our article in the kitchener waterloo aquarium

November 2007
Fins & Tales
Inside A LFS
ums, aquarium furniture and aquarium supplies, as
A special one on one interview with Anthony Risi,
goldfish and freshwater tropical fish.
well as an extensive variety of marine fish, live corals,
owner of Aquarium Services in Kitchener, Ontario
By Phil Maznyk KWAS pmaznyk@rogers.com
A
quarium Services Warehouse Outlet (Big Al’s) is
without a doubt the largest and most successful
chain of Aquarium Stores in Canada.
With 20 locations setup across Canada and several
more set to come on board in the near future it’s easy to
see why this company is so successful. They have been
in business for over 30 years.
A view of the front entrance to Aquarium Services in Kitchener
Big Al's has being doing this for over 30 years through
the retail environment by developing stores that are
designed to bring technical services, quality personal
advise, plus a vast variety of equipment to the first
time hobbyist and the long time aquatic specialists.
These stores are not your basic pet store but are large
stores with almost everything available on the aquatic
market on display inside. If they haven’t got it, chances
are very good they can and will get it for you!
In July of 2005, Allan Saul owner and President of the
company opened a huge 18,000 square foot outlet store
in Tamarac, Florida. This superstore carries over 4,000
species of fish! What makes Aquarium Services differ-
Owner Anthony Risi showing a high tech planted show tank
ent from any other store? Their Mission Statement
reads “The Pond and Aquarium Hobby Specialists”, by
Feel like you’re ready to take the plunge and run your
bringing to its patrons the largest selection of aquari-
own LFS? Aquarium Services offer a complete fran-
Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society
Fins & Tales
November 2007
chise program that consists of real estate and site selec-
livestock, presentation, and strength in buying power
tion, custom store design, building manuals, on-site
(DIRECT BUYS) as well as competitive pricing, they
supervision, a complete training program, extensive
are the present leaders in the aquatic retail industry.
operational and marketing systems, exclusive Big Al’s
products and a central distribution centre. These stores
range in size from 5,000 to over 8,000 square feet.
This brings me to our very own Kitchener store owned
and operated by Anthony Risi. Anthony, thank you for
taking the time out of your busy day to be interviewed
this afternoon.
A showroom full of complete aquarium packages and equipment
Their stores are designed to enhance customer appeal
with complete technical services, a vast variety of
equipment covering the needs of the first time hobbyist
to the serious long time hobbyist as well as an extensive selection of livestock from around the world.
Anthony in front of a large marine show tank
Q
Perhaps you could tell our readers a bit about
yourself. How long have you personally been in-
volved in the tropical fish hobby?
A
I first entered the aquatic world thirty years ago.
I was a keen teenager looking for information
about my new hobby. I would "hang out" at my local
fish store for hours on end. I would ask the store owner
Looking into the Kitchener stores large shark tank
Their famous Big Al’s Shark tanks of up to 5000 gallons
are one of the highlights of their fish rooms drawing in
curious spectators both young and old. Between their
technical service staff, extensive variety of equipment,
endless questions and of course always asked for a job!
I eventually wore him down and I was able to volunteer
at the store. I would visit other stores, always looking
and asking as I went. Eventually I ended up at a new
store in Thornhill, Ontario. It was a small store of
about 1,000 square feet. I walked around the clean
Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society
November 2007
Fins & Tales
store and struck up a conversation with the owner. I
240 gallon marine set-up. I had a few different tangs in
was surprised when he offered me a job! He would start
my aquarium. A Yellow, Purple, Blue, Powder Blue and
me at $2.75 an hour! I was so excited! I was actually
Desjardin tang as well as two Ocellaris clownfish,
going to get paid and work in a pet shop.
three different Wrasses as well as a school of Green
Chromis.
Store staff listening to a customer
Q
HOB’s and Canister filters are a few of the many found in this store
How long have you owned and operated the Kitchener store?
A
I have owned and operated the store almost 17
years since December 10, 1989.
Well stocked shelves full of all things aquatic
Q
A
Q
How many employees work at your store?
A
We currently have fifteen employees at the store.
From Marine to Freshwater it’s all here
What sort of fish and tanks do you have at home?
Q
I moved two months ago, so at the present time I
A
What sort of unique challenges have you found in
the day to day operation of your own store?
Every LFS have different products that sell well
for them and others that don't. Keeping the popu-
unfortunately haven't set up my aquarium yet. I
lar items in stock at all times is akin to a grocery store
had to leave my old aquarium in my old home. It was a
stocked with bread and milk. The challenge is to keep
Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society
Fins & Tales
November 2007
the hobbyist interested in the "odd ball" items while at
still have a question or two they need to ask. I’ve al-
the same time not taking on too much extra inventory.
ways found your staff to be very knowledgeable in most
Q
areas and if they didn’t know the answer they would
What sort of challenges do you face with other
franchise stores in the area?
A
The challenges are the same as any other business. The competition is always good for busi-
ness. It keeps you on your toes, keeps you interested
and helps to keep you current.
Q
What is the most rewarding part of the hobby for
you?
A
try and get it for me. This can be a time consuming
process. So, as a business owner, how do you balance
the time you spend offering knowledgeable information
with meeting the needs of your bottom line?
A
As I tell even the first time fish owner, there is a
tremendous amount of information available out
there. The aquarium hobby is just that, a hobby. People
will do things differently, some even contradicting one
This is an easy question. I still enjoy the retailing
another. I think it is our job to piece together the infor-
part of the hobby. I enjoy the interaction with cus-
mation that the customers have and to offer reasonable
tomers, seeing their children feed some of the Koi in
solutions to their problems and questions. The time
the store and seeing the excitement in their eyes when
spent is often, but not always, rewarded with a happy
they feed them. Helping a customer with a problem
and loyal customer.
aquarium and seeing how grateful they are is a very
rewarding experience.
A superb example of a high tech planted show tank
Flake, pellet and frozen foods for a variety of fish
Q
Your store supports our local fish hobbyist club
KWAS. You offer special discounts on top of your
Is there a specific hierarchy amongst your store
other promotions and you also display our club flyers in
staff?
your store. We have had some new members tell us
A
Yes, I currently have Jamie McDougall managing
the fishroom and Morgan Bessey managing the
front room. They have both been tremendous assets to
the business. They have become my eyes and ears for
me as I have now taken more time away from the store
to enjoy more time with my nine year old son, Matteo.
Q
Q
Quite a few customers these days do a fair bit of
research prior to making a purchase, yet they may
they picked their flyer up at your store. I’d like to take
the opportunity to thank you for helping promote our
club and the hobby. Anthony how do you personally feel
about encouraging people to join their local tropical fish
hobbyist club or society?
A
An overwhelming statistic that is prevalent in
our industry is that sadly there is only a 20% re-
tention rate in the hobby. That is, that after one year,
Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society
November 2007
Fins & Tales
only 20% of the people who got into the hobby are still
in the hobby. I think that helping the Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society will only help increase that statistic and keep people interested in our hobby. People
are generally out of the hobby because of failure. Their
fish died, the water was cloudy, or the water was too
green. They tried a few options but ended up failing.
These are all problems that are easily resolved if the
correct information is given to these people. This is
where KWAS can help and where there are experienced
hobbyist’s that are able to mentor younger members
and ultimately turn the first time customer into a long
term hobbyist.
Q
KWAS believes very strongly in promoting the
hobby to our youth. Many of our members have
family memberships and we have several youngsters
actively involved in our BAP and HAP programs. How
do you feel about the hobby and our young children?
A
As you can see from previous answers, children
and youth are very important to the business. The
attraction of having something "real" like an aquarium
in the home in this age of many children being "plugged
in and tuned out" is so important. Having an aquarium
in the home can teach many children their first job of
responsibility; they are caring for an animal that is depending on them for their survival. Turning on a video
game cannot compare to watching a Black Molly give
birth in a net breeder!
I
n closing I have never interviewed anyone before
this article and I must say it was real pleasure to
talk one on one with Anthony. If you haven’t yet visited
his store, or perhaps you just haven’t been in a while,
drop by! Chances are good that Anthony will be there to
say hello. Bring your family on Tuesday evenings for
the ‘Shark Feeding Frenzy’ and then take some time to
enjoy the fish in the display tanks. A visit to this LFS is
something the whole family will enjoy ◙
Photos courtesy of Phil Maznyk
18
Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society