Looking to start a new business (Scranton, Bethlehem: middle-class, buy, luxury)

[honoreem]

Hello,

My fiance and I are moving to the Lehigh Valley this summer. I would like to start my own business and I am considering a pet supply store. I have done some research and see that there are already several stores in the area. Do you think that another pet store can be successful?

I'm also open to suggestions regarding other business ideas that might work in the area.

[jjj]

Originally Posted by honoreem

Hello,

My fiance and I are moving to the Lehigh Valley this summer. I would like to start my own business and I am considering a pet supply store. I have done some research and see that there are already several stores in the area. Do you think that another pet store can be successful?

I'm also open to suggestions regarding other business ideas that might work in the area.

Not sure if its a good or bad idea but you might consider the number of pet stores in the are plus every major grocery chain, Kmart, Wallmart, tareget, etc...have entire sections devoted to pet products. That makes for lots of competition.

[toobusytoday]

I agree that there are already quite a few stores that sell pet supplies, both large and small. Even our small school district has three places and I think only one is doing well and that's because it has a grooming and small kenneling business as well as selling pet supplies. I understand that there is a shortage of dog groomers.

We could use a good bakery here in Southern Lehigh area. We don't have anyplace to get baked goods nearby except the grocery store.

[jeffvivian]

If you are going to do the pet place, I would try to be different then the superstores that are already out here.

[karen_s]

I could see the market for a small holistic-type of pet store with pet homeopathics, natural foods, and things of that nature. A 'mainstream' type of store - too much competition from big box stores and Petco type of stores.

[poconoproud]

Brodheadsville could use a decent pet store. We have one, and I absolutely hate how the woman who owns it lets her kids treat the animals. Her prices are very expensive, because she knows she is the only game in town. We bought two snakes from her, but she does not breed mice and rats well enough to produce the feed for the animals she sells. We end up making a long trip to Bethlehem, because it is the only place we can buy live feed for our ball pythons. Brodheadsville would welcome a full service pet store, that is not located in the only condemable building along route 209.

[SteelCityRising]

Scranton used to have a gourmet dog bakery called Poochie in its downtown that closed recently due to stiff competition against the "big boys" (a.k.a. PetSmart, Petco, etc.) I myself purchased my "My Dog Digs Scranton" bumper sticker here, as well as the goodies to stuff his Christmas stocking with shortly before they went out of business. Everyone was saying that it came as no surprise because the items being offered were very expensive. The owner marketed her boutique heavily in local upscale magazines, such as Happenings, yet she still failed to do adequate research into the demographics of the area.

Would such a venture work in the Lehigh Valley? There's decidedly a much more affluent population down there than is available in Scranton (although it appears as if the new middle-class vehicle of choice up here is a BMW). Dog biscuits, dog outfits, toys, etc. are considered luxury goods, and when the economy starts to tank (as it has been), people cut back on these first. It might be a good idea to consider locating your store on either Main Street in Bethlehem's historic North Side to latch onto some of the upper-middle-class tourist/suburbanite traffic, or "gamble" on the new casino opening on East Third Street in the South Side of Bethlehem revitalizing that retail corridor into a busy hot spot. Be forewarned though that rents in either location will likely be rather high.

In any event I wish you the best of luck! It's always great to see someone opening a new business venture in the era of big-box corporate goliaths running mom-and-pops into the ground. I myself hope to open my own business venture here in Downtown Scranton someday---perhaps a Whole Foods.

[toobusytoday]

There used to be a sort of pet store on Main Street in Bethlehem. It went out of business a couple of years ago. It was in the building right next to the Brew Works called Bone Appetit. At least I think it's out of business,a friend said it was. The new Pet store in the Promenade shops is not doing that well and it's definately trying to market to the upscale niche.

What would really fly up here would be a Trader Joe's. As mentioned in the thread above (or maybe now, below!) regarding organic food co-op's, what we could really use is a Trader Joe's. People like the Fresh Foods market in the Promenade shops but imho, it just isn't good enough. Not enough organic stuff and the organic stuff they do have is high priced. I like how TJ's has a huge amount of ethnic, high end, basic, fresh and already prepared foods and most of it reasonably priced. If I had money to open a store, that's the one that I think would really, really do well.

[sourpatchkid]

Bone Appetit Bakery in Bethlehem is definitely NOT out of business