I Need Some Eyes and Ears...

[Kenzy]

Hi All, I need some help locating a few things in the GTA. Since I live about 2 1/2 hours east of Toronto I need to know what LFS's have in stock before I head up.

What I would like to know is who has:

1. Fighting Conchs
2. Nassarious Snails
3. Calerpa (feather,grape,etc.)
4. Any SPS to get me started again.

So if you happen to be out and notice anything that might interest me, I would appreciate if you could let me know, then I can call ahead and make arrangements.

Thanks.

[spot]

Oakville reef gallery has a large shipment in right now. Various sps corals, leathers and clams...good selection!:thumbsup:

[Kenzy]

Spot, thanks for the heads up!

[commie]

I don't like to bash LFS especially an independant ones..And I am not trying to bash this one right now...But I took the drive to Oakville today to Reef Gallery, thinking they have some good SPS in stock...
Well was I disappointed...Sure they have some SPS, Clams, sofies, lps....They have 1 big black tub that holds most of their coral inventory, sizes were mostly in the frag stage. Fish were nonexistent. This is probably because they are still fairly new and trying to get established. Alot of the SPS, were bleaching or have some areas that is starting to bleach...
Now to the part that irritates me about this store...The woman attending this place when I was there doesn't seem too knowledgeable about what they are carrying. I don't mean fish/coral care...But just their inventory or prices....
Any pet peeve of mine, they don't have prices listed...So I asked her what a coral costs...She calls somebody on the phone....A couple minutes later, I ask about another coral..another phone call...a few minutes later I ask if they have any DT's...another phone call....you get the general idea...
If you are just opening up a new store, at least put someone that is familar with your inventory at the store to answer some customer questions....
I would say, if you are near oakville and there is no other option, then this place is good....But if you are in toronto and have to drive 40 minutes to get there, then at this point, its not worth the drive. There are better options in toronto.
However, they do have potential...Just need to increase their stock level, and get someone with more knowledge to attend the store. Because their prices are a little lower than the big chains like BIG ALS...And carries some good drygoods products...
Or maybe I got them on a bad day.....

[Sparrow]

Can you give me some examples of prices on sps?

[Oakville Reef Gallery]

hello,i read with great interest commies recent visit to oakville reef gallery.i rarely visit chat rooms but this warrants a reply.currently we have over 27 fist size colonies of acros in stock that are perfectly healthy and not in any bleaching stage.along with 67 colonies of various corals in other holding tanks.our fish section is in current construction and there is a sign stating we are not purchasing more marine fish until this is complete as to not stress the fish out.you came in as an uninformed hobbyist looking to transfer into saltwater. i would encourage you to call me personaly and i would be glad to discuss various aspects of the hobby with you.from setting up a simple 35 ga to a full blown reef.im sorry your visit was not satisfactory and i would encourage you and others to visit anytime. best regards,Flavio oakville reef gallery.

[commie]

Well I am stumped....Did I goto the wrong store??? I don't think so...Not trying to start something here....But...Here is what I saw in the store...Correct me if I am wrong...

You have 1 black tub maybe 6 feet round and 1 feet high with 1 MH suspended in the middle....The only way to look at the corals is from the top...This you have most of your stock...lps/sps/clams...you have another tank a 40 breeder maybe? that has a few softies in them....And a 75 with mostly clams.....3 tanks with corals in them??? Did I miss anything?
Any maybe you got in the new varieties of white acros???

I went to the store, ready to spend a bundle on some corals...But didn't feel comfortable buying from the person at the store yesterday....

BTW---having worked in a fishstore before, and have had saltwater fish tanks for over 10 years, reef for a year, discus/arrowana for 15 years, I don't think I qualify as an uninformed hobbiest. Maybe if you spend more time at your store you will have a better understanding of your potential customers.
A bit of advice from a business consultant, when you open a new store, the first 6 months is most important to attract and keep customers... If you have a reef/fish store...have them in stock...don't have a store with empty fish tanks..This is your core compentancies and competitive advantage.You don't open a Blockbusters with no movies in there? Also, have staff that knows what they are selling...Give customers the confidence of what they are buying....

[afss]

I have been to Reef Gallery a few times. I have been to stores in and around the GTA many times. As far as stock goes I will admit that sometimes you can find more fish at other stores, but at other times you can't. I have yet to be to a store in Toronto that i thought was any better than THe reef Gallery. I find Tom and Flavio both verry knowledgeable. As far as i know both of them have been involved in MAST for several years. I am not sure but i believe that the store is "family run and operated. In this day and age when starting a store i can see why they would want it this way. If the person behind the counter was not that knowledgeable then its shouldn't be a big deal. This hoby in itself involves alot of patience as far as set up goes. The person in question at the store gave you excelent coustomer service. She didn't know the answer. she found it out for you, she could have gave you a bleank look and said " i dont know" and left it at that. I admit that the store is not perfect, but they seem to be working on that. You have to start some where, and in My opinion they are doing great! By the looks of your post you are not a patient person. If you aren't patient enough to deal with what you consider to be poor customer service then maybe you should reconsider the hoby.

Scott

[Mitchell]

I was going to leave this alone but I feel the need to speak my mind. First off let me start by saying that Flav and Tom are very well informed on the hobby. The store is getting knocked here and I think that one should go down there and see for themselves rather than take the advice from 1 unhappy customer.


I went to the store, ready to spend a bundle on some corals...But didn't feel comfortable buying from the person at the store yesterday....

If you are so well informed about aquatics, how did the salesperson steer you away? You should allready know about husbandry of corals. What made you uncomfortable? Mabey your input will help a new business work out some flaws.

I have spoken to Flavio about staffing during the days and told him where someone may feel a little frustrated about the lack of knowledge...BUT... The sales person made some calls right ?
To get you the info, right ?



How many times have I been into a store looking for advice or an answer to a question and have come out none the wiser.
Happens all the time.
So what if the person had to make some calls, point is , they tried to help.

Tom and or Flavio are there usually there during the evening so next time mabey you could come at night.


There are better options in toronto

Really? Where? Would love to know. I went on a LFS tour a few weeks ago in that area and didn't find a darn thing.
Oh wait... There was the place in Mississauga that had those beautiful bight pink , purple, blue leathers. Oh yeah I forgot...They were dyed. Oops.
Oh and the other store that had one tank full of GSP .... About two pieces.

Oh then there was that other store that had all those fish. Funny though, they all seemed to have this scratchy thing going on. Loved the red algae though, or mabey that was cyno.

And that other store that had a product I wanted but didn't want to have to dig for it so they told me to come back when they cleared out some of there stock.

Are you getting the hint?

Oakville Reef Gallery has some of the nicest corals I have seen in awhile . The corals are coming in from a reputable spot, I think the supplier is oh let me think here ... Walt Smith, if you have been in this hobby that long Im sure you have heard of them.


If you have a reef/fish store...have them in stock...don't have a store with empty fish tanks

Take a look around. Pretty much all the stores are in the same boat. Unless you want blue damsells or yellow tangs.

You have given Oakville Reef Gallery an unfair and undeserved image. You say you are a Business Consultant, then mabey you should have spoken to Flavio personally about your concerns before you flamed them on a reef board for everyone to see.

Keep up the good work guys and you WILL grow. This area needs a LFS with your knowledge our only other option was states side.

Just my 2 cents

[canuckreef]

well i guess it is my turn to put in my .02 worth.

Flavio and Tom are the only guys I know that are hobbists and taken what they know and decided to help those who are less informed and try to make the hobby a better place...

Commie let me guess where you say you worked... Big AL's
hmm... isnt their motto..."Sell Sell Sell... and load up the customers"

well i assure you the motto at Reef Gallery is "Imform Inform and
give the hobbist what they need not load them up..."

as stated before.. it is a family business..and who ever you did deal with did what I would have accepted... she tried to get the info for you.... as it is just starting off.. i am sure that Tom or Flavio was on the other end of the phone.. and the answers they gave were the same they would have given you if they were standing in your face...!!

Hey once they get established i am sure they will be one of the top 2 or 3 salt water places in GTA... well i cant even think of any others that will compete with them once they do get going..

hey any business has growing pains..and of course this is just one.. but i assure that in this day someone with the idea to start a business is putting their short and curlies on the line...

and i know from the feedback i have heard and seen at Reef Gallery that there are lots of people out there supporting them..and understanding the growing pains.. as well i am sure that if some of us had the time or could get away from our other commitments such as our jobs.... we would be more then happy to assist the guys with staffing... and as well informing experienced and those new to the hobby the CORRECT way of doing things.. rather than the load them up method...

oh by the way... why not show up to MAST on our Feb meeting to meet some of us... hey we dont bite..we wont hurt you..but maybe we can impart some of our experiences and you can share some of yours.. we all are learning all the time in this hobby and the guys at the store are learning as well..your point of staffing is a valid point and one i am sure they were well aware of..but the way it was handled was the best it could have been...and i am sure all of this is a point of learning..but as stated..why not just have called up the store..and asked for one of the guys and explained the problem.. i am sure that Flavio or Tom would have done all they could to help.. rather than drag all of this thru the mud and create a bad taste for all... we all are trying to make a few $$ the best way we can.. and i give credit to the guys for taking their own $$ to try and do something they enjoy as a hobby and try to spread the value of the hobby to the public...

well enough banter..lets get back to what this forum is meant for..
sharing info and the betterment of the hobby...

see ya all at the MAST meeting...Oh yea... Commie..for $25 and then $15 more .. you can get your own corals.. and where can you get a deal like that.. and meet some really nice guys..

[Oakville Reef Gallery]

hello,and thanks.we still have improvements to make,such as the marine fish section and we are working on that.as me and tom have day jobs,we cant be there.right now as we are in the building and learning stage.we always consider and encourage input from our customers either positive or negative.most of sales in the marine dept. are made during the week nights and on saturday is 90% of sales,i know this doesnt help someone like commie who came in during the day.and i do still extend a personal invitation to come and see me, as my personal passion is sps corals and keep a 150g at home with 35 colonies. best regards, Flavio . Oakville reef gallery

[commie]

Geezz..my intend wasn't to attack Reef Gallery...But if it seems that way from my mesages, then there must be a miscommunication in tone of my message. I could see the potential of this store, as they do carry some good products that can't be found in other stores. I went down there because I read somewhere that they carry DT's and sps...Having failed to find DT in the GTA...They didn't have it in, think its coming in next week....
Anyways, I didn't buy anything from the store this time because at least during the day, I felt the store wasn't ready for business. There was a board with prices listed, but it was clear and not all items were posted. The attendant wasn't aware of all products.
I have no doubt the owners are dedicated hobbyiest and is willing to inform.
If the store was setup in a way such that there really isn't need for either Tom or flavio to be there and it will still function. IE. Have each of the corals name and price listed, so the customers could just go into the store and pick out what they want and pay for it. No need to go back and forth..
Even in my first message, I did say this store has potential to be a good one when they get the new store kinks sorted out. I was hoping to save someone the drive to oakville needlessly, until the store is more stable.

Canuckreef, I have been hoping to attend the MAST meetings ever since I haven't needed to travel as much for work. But unfortunately, in the next few months am unable to as its in conflict with my part-time mba courses on wednesday nights. Maybe next semester, I will have the time to learn from you guys.

[maplereef]

Hey guys and girls!!!!
Wow.. This is quite a debate:
Being in the hobby for a long time i have learned a few important things:
I have to agree alot what Reefin Geek had to say... Patience is proabally the most important thing in this hobby and your home work is second...
If you have a prob with a LRS... talk to the owner or the manager with your complaints.. They love you sugesstions and alot of time i have had them throw a few bonus snails for my CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISM..We all want to have a top notch LFS and this is achieved wit all of us working together.. I know its frustating when you don't get the info you wanted but,,is there a right answer to everything??
if we all knew everything this hobby would be boring...lol
in my opinion this hobby rarely offers instant gradifaction but when you do get it... wow it sure feels good...
Just my 2 cents
Happy reefin :)
Leo

[Daniel Schubert]

I have been visiting the Oakville Reef Gallery ever since it opened. I think the guys (Tom and Flavio) are great, eager to help and share ideas, there wife’s (I think) which run the store during the day try very hard to help customers, they are friendly and courteous, but are still learning about the various corals, fishes and equipment. I myself have had a reef tank for about 18 months, love the hobby but am still learning everyday. It's amazing the amount of critters, fish and corals that are out there. As a side note they do get in very nice shipments of coral/fish but unfortunately the best stuff sells within in couple of days. Try to plan a visit around a coral/fish shipment if possible.


Just my humble 0.02 cents worth.
A happy customer

[swissgaurd]

Great store flavio
keep up the good work


Vic

www.aquagenics.com

[Kenzy]

Alrrrighty then!

I'll be stopping by Oakville RG shortly. I much rather spending money in a well run independant LFS than a "big box chain store".

Who has "fighting conchs" or has been getting them fairly regularly? I'm planning to make a run to TO on Friday if I have the spare time.

[jb1974]

I just wanted to add my .02 on this subject. I went to ORG last weekend and was pleasantly suprised at all the coral inventory they had! I am very interested in sps and clams, and have found this to be the only store that has a selection that pleases me. Tom and Flavio have vast amounts of knowledge (not that anyone was disputing this fact) which can afford me the chance of actually learning from the owners/employees of a LFS (a rarity in most cases!). If you are interested in obtaining soem of the rarer species of coral then this is your place. I also must add that I think that the systems they use for both their corals and fish are amazing and can rival some home aquarists systems (ie: skimmers, lighting etc..)-another rarity in the business at present. I will post some pics of the corals I have bought in about 3 weeks once the colors have stabilized under my lighting :)
I hope this store will be around for many many years to come! :)