Pet Shops

Heres the deal- I am moving back home to Michigan and I am wanting to start my own business. I am thinking it is going to be a pet shop mostly herp oriented but, I will carry a little of everything. Here is the question how much would it take to open a decent store-front and how many animals of each should I carry at a time. I know I have to think about quarantine and all of that. I would buy a lot of my snake stock at first from reputible (sp) breeders until I can get enough breeders of my own to stay self sufficent. Lizards and gecko's and alll of the other stuff would be the same. I am not looking to get rich off of this but to make enough to pay the bills and have a little extra. Is this even a good idea? I hate seeing people buy animals from the chain stores and not knowing anything about what they are getting. What are your guy's thoughts and comments about this? I can build a lot of the display cases and the racks myself. I am estimating to get a decent stock of animals and supplies going it will cost about 10,000 is that a good estimate?

Thanks for the comments and suggestions whether they are good or bad.

I dont have any experience with the business side of things but $10,000 sounds kind of low for stock+supplies. Stock alone I would think would be more than that. Figure you need probably 20-30 of each baby BPs and boas alone. at about $50-100 a piece probably. Although breeders probably lower the price a little for a larger order like that. And thats just 2 species alone right there, not talking adults or anything which run more expensive, or any possible morphs. Needing a big enough initial supply though so that you dont run out too fast. Especially when you talk about having other animals in quarentine right after the initial stock you open the store with so that they are ready to hit the store in time after the others are sold without delay. You dont want to end up feeling rushed to resupply the store and rush quarentine and risk losing a store full of snakes. Just taking that into account though Id say stock alone would rise above $10,000. I have no idea how much supplies cost for that kind of stuff, but its not cheap either obviously.

Our local reptile shop just upgraded and built a whole new addition to the shop, and he spent $30,000 on fish supplies and tanks, not to mention the new building (250K) and other supplies for the other animals.

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Originally Posted by worldcupkeeper

Our local reptile shop just upgraded and built a whole new addition to the shop, and he spent $30,000 on fish supplies and tanks, not to mention the new building (250K) and other supplies for the other animals.

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$30,000 on supplies alone? Wow so yeah man, definately not cheap. Im sure you probably have experience building your own racks and what not so it probably wont be quite that expensive. Are you planning on building your own viewing cases for the store as well, or buying those? Also how many different buildings do you need to be able to quarentine all the different animals? How expansive do you plan on going in terms of different snakes (morphs, species, ect)? You realize you need to calculate feed for all of these animals as well, plus some help probably around the store for maintenance and what not. I am very curious how this all works out and adds up to. I think its a very interesting topic.

i would say by the time you get a building and any permits that my be needed and all the tanks for your stock as well as supplies to sell then your invetory(SP) of animals and thats is after getting intouch with all the different wholesalers which you will need to do inorder to get the best deals on your stock. and then you will need a reserve of cash for the time it takes to get the word out that your there. i would say you would need close to $100,000 depending on the size of store. when i had my paintball store we had 35,000 -45,000 in stock alone. then i had my rent for a store front and all the city papers like name of store and tax papers and lawyer and insurance which is always good.

I would suggest you write up a business plan. Asking a forum how much it will cost is like shooting in the dark...everyone has a different view of what a pet store would be like to them and therefore a different "cost" to fill it.


If you really want to focus on herps then a very small store (at first) might be a better start. Lower overhead and if you really think about it there aren't that many supplies to stock...sure you could offer tons of different options but why at first. You need a niche to go after if you plan to compete against the big box pet stores. Have quality animals, and a very knowlegeable and helpful approach is key...then you could offer "complete packages"...sort of like tank and every you need to get started. Just one of many ways to get started.

Or you go the other way and stock everything...you will carry lots more inventory (and therefore much more cost) but you will something for everyone.

You really need to sit down and think about what "YOU" want the store to be known for...then that will lead to how big it needs to be and what you need to carry.:D

$10k for animals & supplies...water on a hot skillet.

What about rent? Advertising? Insurance? Maintenance supplies? Waste removal? Utilities? Payroll? Taxes? Store fixtures? Phones? Signs? Security system (yes, you will need one)...

How big of a city are you in & what is your local competition from other pet stores? How much is it going to cost you to secure a space that will work for this application? Sure, you can check it out in the summer, but will you need to make adjustments in the winter to protect your animals? Wyoming isn't exactly warm in some months. ;) If you find a good space, is it A) affordable, and B) in close proximity to other retailers that can beat you on dry good pricing due to their corporate ability to buy in bulk? If you're just going to do reptiles, how are you going to create a name for yourself in your local area, and will there be enough of a demand to support such a niche market?

All stuff to think about...I can hit you with more if you'd like.

:)

K~

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Originally Posted by KLG

$10k for animals & supplies...water on a hot skillet.

What about rent? Advertising? Insurance? Maintenance supplies? Waste removal? Utilities? Payroll? Taxes? Store fixtures? Phones? Signs? Security system (yes, you will need one)...

How big of a city are you in & what is your local competition from other pet stores? How much is it going to cost you to secure a space that will work for this application? Sure, you can check it out in the summer, but will you need to make adjustments in the winter to protect your animals? Wyoming isn't exactly warm in some months. ;) If you find a good space, is it A) affordable, and B) in close proximity to other retailers that can beat you on dry good pricing due to their corporate ability to buy in bulk? If you're just going to do reptiles, how are you going to create a name for yourself in your local area, and will there be enough of a demand to support such a niche market?

All stuff to think about...I can hit you with more if you'd like.

:)

K~

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Now that's some info! Kara drops knowledge on the daily...:rockon:

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Originally Posted by jglass38

Now that's some info! Kara drops knowledge on the daily...:rockon:

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LOL...if I can help anyone avoid some of the mistakes we made when we opened our retail store, it's well worth it!!!

ETA: Saw your initial location as Wyoming, but re-read your mention of moving back to MI. Either way, winters are pretty harsh...what would you do in the event of a power outage? Most commercial spaces aren't equipped to cater to temperature-sensitive animals in the colder months...make sure you have an idea how to deal with such a situation before you ever find yourself in it.

Again, food for thought. ;)

K~

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Originally Posted by KLG

ETA: Saw your initial location as Wyoming, but re-read your mention of moving back to MI. Either way, winters are pretty harsh...what would you do in the event of a power outage? Most commercial spaces aren't equipped to cater to temperature-sensitive animals in the colder months...make sure you have an idea how to deal with such a situation before you ever find yourself in it.

Again, food for thought. ;)

K~

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Kara these are great insights...when you next update "The complete Ball Python" you should consider adding a section on business practices. As many of us would hope someday to have a successful reptiles business (either online only or up to an actual store front) your insight and experience specifically related to issues we would encounter would be hugely beneficial.

Just food for thought:D

I figure about 4,000 in snakes to start with so many bp's, corns, kings etc. Then another 2,000 in other animals. Around 1,000 for supplies. That leaves me with 3-4,000 to take care of rent and the first bit of insurance and security. This is just a guesstimate but it's what I figure will work to get a small time shop going. Quarantine would be in my house. I am just trying to get a rough idea and this is helping a lot! Thanks for the comments so far.

I think you're seriously underestimating what your overhead is going to run. $10k is very easy to burn through, especially at first (and "at first" can be a while!) when you have more expenses than you do positive cashflow.

Again, payroll, taxes, utilities, licenses, state inspections (most states have laws on any sort of animal-related retail establishment), business registration, etc. etc. etc. are all going to cost money, and there will be *numerous* unexpected expenses that will leave you wondering where that $10k went awfully quick. $1000 for supplies isn't going to go far (even at when you're purchasing from a distributor), especially if it's your initial stock order and you're trying to get a nice dry goods section established. Do you have any idea what a reasonable markup is on dry goods that will be competitive w/o leaving you in the red, especially compared to other stores in your area?

Who's going to help you care for your livestock? Are you going to raise your own feeders with which to feed them, or buy frozen instead? Who's going to be your live food supplier for your insect-eating herps - do you know what that's going to cost you?

Not trying to discourage you...just trying to give you a more realistic view of what you're going to run into...

Good luck!!!

K~