Jerry Johnson knows his fish, aquariums, and plants. He has over 120 fish tanks and nearly 200 varieties of exotic tropical and koi, or pond fish to offer customers on the premises of the 1,500 square feet Jamesville store — which has been around since February 2000. Besides the wide variety of fish and tanks, the store alsocarries aquatic plants and supplies, including gravel, and other accessories. This is a fun, colorful place for all who are interested in collecting and studying fish and aquarium life.
Jerry's path to becoming an officianado in fish, aquariums, and ponds began when he was 12 years old. While sitting in the waiting room of his pediatrician's office, he noticed how dirty the fish tank looked and mentioned this to his doctor. The doctor, sensing the budding of an entrpreneur, challenged him to clean it. Jerry did, and received $5 when he completed the job. His pediatrician began referring him to other physicians, and Jerry soon had a lucrative part-time job cleaning aquariums. Over the years his focus grew from cleaning aquariums to offering a vast array of products and services — from stocking a wide variety of tropical and other fish to setting up aquariums for both businesses and residences. He still maintains and cleans fish tanks in the area. For many of his customers this has meant 40+ years of service.
In the early '70's, Jerry's first retail operation was The Pet Shop on Marshall Street in Syracuse. At one point he operated five stores. The current store opened on February 10, 2000. Fish are shipped directly from Thailand, African countries, Japan, and Indonesia and range in price from 89 cents to $100 for some varieties of salt water fish, Johnson said. "The store caters more to the serious hobbyist, both children and adults," Johnson said, and for the 40 some years he has been running the business, he finds he has the answers to most questions. And, if for some strange reason he doesn't, he'll find the answer.
A special kids' room features brightly colored gravel, fish tank ornaments and toys. Another specialty room is decorated all in black and hosts the more exotic fish varieties. What apparently makes this store unusual is that the fish come directly from their country of origin, and are stored in a 30-foot by 60-foot hatchery tank at Jerry's home.
One of Gerry's unique marketing ideas is a special program where customers can "rent" a pond fish during the warmer months, and then "sell" it back to the store during the winter if the pond isn't deep enough to adequately shelter it, or there's no indoor aquarium. You buy the fish, and then the store returns a percentage of the sale price back to you in the winter. This has been a very popular program.
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