From garage to storefront: Newfoundland engineer pivots from oil ... - Saltwire
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When the Come By Chance oil refinery shut down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Curtis Hynes was left without a job.
He accepted his severance package and mulled over what his next step would be.
"I was out of work for the first time in my career," said Hynes, who specializes in chemical and water-treatment engineering.
A fishkeeping enthusiast, Hynes had always wondered about setting up a shop to share his love of tropical fish with others.
"But it really was just a pipedream, and I didn't really see it actually happening."
However, the pandemic changed that. A favourite store of his in St. John's dedicated to fishkeeping, Aquarium 101, closed for good a couple of months into the pandemic.
"It was amazing," Hynes said of the store. "It was where all the hardcore hobbyists would go for fish — that's all they had."
Following that store's closure, Hynes saw there was a gap in the market and set the wheels in motion for Killick Coast Aquarium, a business that opened a storefront last November on McNamara Drive in Paradise.
But before Hynes and his partner in life and business, Natalie Reardon, got there, they tested the venture by selling exotic fish and premium supplies out of their garage in St. Philip's. Reardon admits to some initial feelings of trepidation on her part.
"We had just purchased a new home, and we have four kids, so I was concerned about our ability to make a livelihood selling fish," she said with a laugh.
Good timing
The garage setup helped them connect with the local fishkeeping community and also aligned nicely with the curbside service trend that came about during the pandemic.
"The idea of scheduling an appointment to come to some guy's garage wasn't so crazy during that time," Reardon said. "It worked out that way for us. Otherwise, I don't know if anyone would drive up to St. Philip's to buy fish out of someone's garage."
Hynes said there were days where more than a dozen vehicles were parked in their neighbourhood, with customers lined up outside waiting to be served. This gave them a clear indication that the business was worth bringing to a more traditional venue.
After considering a few options, they found their home at 15 McNamara Drive (near the Topsail Road end of the street) in Paradise. Hynes and Reardon liked the fact it was a high-visibility location close to other businesses and attractions. There's also plenty of parking.
The business itself has a lot to offer. For newcomers to owning tropical fish, Killick Coast Aquarium has them covered. But for the more seasoned clientele, they're willing to put in the legwork — and paperwork — to find rare offerings, including endangered and vulnerable species. A microchipped eight-inch golden redfin Asian arowana — it will eventually grow to two feet — was brought in and sold to a customer for about $1,500.
"These come with paperwork," Hynes said. "They're tracked and registered."
Managing health
They also have a quarantine room for new arrivals that is off-limits to customers. There, fish are kept for at least a week and observed by the store's experienced fish health manager, Andrea Pinhey, who also worked at Aquarium 101. They only get released into the retail area once that manager gives the OK.
"If not, it stays back there until it's ready to go," Hynes said.
"We want to make sure when a customer leaves with a product from us that they have the highest possibility of that fish surviving and being in a happy home," added Reardon.
With his water-treatment engineering background, Hynes has a lot of knowledge applicable to home aquariums and is happy to share that knowledge with customers, whether it's for the fish or the plants they sell for aquarium use. They also sell driftwood, rocks and other materials to help create a nice home-aquarium environment.
Killick Coast Aquarium announces new fish offerings weekly through its social media channels and also seeks feedback from customers on what they're looking for.
"Every day, there's usually someone who comes in new, mostly through word of mouth," Hynes said. "It's growing by word of mouth exponentially. We have a massive base of loyal customers. … There's customers that I'm seeing every day. It turns out to be a really nice, community feeling. Folks will come in, even if they don't need anything right now. Conversations are happening."
The business is open seven days a week, with hours varying. In addition to accounts on Facebook and Instagram, the business also plans to have a YouTube presence for sharing a mix of fun and educational videos. Customers can also purchase equipment and supplies online at killickcoast.ca.
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