New REEF store questions yes! or No

[Seaquest]

Hi

I was talking to a young enthusiastic hobbyist today in down town Toronto who showed interest in opening up an aquarium hobby shop. He had many questions regarding benefits and longevity of such an attempt. I would like to here all your thoughts, do you think going into a small aquarium store is a good practical idea in todays ecanomic situation. I chose this board to ask this question because allot of you are from different geographical locations across Canada and should have some idea as to how your local dealers are doing. Any thoughts will be passed on to this enthusiastic future store owner.

Cheers

SeaQuest

[Jack]

I think so, follow the steps of J&L Aquatics. They have great customer service, great prices, great selection, and great quality in both live stock and dry goods.

[Canadian]

Just tell him not to expect to make very much money. The net income would be comparable to working a trades-type job at best, so he'd better be doing this because he loves it.

Also, just a word of caution, turning a hobby into an occupation/job, usually results in a loss of enjoyment from the hobby. One of the cardinal rules is: "Never turn a hobby into a job."

[naesco]

I looked long and hard at the issue and came to the conclusion that it would be a very risky venture.
The reason is that the more you truly spend in the hobby the more you realize the damage we are doing and it is just a matter of time before someone blows the whistle on us. Go to the LFS on number 3 road and look at their tanks.
I do not think LFS or the industry is interested in changing their ways. We will see restrictions and bans on imports with the result that there will be many willing buyers but nothing to sell them. Look what Greenpeace did to lumber in BC.

[BCReefer]

My opinion is that starting a business that you grow corals and such and sell them is a better since as Naseco mentioned our hobby will be changing in the future.