opening a hydroponics store?

jonjon777 said:

So far my best bet would be Hydrofarm, for 10k, I would get nearly 20k in products, there has to be somewhere better out there tho, everybody shops online now days tho too, only benefit of a hydro store is the knowledge in my opinion.

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A local hydro store closed because the staff could not supply any expertise at all, combined with too much investment in LEDs that didn't sell. Another closed because the owner was an asshole. The one remaining store, while overpriced, is a full service gardening store with knowlegible staff (some of them anyway) that caters to the general public, not just pot heads.

jonjon777 said:

So far my best bet would be Hydrofarm, for 10k, I would get nearly 20k in products, there has to be somewhere better out there tho, everybody shops online now days tho too, only benefit of a hydro store is the knowledge in my opinion.

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I really love the idea you have and wish I was in a place to do it. Sounds like you have the perfect opportunity to get in early for that area.

I visited an actual hydro farm last week, no affiliation with the vendor you are interested in. The guy grows tomatoes and other veggies outdoors in vertical systems. It was pretty amazing to see his set up. Top notch and professionally done. He also sells pots and ferts and other stuff.

Anyway, I have been thinking about owning a hydro shop for years. The one thing that weighs heavy on my mind, is it should be diversified. Not only sell the Nutes and systems for growing MJ, but also service the vegetable growers and the gardening industry in general. Build your rep through providing excellent expertise and satisfying your customers. That will hopefully keep them out of Lowes and HD. I have an ole timey feed and seed that's been around for decades, and only recently have they started stocking Fox Farms products. They are so much more expensive than regular products that you know their target customers are MJ growers.

I honestly wish you the best of luck and hope you chronical your journey for the rest of us if you have time.

Red1966 said:

A local hydro store closed because the staff could not supply any expertise at all, combined with too much investment in LEDs that didn't sell. Another closed because the owner was an asshole. The one remaining store, while overpriced, is a full service gardening store with knowlegible staff (some of them anyway) that caters to the general public, not just pot heads.

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Haha you wrote that response as I was typing my own and we pretty much touched on the same things. Diversity. Haha.

Lehigh Valley

Jon Jon if your serious maybe we should talk

I am, but it wouldn't be until the end of summer, I'm dealing with a income property and the girls, won't have the time or cash for few more months...

Red1966 said:

I contacted Hydrofarm about this. You need an actual storefront, a rent-a-storage unit or out of your home won't do. You also need a tax ID number and an initial purchase of $15.000 in stock.

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Yup & thats just to get in at 50% mark up with large sales quotas , anybody running a storefront with 50% profit margins wont last long thats why shops drop like flies .