Page 210 - One Thousand Ways to Make $1000

Many pet dealers include in their stock a number of aquariums containing
tropical fish, and the accessories which go with aquariums for home use, such
as aquatic plants, fish food, and ornaments for their home aquariums. A pet
shop may be started with as little as $100 for stock and equipment, and space
may be rented at a reasonable figure in a good location. Too much emphasis
cannot be placed upon attractively displaying pets and accessories since the
average American’s love of animals forces him to stop and watch them, when
they are displayed in a window. There are few easier ways of making money.

Cashing In on the Tropical Fish Vogue

A

FEW years ago Ralph Watkins, a tropical fish enthusiast, opened an
aquarium in Chicago’s South Shore district. He had eight kinds of fish at that
time, and ten small tanks. At the end of three years, he had one hundred and
thirty tanks containing one hundred and twenty varieties of fish, was growing
his own fauna, and netting well over a thousand dollars a year in this
fascinating business.

“I started with two hundred dollars,” said Watkins. “My rent was not high.
My investment in fish amounted to a hundred dollars. Tanks, fauna, and
accessories took my second hundred dollars, and when I turned the key in the
door the first morning, I didn’t have a red cent in my pocket. A few children
passing on their way to school early that morning, had stopped to ask the
price of goldfish and went on their way. I forgot them. Late in the afternoon
they returned with several others. They were eager, curious and fascinated
with the few tropical and goldfish I had in the tanks. One youngster wanted to
buy a goldfish. For a moment she studied it, then solemnly said: ‘What will I
call it?’ ‘What’s your name?’ I inquired. ‘Sonya.’ ‘This goldfish should be
called Sonya,’ I replied. That went over big. Before they left, each had
bought one or two fish which they named after themselves or other children
in the neighborhood, and I ‘rang up’ three dollars on the sale.

“Because the children liked the idea of naming the fish they bought, they
came back again and again. When a fish appeared sick or died, they’d come