According to the Chamber of Commerce the city itself has about 77,000 people which is plenty for a large well stocked pet store. I lived there myself years ago and at the time Northstar was pretty good and the owner was always friendly. Now would a dedicated saltwater store work, I'm not sure. I can already get all of my dry goods cheaper online than locally and shipped directly to my door, salt would be the only exception, so the same already stands for residents of FMM. Livestock would be great to have locally and lack there of is probably why there isn't many reefers there, but I would be concerned about the shipping mortality rates for the winter. Have you found a wholesaler willing to ship there with a guaranteed survival rate of any sort? Prices would also have to be high due to labour and building lease rates but people would probably be OK with that if they didn't want to make the trip to Edmonton with a cooler and heat packs. A large full serviced pet store would probably be a sure money maker but start up cost would be astronomical. You could always test the waters by starting out in your home with livestock and a small selection of dry goods to see if there is an appetite for it and make the jump from there. Good luck!
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