# Island Pets is closing.



## Atom

This was just posted 40 mins ago  on their Facebook. Sad to see another store go. I thought things were picking up for them.










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## Shrimpette

Sad to see another one go


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## am3ience

oh man, what happened this time? Everytime I went, their stocks seem low, I always thought that was because people kept buying all the good stuff quick...


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## Momobobo

Nothing out of the ordinary. The sales target to break even (water, gas, electricity, employees) is high and hard to reach especially when you aren't consistent (due to various of issues.) Not too surprising but still really sad to see it go, it had potential to become another top class lower mainland LFS.


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## stratos

Look at the development taking place around that location. Goodbye fish shop, hello condos.


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## outsider

I guess they cant find new location to relocated the shop. This come out of no where as well because I was there Wednesday to get Pymgy Cory and had chat with Brad. 

Oh well...

So many condo be build and yet GVA condo price is still sky high. Sad..


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## outsider

am3ience said:


> oh man, what happened this time? Everytime I went, their stocks seem low, I always thought that was because people kept buying all the good stuff quick...


Land be sold to re-developed into condos. I believe they were looking for new locations but haven't have much luck due to regulation and stuff.


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## Atom

I guess that's why the comic shop and Tisol are also closed. 


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## April

Yes they are knocking the block down. The trouble is moving is like starting from scratch all over again with all Reno costs and a huge undertaking with fish shops
Too bad . 
Their lease there was about 18 k a month! 


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## mikebike

I'm sad to see another store closing.


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## jiayaw

I expected this to happen sooner or later. Ever since it became island pet when Grant bought out of the big al franchise, they were already not competitive in the dry goods end of things but their fresh water fish selection was still decent and competitive. But ever since Grant sold the store, everything went downhill and the price of the fish are not even competitive most of the time and the condition of the fish were just not that great...I was there recently for a few times and I can say aside from the betta, I was not confident in buying any livestock there


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## The Guy

As far as I'm concerned the writing was on the wall when they closed the Burnaby store. It's a tough business and hard to make it in today's economy.


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## tony1928

I'm surprised they survived as long as they did. Appreciated the efforts of the various owners over the years but pretty sharp downhill slide since their Big Al's glory days when they were a well stocked full line shop. Very costly to start fresh. 

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## SeaHorse_Fanatic

Actually I'm kind of surprised it survived this long. I thought it had closed months ago.


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## Unknown

They're supposed to be opening a new location


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## outsider

Unknown said:


> They're supposed to be opening a new location


That was what I be told as well.. However appear the owner has trouble to find location.

Anyway.. They will sell off all the stocks they have so they don't need to move them.


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## April

Well they were thinking about a warehouse but maybe it didn't work out. It didn't say moving or relocating sale. I guess it's wait and see


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## Ranchuboy

Sad to see another Local Fish store close.
I have good memories of going to the old Big Al's and the Island Pets in Burnaby and Richmond.

i can understand how difficult it may be to run such a large store in a business for hobbiests. 

The Petsmarts of the world can never replace good aquarium stores like Island Pets.

I hope we can all continue to support smaller local stores, and keep these stores around for our kids to enjoy.


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## outsider

Well.. That is all we can do just wait and see. Anyway I went there to pick up some food, seachem prime and stability Saturday Saturday and they were really busy. (There were a lot of people there to take advantage of closing sale.)

Brad was too busy to chat and Marina was swarm by customers and phone calls. I do notice there are store for lease near by but Brad told me the owner had to deal with the city regulation and stuff.

Speak of Petsmart.. There will be a new petsmart in Metrotown station square. Pet habitat is going to be in big trouble, (close to 8 dollars for cardinal tetra.. smh..)thou pet habitat is the only store sell puppy now.


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## WishX

to be honest I'm surprised pet habitat is still around
does anybody actually buy fish there? double to triple the price of other places easily


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## Atom

The fact that Pet Habitat still sells puppies makes me not shop there.


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## outsider

WishX said:


> to be honest I'm surprised pet habitat is still around
> does anybody actually buy fish there? double to triple the price of other places easily


I would say yes. Not many people search web for local fish store and they go to the closest store they can find. I mean I was like that and Pet habitat was the only pet shop i am aware until I find bcaquaria. I haven't buy anything from them since I found Aquarium West, Island Pets, King ED and April.


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## Daryl

I bought my current 75 tank from the Richmond store of Island Pets, back when it was Big Al's... Maybe I'll be buying my next tank there too...
Sad to lose another shop, especially one that was close to my work, but the silver lining is the closing sales.


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## April

I used to go get my tanks for all my discus at the other shop at the boxing day sale. too bad we don't have a big als here . maybe big als can open a new one..in Vancouver?


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## outsider

The owner (I think Han?) just updated island pet facebook. They are searching location and if everything goes right they will re-open smaller shop under different name.

I believe the store was suppose to run until Jan when the land lord take the store back.


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## DunderBear

What other good LFS are there in the Vancouver/Richmond area?


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## hi-revs

IPU definitely went downhill after Grant and the new owner started bringing in all those China made tanks.
Went in there a few times after new ownership and they never had any harder-to-find fish.


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## Ranchuboy

I stopped in Sunday afternoon. Lots of people! 
Good amount of freshwater live stock remaining, but not much in the salt water section.

Koi, fancy goldfish a plenty. Not sure how they can clear that all by wednesday. 

Guy i spoke to said they are looking at a new location in Vancouver, possibly by Marine near Fraser.


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## Haven

I was at the auction and they announced that island was closing down. It's really too bad another one bites the dust.
I had to drive an hour just to buy good quality Cichlids.


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## BigPete

Does anyone know if today is the last day they are open?


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## jkhcjris

Was in there Tuesday they were saying that Tuesday was going to be the last day.


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## blueberry

Got ahold of someone on phone today and she said they are open today until they sell everything. All that's left is plants, fish and gravel.


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## Shrimpette

I just got back from visiting them. The sign on their door says closed, but they are open today. The place is pretty empty though. They had some fish left but not a lot.


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## Rometiklan

Sad. Another one bites the dust. Some of my fondest memories as a young lad was going to these shops and looking at all the fish and checking out the latest equipment. 

I didn't even know Island Pets' Richmond shop closed. I went there during the summer and the whole store was cleared out. Sucked. Then learned about the second store closing while I was at the VAHS auction. Not sure how small shops are supposed to compete these days versus huge online shops?


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## jiayaw

Don't think shopping online will do well with actual brick and mortar stores for the fish keeping hobby for livestock. Unlike equipment which are made to be the same, livestock are all unique and I much rather go pick them out in person than to just order online. But for a store to be successful, they gotta watch for a lot of factor. With ipu, since they new ownership after Grant, there have been less and less livestock selection, along with the fact that many of the fish health went downhill when they opt to get rid of heaters in most tanks to save on electricity ...in hopes that the ambient heat in the room would be warm enough... All added up to the eventual failure of ipu. I got some insider news regarding ipu from a friend who used to work there...it was at one point in time pretty messed and they had a lot of politics involved too...


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## charles

I think it is hard to buy stock; especially a store like IPU which has so many tanks, when the owner knows the landlord will take the store back. It is very hard to put a bunch of money to stock the store and then the landlord said to pack it all up in a month or a few months. I am sure the owner is also thinking about this issue. The fact that he is looking for location, I am sure he will turn things around. I agree it was a tough one when the owner has to deal with whatever Grant left for him. I know IPU has some nice rare fish. The other day, I saw two albino silver arawanas. They are not easy to come by and not often seen.

I hope he will find a new location soon and have a good home for the shark and the eel. My kids always love to go in there to see them.


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## stratos

I heard the shark tank is headed to....somewhere further east... Think about it and there is only one location in the lower mainland where it would make sense.


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