In the pursuit of clarifying our understanding of just what a Local Fish Store is let me share my take on the aquarium industry here in Colorado. It will of course vary by location and population, so let me start out with my first category, Big Box Stores.
Big Box Stores use volume to keep their prices down and in theory will offer lower prices on fish, plants, and supplies in multiple stores all over the country. Petco and PetSmart are obvious examples. Other examples are Pet City and Pet Supplies Plus. These stores are excluded on my LFS list because they have multiple stores, follow a corporate model of profits first, and in general offer less expertise and customer service. I acknowledge there are always exceptions.
The next category includes independently owned and operated pet stores with Fish Departments. These stores are included in the list because they support their local community and foster humane pet practices. They are local fish stores and not national ones like the previous category. I have already featured two of these on this blog, Pet Palace and Pet World. There are several others to get to in the southern and western parts of the state.
The third category are stores which specialize in installation and maintenance (I & M) of mostly saltwater aquariums, though if a client requests a freshwater set up, most would be happy to accommodate. Some of these businesses have store fronts and most do not. Most of these businesses work out of a warehouse and the line between LFS and I & M becomes blurred. So, what I have decided is to only feature stores which have retail store fronts, since most of the saltwater specialty stores offer Installation & Maintenance.
The last category is the LFS which this blogs focus. These are retail stores which offer aquatic animals, plants, coral, tanks, and supplies. As long as the store is open to the public and offers at least two of the above listed items, then they will be featured.
The idea of this blog is to offer the public a tool to make finding a good quality aquarium store easier and more convenient. I do my best to remain impartial, though that is impossible in practice. At some point after visiting all the stores in Colorado I will post my picks for best LFS including specialties. I am happy to hear about your favorite LFS and why. If I have missed any LFS, please comment on my Facebook post or send me an email through the contact info on this website.
Sequoia Elisabeth
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