Fishtails
Brick, N.J.
Clifford Knee, Owner

How’s business going?

Bad, it’s been very slow. It’s been like this since two years ago, when the depression hit. Mainly, we’re fish here, as well as dog grooming. The dog grooming is running steady, but the fish sales have dropped off. The saltwater stuff is especially hard hit.

Any trends in your business?

No, it’s just been slow for a fairly long time. You get a few spurts of action here and there. We get maybe two good days, then five bad days where no one comes in. I’ve been in business 23 years here, the last two have been the worst for me. The grooming side seems to be hanging on OK, though.

Anything new?

No, we’ve got a lot of fish here. We get whatever the wholesalers can deliver to us. I don’t even have bodies coming through the door right now, you know what I mean?

How is your livestock selling?

The freshwater side is definitely doing better than the saltwater. I sell a lot of freshwater fish, I sell all kinds, you name it. I’m just not selling tons of them like I used to.  --EM

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Pets Gone Healthy
Marlborough, Mass.
Sandie Wheeler, Owner

How’s business going?

Business is good, actually. Last year, I met with my advisors--I actually did that survey that you guys did last year, too. Business was good in 2009, and I did a little better than that, so things are good.

Any trends in your business?

Since PNG purchased Natura Pet, I see a lot of people are switching their brand purchases around. I see a lot of people very much interested in raw. Be it that they’re dogs are on a kibble, the dogs are fine with their weight, their health, but the people are asking a lot about raw. The other group is those people who have dogs that aren’t healthy, they smell, their ears smell, their noses smell. They want to stay on some kibble, but they want the raw food benefits. My husband and I were just talking about needing a new freezer for that.

I think people are still very much on top of where the economy is, where the spending is. I see a lot of people buying one bag a month. We offer a three-bag discount, which is doing well. I don’t know of a lot of other stores that offer a lot of bulk pricing, it’s a way Kenny and I have kept in business.

Anything new?

Last year, we started a rewards program that people like. It’s given us personal sense of giving back directly to our customers. It’s been pretty well received. We have a card, we use paw print stamps, every $10 people spend, they get a paw print. When the card is filled up, they get $10 toward their next purchase. It’s roughly a 4 to 4.2 percent discount. It needs to be considered when our customers purchase food.

Anything else you’d like to add?

We’re a healthy pet food store. We sell pet health foods; we have a pet bakery, an open glass case pet bakery. I would say to you my store is 65 percent foods and treats for dogs and cats, and the remainder is gifts and accessories for pets and their people. We’re a very small store, but we are feeling growing pains. We’ve got to work it like everybody else.  --EM