of AMDA is primarilty environmental.
Read the mission statement...
If you wanted it to become a chamber of commerce for an elite bunch of self proclaimed "platinum stores..." with their own self annointing stickers then you have missed the boat entirely.
Anyone who joins with a "whats in it for me" type attidute will go away disappointed as its not about self sevice.
When you outted MAMTI on the internet for all to see.....that was the spirit! Remember it? We were all proud of you!
Steve
Jenn and I were just talking about this recently. We are hanging in there, doing maintenance helps tremendously when times are slow. I am really surprised Sobrado is getting back in the biz, I need to drive by there and see how the store is coming along. It was still empty with unfinished floors and walls 2 mos. ago when I drove by.Kalkbreath":ceoiqccx said:
Go back to one of your orignal game plans and get the Crappacino machines flowing. I think it's a good idea, it'd be real comfy here sitting on our couch in front of our 1000gal surfing the web while sipping a fresh cup of joe.Kalkbreath":ceoiqccx said:
Naww, I'm gonna behave.Dizzy":ceoiqccx said:
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