+1 for Meneagrie pet shop

[charlie]

I want to share a recent experience i had with an out of city Pet store, too often we only hear of the negative stories so here is a positive one for a change.
approx 1 week ago i became aware that i would be going to Toronto for a day, this got me searching different stores & stock , in so doing i found out a little favorite of mine - The Axlerod blue rasbora`s was available at Menagerie Pet shop on Parliament st in TO, i called to confirm & advised the staff member i spoke with that i`m hoping there would be some left when i visited in a weeks time, he promptly assured me that if i told him how much i`m interested in he would reserve them for me, keep in mind that is a Store in Toronto & a guy i don`t know & vise versa, needless to say i was shocked at the offer, yesterday i showed up at the store to see a big tag on the display tank with the little beauties stating they were all sold, the tank had about 40+ in it & i only had 20 on hold so needless to say i was saddened to see the all sold sign, i asked the floor staff who bought them all & his reply was some guy from Ottawa, i exhaled & had a big smile of relief & gratitude, simply WOW.
This was done purely on goodwill on their part as they never asked me for my name or any deposit to hold them and as a bonus i got to choose my 20 fish from the entire stock, Kudos to Menagerie & their staff for this type of service which can be hard to come by of these days,I will say i have had quality service of similar scenarios from La Niche & Ray`s Aquatic, what separates Menagerie is that they did it not knowing me & the miles that separate us.
Thanks Guy`s
Errol

[bergenm]

Sounds like Harold... I dealt with him a couple of years ago and he certainly takes customer service to a whole new level.

[charlie]

Sounds like Harold... I dealt with him a couple of years ago and he certainly takes customer service to a whole new level.

Nope, it was not Harlod

[exv152]

That's what the Ottawa aquarium industry can use - more little mom and pop aquarium shops that are willing to bring some rare and hard-to-get livestock and products. Especially in the west end.

[Fishnut]

Lol...I was thinking the same thing, only finishing with "Especially in the East End"

I think Critter Jungle is looking for an angle in their fish department.  Perhaps someone should talk to the fish manager there and explain how Menagerie does things.  I'm not too sure how easy it is to sell specialty things in this city.  Sure, there are a few of us who are craving it but is enough to sell the fish?

If only I had the start-up capital.  I would be all over opening a specialty shop.  That's always been one of those pipe dreams.  How many houses do I have to sell first...gets out calculator...oh...

[Fishnut]

the tank had about 40+ in it & i only had 20 on hold so needless to say i was saddened to see the all sold sign, i asked the floor staff who bought them all & his reply was some guy from Ottawa, i exhaled & had a big smile of relief & gratitude, simply WOW.

Well, if I had known, you would have brought home all of them...I love those guys!!!

[exv152]

Well, Guelph Ontario and Trois-Rivières Québec are two much smaller communities than Ottawa, and they both have shops that are official ADA distributors. I'm not saying I would spend tons of money on ADA stuff, 'cause quite frankly I think it's overpriced, but I don't mind splurging every now and then on myself. I would even love it more if we had an AI in Ottawa, where I can get knockoffs for less. Many shops I've visited in Montréal and Toronto carry the full line of Hagen products of which I'm also a fan of. Like the Osaka tanks, the large hagen rimless tanks, and not to mention I'd like to have access to manzanita wood, co2 equipmement, and a wider choice of rare livestock (like green neons, rare plecos, killifish, cichlids etc). I just think there's an untapped small market here, but bigger than the two towns mentioned, and an even bigger market of those who would become interested if they were just exposed to these things. I don't mind having the major players that we do have in town, but I feel there's always room for more. New businesses that are willing to invest time and some money to become part of the local community, sponsor events, encourage workshops, spark more interest in the hobby, get involved in the community etc. I'm sure the same can be said about the sw community, and the other niche interests in the hobby (like african cichlids, large ornamental fish, discus, palludariums, terrariums etc). Anyway, that's my rant for today...

[touchofsky]

Ottawa is a funny market for a lot of things, and I think one of its problems has been that it is a small market caught between two large cities (Toronto & Montreal).  I hope that Ottawa is finally getting big enough to stand on its own. 

[exv152]

Agreed, but you'd think because Ottawa was caught between two major urban centres, that we'd see more stuff trickle down from there, but sadly it's not necessarily the case. Personally I think competition in Ottawa would only raise the bar for others to follow suit which would translate into the consumer having more options, as well as paying less.  Industry monopolies are never a good thing for the consumer.

[zenins]

I agree that Menagerie is a special shop, lots of animals there, even the employees are definitely not ones you would find in your usual chain or big box pet store.
A few years ago, I was on a course in downtown Toronto for a few days.
I dropped in to Menagerie on the first day at lunch and saw some johorensis barbs that I had not seen for many years.
I commented because of that, I might drop in on the last day of my course and get them.
When I did drop in, the employee I spoke to was not there, but the tank with the barbs was labelled "Hold Barbs until Friday for the guy on course" cool !

I find that most Big Al's locations have a pretty good selection of tropical fish and most of the staff know their stuff, I have not been to the ones in the capital region, maybe next trip.
Recently, Kitchener-Waterloo was fortunate to have an independent fish store open that is a pleasure to visit and they have a great selection of fresh water and marine.
In the Toronto area there are a bunch of independents that cater to the S.E. Asian market, so the selection is quite interesting.
In Scarborough ( East Toronto ) Mike Bandura owns and operates Finatics, he specializes in Rift Lake Africans and is worth the time to drop in because of the many adult fish for sale

[bettabreeder]

That's what the Ottawa aquarium industry can use - more little mom and pop aquarium shops that are willing to bring some rare and hard-to-get livestock and products. Especially in the west end.

+1 yup! Barrhaven anyone...?


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