Feeders will be where you'll make your money. Dry goods will sap your wallet dry. How often will you sell a high end thermostat?
Breeding can work, but trying to your entire stock will become a full time job and a stinky one too. Rats and mice stink enough. Wait until you get a wiff of a colony of crickets.
I would recommend having your breeding facility somewhere other than your store. I'm not sure, but check with the health department in your area and see if you can have a breeding facility in this location. If there are food stores in the same center, you may not be able to do this. You will probably have to invest in an air filtration system if you plan on venting the air from your breeding room outside.
Also, you mention the store being large and in a strip center. There may be more overhead than a new start-up store can handle. Electricity costs are going to be a big part of your monthly expenses. My pet store has an electric bill of $2500 and more. However he does have a lot of aquariums with fish. But he does have a central air pumping station, so that will reduce his costs somewhat. I would also recommend a seperate reptile room. Something where you can control the heat and humidity without having to do the same for your entire store.
I wish you the very best, it can be very rewarding starting your own company, but that's the easy part. Keeping it going can become a real hassle.
I've opened many businesses in the past with some success. But each time when the business got too large, I was able to sell and get out before the company's success ruined it.
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I would suggest a rock solid business plan. A visit to a business lawyer and setting up an LLC. An accountant service that specializes in retail sales. A business mentor and also someone in the retail pet trade.
Good Luck!
Jim Smith
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