Trying to open a store...

My girlfriend and I have been talking and we've decided we want to open a reptile based pet store. It would focus mainly on pythons and boas but we'd keep a few others like corns and kings for customers who were looking for something like that. There'd be a rodent room with a rack for different sized mice and rats and we'd carry anything you'd need to keep reptiles happy and healthy. The problem is, where do I start..? :confusd: I know location would be a big thing. Probably number one priority, but how do you get the money to open a store and have it fully stocked..? We really want to do this but we're not sure how to. Any help would be great. Thanks.

P.S. I think a local store with PROPER care sheets for each species is nessacary for the well being of the animals. Unlike Petco/Petsmart who only have pamphlets that tell how to get away with the bare minimum...

It's a nice thought, but I gotta think the potential customer base is tiny. Have you come up with a business plan or model to even see if it's financially feasible? Even smaller independent pet stores that deal in the vastly more popular "fury" pets always seem to struggle to stay afloat. If someone started something similiar to that local to me, I honestly can't think of anything I'd need on even a semi-routine basis. I'd probably stop in once in a while to window shop but that's about it. Hate to sound like a negative nancy, but just some things to consider...

Also consider that the internet has been crushing dreams like this for years now...you're not in competition with other local pet or reptile stores. You're in competition with every friggin' website dealing with the same stuff...

The OP makes several good points. I myself am a window shopper. Very rarely do I need to buy something new other than a heat bulb. You will have to carry MANY kinds of reptiles and amphibians to cater to a variety of herpers. Some other things to consider:

Possible licensing requirements in your city/county.

Putting together a business plan to convince a bank to give you a loan.

The type of people around you. "Churchy" people are ignorant and don't like snakes.

Advertising and building a customer base with competition like petco/petsmart.

IMO: It's far better to simply run a breeding operation from home. Also it's TAX FREE.

I personally don't ever plan to try owning a retail store of any kind, but if I did there's two I would avoid like the plague: a restaurant (like small diner type) or a pet store. I've just seen too many pop up and fail quickly, seems like a recipe for financial debt and a lot of stress.

Good luck on your endeavors and sorry to be a Debbie (Nicole in this case) downer.

My friend Matt, opened a shop named The Tye Dye Iguana almost 7 years ago.. It is a shop that focuses primarily on Reptiles, so they do carry some amphibians. however, his largest profit margin comes from the sale of food and supplies.

Contrary to what the name would have you believe, they do not sell iguanas. Simply because, they are the most commonly abandoned reptile pet in our industry.

He and I were talking the other day and his shop has experienced almost 40 percent profit increase every year since it opened.

is largest increase in profits and sales occurred when he took the TDI online. The shop is almost exactly a half a mile away from a Petsmart and roughly a mile from Petco. He has told me that Petco and PetSmart employees shop with him if they have exotic pets because they get a better price than they do with their discount. One of the main focus is of the shop is proper and responsible husbandry and education to the people that come in and buy from them.

it can be done but you have to run it as a business and maintain a little bit of distance from your customers you can't be friends with everybody otherwise I'll start cutting deals and lose money.

In short it is a long hard road to actually make a profit in the reptile pet industry.

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I would see if there's a Small Business Development Center in your area and talk to someone about your plan: just know they won't hold your hand through the process but they can get you started.

Look into putting together a business plan now, the detailed the better.

Do some market research: who's your target customer and how will you reach them? Are there even enough in your area to support your store front? How will you market online?

I have my degree in Business Management and am on my way to a Small Business Certificate to have my own business, maybe some of these classes will help you along too.

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Originally Posted by TheSnakeGuy

"Churchy" people are ignorant and don't like snakes.

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***ignorant people don't understand snakes. stereotypes are a narrow minded way of jumping to conclusions. most of my family may be considered "churchy" and they love my snakes. :D

to the OP: pet stores are notorious for barely scraping by even if they do make it. our local pet store here caters to all sorts of furry animals and has a small reptile and fish section and they barely get by, and much more of the general population keeps furries. i've seen the same snakes and reptile supplies sitting there for months without moving. i'd say you would be more likely to make it work if you lived in a large metropolitan area with a diverse culture. if you really enjoy just being around your reptiles all day and working with them it may be more profitable to rent out a building and start a larger scale breeding operation and run an online business. you could even sell supplies online as well, and travel to all the nearby reptile shows and get a table to move your products and animals. whatever you decide to do, good luck!

I live 20 minutes north of KC so I know it's diverse enough. I may reach out to other forms such as birds and furry things but I wouldn't keep anything more than supplies in the store as far as they go. Fish, maybe but they can be a pain to care for depending on the species. It'd be reptile based but I think I could make it work with other animals too.

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Originally Posted by TheSnakeGuy

IMO: It's far better to simply run a breeding operation from home. Also it's TAX FREE.

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I think the IRS would strongly disagree.

I'm going to be brutally honest... you will not get a bank loan for this operation. Ever. Banks typically don't finance start ups at all, but especially something with such a high probability of failing. I'd love to visit a local shop. But I'd probably window shop. If you can't pull together the funds to run this for several years with zero expecation of profit, you need a new plan.

I'd encouage you to run a full, detailed analysis as to what it will take to make this work. Don't just make up the numbers, do some research. You'll come to the same conclusion.