New LFS IN windsor

[Gietz]

YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY DO THIS!!!!!!!  I am not a fan of most stores in Windsor.  if you need any help i would be down on helping out, and if you need any business sense such as accounting an Finance i just finished my program and would be happy to lend a helping hand lol. but if your thinking about doing this and need a hand let me know

Good luck

 

[Krazykarl]

Thanks alot, it's kinda moving in that direction. Were both tired of stores down here too. I'm sure you read the whole ordeal on the last lfs thread, we don't hve alot of admirers at the moment lol. But hey, whatya gonna do.!? Lol.

Were meeting with a financial advisor soon and registering a name. Once we do this we have tanks set up and many other ideas. Mainly gonna start small and see where it goes. If it leads to a store, great. But for now it's safer to take a slow approach and see how much demand there actually is in Windsor. We will be posting more on this topic as time presses on....

Thanks for your help and we will be in touch

 

[Cal_stir]

i'm not trying to piss on anybodys parade but i don't think you guys have a clue about what it takes to run a small business.
if you have a store front, you will need a vendors permit and the tax man will want his taxes(corporate tax) whether you are making money or not, and he will make you collect the hst from your customers and remit it to him, and the rent man will want money every month and he will insist you have an insurance man, and the hydro man will want some, as will the gas man, the water man, and the suppliers, and the bookkeeper, and the accountant, and the lawyer, and the internet man, and the phone man, and the brokerman, and the license man, and if your going to hold down a job while doing it then you will have to pay an employee man and then you get the wsib man, the ei man, and the list goes on man, oh yah, don't forget the bank man, and all these mans want to make some money off you, the businessman.

i've owned and operated 2 businesses in my life, one was  successful, and one was not, both took an enomous amount of work and money to get started, and it really does take five years to make it or less to break it.

it sounds to me like the lfs stores in windsor are struggling with a depressed economy, long hours and a lot of hard work just to make ends meet, he needs to make some profit so he can pay the bills and everybody wants rockbottom(no profit for the businessman) prices.

who goes to a lfs to buy water anyway, why not go there and buy a rodi unit and some salt, he can't make any money selling water.
and once you get started, your competitors will be crawling out of the woodwork, they will be undercutting your prices and everybody will be whining at you, your prices are too high, why can't you give a better deal, and then they will go somewhere else to buy their stuff.

and as for all the people on this forum who want to help, what do they really want, they want some place that has all the best stuff, the cleanest store, the greatest selection and the lowest prices

to be honest, it will be a lot easier and cheaper to support your lfs so he can make a profit, hire an employee, get things cleaned up, and contribute to the community

i'm not looking to start a fight, just my 2 cents.

Cal

 

[Blob-79]

i'm not trying to piss on anybodys parade but i don't think you guys have a clue about what it takes to run a small business.
if you have a store front, you will need a vendors permit and the tax man will want his taxes(corporate tax) whether you are making money or not, and he will make you collect the hst from your customers and remit it to him, and the rent man will want money every month and he will insist you have an insurance man, and the hydro man will want some, as will the gas man, the water man, and the suppliers, and the bookkeeper, and the accountant, and the lawyer, and the internet man, and the phone man, and the brokerman, and the license man, and if your going to hold down a job while doing it then you will have to pay an employee man and then you get the wsib man, the ei man, and the list goes on man, oh yah, don't forget the bank man, and all these mans want to make some money off you, the businessman.

i've owned and operated 2 businesses in my life, one was  successful, and one was not, both took an enomous amount of work and money to get started, and it really does take five years to make it or less to break it.

it sounds to me like the lfs stores in windsor are struggling with a depressed economy, long hours and a lot of hard work just to make ends meet, he needs to make some profit so he can pay the bills and everybody wants rockbottom(no profit for the businessman) prices.

who goes to a lfs to buy water anyway, why not go there and buy a rodi unit and some salt, he can't make any money selling water.
and once you get started, your competitors will be crawling out of the woodwork, they will be undercutting your prices and everybody will be whining at you, your prices are too high, why can't you give a better deal, and then they will go somewhere else to buy their stuff.

and as for all the people on this forum who want to help, what do they really want, they want some place that has all the best stuff, the cleanest store, the greatest selection and the lowest prices

to be honest, it will be a lot easier and cheaper to support your lfs so he can make a profit, hire an employee, get things cleaned up, and contribute to the community

i'm not looking to start a fight, just my 2 cents.

Cal

well said!

 

[Riddler]

i'm not trying to piss on anybodys parade but i don't think you guys have a clue about what it takes to run a small business.
if you have a store front, you will need a vendors permit and the tax man will want his taxes(corporate tax) whether you are making money or not, and he will make you collect the hst from your customers and remit it to him, and the rent man will want money every month and he will insist you have an insurance man, and the hydro man will want some, as will the gas man, the water man, and the suppliers, and the bookkeeper, and the accountant, and the lawyer, and the internet man, and the phone man, and the brokerman, and the license man, and if your going to hold down a job while doing it then you will have to pay an employee man and then you get the wsib man, the ei man, and the list goes on man, oh yah, don't forget the bank man, and all these mans want to make some money off you, the businessman.

i've owned and operated 2 businesses in my life, one was  successful, and one was not, both took an enomous amount of work and money to get started, and it really does take five years to make it or less to break it.

it sounds to me like the lfs stores in windsor are struggling with a depressed economy, long hours and a lot of hard work just to make ends meet, he needs to make some profit so he can pay the bills and everybody wants rockbottom(no profit for the businessman) prices.

who goes to a lfs to buy water anyway, why not go there and buy a rodi unit and some salt, he can't make any money selling water.
and once you get started, your competitors will be crawling out of the woodwork, they will be undercutting your prices and everybody will be whining at you, your prices are too high, why can't you give a better deal, and then they will go somewhere else to buy their stuff.

and as for all the people on this forum who want to help, what do they really want, they want some place that has all the best stuff, the cleanest store, the greatest selection and the lowest prices

to be honest, it will be a lot easier and cheaper to support your lfs so he can make a profit, hire an employee, get things cleaned up, and contribute to the community

i'm not looking to start a fight, just my 2 cents.

Cal

Thanks Cal,

This is what I've been saying all along.  Support your LFS and tell them what you want.  They may not be able to get it in stock tomorrow but if you ask for something they normally try and get it.

If you think a government grant is going to solve all the start up issues you have another thing coming.  The government wants to see you invest as much as or more than your asking in grant money.  They are not going to hand out handfuls of cash to anyone who wants to start a business. 

Riddler

 

[crazybizzle]

im not going to get into this again, but i also had my own business also,didnt take off but that was my own fault in not having the time to put into it.i know what it takes with bills and processes im already registered with wsib etc etc. so i know what is involved. me and kraqzykarl are just tired of down here thats why were thinking of it.

like i said before i do support local store but u guys seem to forget the reasons i listed before yes it is hard work, i understand the owner has to make a profitit.

" sounds to me like the lfs stores in windsor are struggling with a depressed economy, long hours and a lot of hard work just to make ends meet, he needs to make some profit so he can pay the bills and everybody wants rockbottom(no profit for the businessman) prices."...theres a difference between profit and being greddy..come on guys really are u going to pay 150 dollars for a regular small gonipora/flower pot. or 90 dollars for a powder blue.

"to be honest, it will be a lot easier and cheaper to support your lfs so he can make a profit, hire an employee, get things cleaned up, and contribute to the community"

ive supported lfs for the last year up unti months ago, would u really support a lfs that charges  10 times normal pricing and he has employess about 5 and none of them seem to clean up just smoke outside with the owner and then stick their hands in the tanks without washing....but hey lets support them because their local, and if i do things will change......ummm nope been the same for years regardless of what pppl say...

so overall once again maybe this will help u understand because the last thread was deleated and i had made good reasons  for ppl to understand.

 

[Krazykarl]

And so it begins lol. HHaha well I could care less about your opinions. When things move forward and you hear about the deals, you will come. If not, your loss.... 

And for those of you that still wanna support your local lfs and have had the priveledge of shopping at nafb or sum, this is mfa's add on kijiji for corals. If you can I want you to zoom in on the prices on the tanks and look at the corresponding corals and tell me that you would pay it....

 

[Riddler]

I'd pay those prices for the sizes they are.  Those are frags but larger colonies.  Aussie Acans for $60 the size if a softball. 

Riddler

 

[Krazykarl]

I must be blind cuz I'm staring at this picture and I don't see any acans for 60 bucks. Mushrooms for 60 but that SMALL acan is 50. Everything is 100+... Point my eyes where u r seeing the acan as big as a soft ball...

 

[reeffreak]

'' And so it begins lol. HHaha well I could care less about your opinions '' said by krazykarl

and you want to run a store ...lmao jokes

and in the same post ask for our opinions !!!!!!!!

 

[Krazykarl]

Were not running a store man were starting small. Not big. No store. And what did I ask?

 

[Seggsy]

I hope this works out - not sure Windsor will have near enough buyers to give the volume that lets NAFB and others in TO offer those prices, but I hope so.

Glad to see that MFA is getting more corals - if he starts getting more in, and pushing them through, hopefully prices come down.  He's always been pretty good about giving a deal if you get a few items anyway, IME.

Good luck to all - cheap coral for everyone!

 

[Krazykarl]

I agree seggsy, it is nice to see he is getting coral in again. A bit over priced but it's bc his supplier is screwing him. I know that for a fact. However ya I will still buy from our stores here for sure but not for those prices. If they come down sure...

 

[Krazykarl]

Here's how I see it... When i was first introduced into saltwater over a year ago my initial response was fuck no I can't afford it lol. And I hear the maintenance is just crazy. After I got into it I said the same thing, holy shot incant believe how expensive the damn fish are!!! And then it became, " I need live rock!? Wtf is that!? ITS HOW MUCH!?" lol. These have become stigmas to ppl in different cities I find because as you head more north, the abundance of hobbiest increases as the price decreases. There's an old saying, shit rolls down hill! Well guess what, Windsor is at the bottom of that hill. And unfortunately noone in this city has figured out a way to crawl out of this heaping pile of inflated coral dung and bring enthusiasts back to windsor. Toronto is huge for saltwater. Tons of ppl, tons of hobbiests, and alot of LFS that CAN, and I mean CAN sell coral and fish with less markup due to the demand. Then you have london and sarnia. An hour and a half drive to great prices and because of the distance factor there are more people willing to travel an hour to but quality items and start a store-ahem- because it is cost effective especially for gas. And thennnnnnnn there's Windsor. 3 hours from Toronto, 100 bucks in gas, so we resort to shipping livestock in and risking losing livestock due to stress and disease bc u can't see what you are buying before hand, therefore costs of corals increase and fish increase and die, and it's a vicious cycle. So now you have someone like me, who started into this hobby knowing nothing, thinking i was the only sucker and not knowing places like nafb and sum existed!!!!!!  Then one day I stumbled across these incredible stores and realized WOW this shit is cheap!!! And there are alot of people in here too... Wtf!  Lol... See when you can be a leading competetor to other stores especially in pricing you gain business. And the cheapest advertising is word of mouth.

Riddler, reeffreak, these past few threads haven't been started sober can all call names and point fingers and belittle stores, i think it got out of hand and i do apologize. Sincerely. I want everyone on this forum right now to know, our main objective is to bring this hobby back to the armpit of Ontario and toncrawl out of this huge coral dung pile lol, and offer the Windsor and Essex, Kent and Chatham and surrounding areas the opportunity to shop as tho they are buying feom nafb or sum. No, I will probable never have a store like them. Or a store at all. Hell if I can set up tanks in my home and not worry about overhead and taxes and hst and insurance and wsib and blah blah blah, I won't HAVE TO charge you 150 for dendros, or 150 for gonipora, I can now make a tiny bit of profit that I assure you will only go towards the purchase of my next coral order for YOU as a customer and a friend, and not in my pocket. I already work full time with great benefits and I have a family. I don't need the extra headache of owning a store. I just wanna be able to help and bring this hobby back to Windsor and let it thrive. So please, please, end the hatred and support. Im speaking the truth. Goodnight....

 

[Krazykarl]

I apologize for misspelling, my iPhone has auto correct - not always do correct.... Lol

 

[MFA]

WOW,I must be rich thats why i drive a mini van with 270,000 k on it and it my only vehicle.CB I'm not here to argue with you but agree. A Powder Blue shouldn't be 90.00 it should be 60.00 which I sell them for. The Gono is a large Austrailian piece that i sold for 150.00 the one beside it  that is from Indo is 60.00, The small gono sold for 100.00 was Australian.Aussi coral are more money no matter where you go and who you buy from.
So you have a better understanding there are NO Employees here. There are volunteers that help out when they have the time to spend above and beyond their normal life because they want to see the store do well.Even tho I don't have to explain myself I thought I would enlighten everyone  with this And  DAM ten time normal pricing that means if I paid $40 for a coral i would be charging $400.00 instead of $60.00 that I charge. not trying to argue  but where can I buy full size colonies that I can sell  for 30 or 40 dollar to you  because the suppliers i  buy from charge me 30-50 and that is not for aussies. Perhaps I need new suppliers? I'm open for suggestions.

 

[MFA]

Krazy karl again not here to argue just to clear a few points. the the gono is a large  australian coral, and the large Indo is only 60.00 I wish I didn't have to sell it for 150.00 but I am a business that has to make 5000.00 a month in PROFIT to keep the door open, that is a lot of fish and coral to sell and an investment of 100 thousand +++ and I sell alot of fish and getting back into corals. You and I talk to the same people so yes you know I pay dearly for the corals but  having them here in a store in windsor is better than not having them at all and I do agree with you we all would like to see no bickering and keep the hobby going in this town supporting you local stores like the volunteers at this store do really is a step in the right direction and they should be commended for  their efforts. They also are members of this forum and support it.Also  if you know where I can get coral  for cheap so I can sell cheaper in Windsor Please I am open to suggestions.I too am a hobbiest and believe in fairness.

 

[Krazykarl]

I understand your qualms and I'm not trying to put u down, but I know Ur supplier is charging you major overhead, so maybe it's time to search out a new one. I just think that if we all work together we can bring great prices and more variety, quality and quantity back to Windsor. I'm working on it on my end so maybe if shot don't work out for us, I'll let u in on my connections

 

[crazybizzle]

Mfa..1 im glad that ur powders are 60 last time i was in and u had one it was 90 so thats good even thou i payed 30 for mine.

2 the ausi gonipora. How can u tell its a real aussie for real not trying to be difficult im only daying this because it looks identical to the one i have and i payed 60 for it.

3 ur volunteers need training in handling, and care besides the tall guy( i forget his name ) hes goid but others have been rude or like i said before finish a smoke and then put there hands in the water.
4 by saying u charge 10 times was oviously a exaggeration more like double/triple

5 im sure u know were u can get large colonies  from for 30-40 bucks. Ive been told by other lfs that they wont deal to u anymore because of reasons so maybe all the good suppliers that are cheap wont sell to u anymore.??

6  Overall this isnt to bash maybe this will help u out in understanding frustrations. I will buy again from u when i see  a change and i do want to support u. As for ads on kijii saying 600 fish jyst in that was a huge exaggeration none less u still always do have fish in the store. And 1 more thing if ur ordering dry goods for ppl lets not have it take over a month because i know because its happened to me twice.........i do hope this helps a bit and that way i can come back to u for business.

 

[crazybizzle]

Mfa...also considering ur on this forum now. Why dont u list ur store in the store section and list what.u have and ur prices???maybe this will help like i said if i see  or others see that everything is normal u will get more business from me and others