An Updated Look into the First Gecko Store in the World

Hello Reptile lovers from around the world. Today we would like to give an updated look into the world’s First Gecko Store! Back in February, we published an article following Ray and Carol Rehner and their company Designer Geckos as they ventured into the creation of the first gecko store in the world ( if you would like to revisit the original article please click here ). Naturally, Herp Daily wants to be there in every step of the process as Designer Gecko’s creates history with this project. We recently caught up with Ray, to get the exclusive scoop for our readers regarding the progress of his store:

CHRIS:: Hello Ray and welcome back to Herp Daily, we just wanted to give the community an update on the first Gecko store in the world. The last time we spoke you were in the preliminary stages of developing the store. A few months have passed since then and we are all definitely interested on the progress of the store itself. Can you give us a little detail about the current stage that the store is in?

RAY: Hi, and thanks again for your interest in our new gecko store venture.  The store is now finally set up and operating for business.  We have all permits and licenses in place, the store is stocked with gecko-related supplies, terrariums, etc., and we now have several racks in place that are functioning and full of wonderful little lizards!  We have limited hours of operation due to our extremely busy schedules, but if business warrants, we will be increasing our hours of operation. We are also open by appointment on an as requested basis.

CHRIS: How has the community around the store and in your area of operations reacted to the arrival of the store?

RAY:  The store is located very close to Boulder and Longmont, CO, in a very quaint and friendly little town known as Hygiene.  It is a very traditional, old-fashioned kind of place, with country stores, a diner, a fire hall, post office, and some other small businesses….kind of like Mayberry!  (It is a very safe and well-protected town, so if you visit the area, don’t speed, or you just may get pulled over by Andy or Barney Fife!)  Our store has gotten a huge amount of press in several Colorado newspapers, and the story has been syndicated so it has gone in various papers around the country which is great for our store, and for leopard geckos in general.  Needless to say, we are the talk of the town and the main topic at the local diner….our goal is to get them all talking about gecko morphs.  Imagine the folks sitting around having their morning breakfast and talking about Enigmas and Sunglows!

CHRIS: Can you give us a little bit more detail about the structure and design of the store itself? ( the pictures that you sent will be included here: ) ).

RAY:  This is not a traditional store by any means.  When you walk in, it has a very relaxing appearance, with plants, a comfy leather couch, coffee table, desk setup, etc.  To one side we have a staging and work area, photo setup, examination lighting, and storage.  The back of the store is the production area, with racks, work carts, shelf racks for supplies and equipment, incubators, and lotsa geckos!  We also have a nice rest room, a fridge and feeder area, and a back store room for shipping supplies.  So it is a small store, but very functional and well laid out.  Outside the store is spectacular scenery, lakes, trails, horses, and more.  Our building is currently being landscaped, including a beautiful, peaceful, rock waterfall.  All in all, it’s a very nice office space and a great place to have a gecko store.

CHRIS: When will your store be officially open to the public? Do you plan on keeping the store open late considering the fact that Leopard Geckos are more active at night?

RAY:  The store does have regular hours, albeit limited at this time until we see how the business goes.  Carol and I work regular day jobs as well, so we’re quite busy, and balancing all this is a challenge.  We want it to be successful, but we also want to be sure we have fun and enjoy what we are doing.  So far we are juggling it all well and we are having a lot of fun, and enjoyable times with our customers talking about all things gecko.  As for geckos being nocturnal, they are fine being bothered and picked up during daylight hours.  Once out they do quite well and seem to enjoy the day.  I have some that I take in the car, take to my day job, walk on my road with, etc.  They like the daylight times actually.  The albino geckos however are light-sensitive, so I am careful in not exposing them to bright sunlight, waiting till evening hours to take them outside for a walk when the weather permits.

CHRIS: What are some of the challenges you have faced since moving forward with the stores creation?

RAY:  Well, for those who have not owned a store business, it is a HUGE amount of work setting things up.  Planning boards, regulations, permits, licenses, insurances, accountants, etc. all requires an immense amount of time and effort, and it all must be done properly.  Then you need to set up your various vendors, distributors, utilities, leases, and logistics.  This is something that requires intense organizational capabilities.  Luckily we have a great group that has worked with us to make it a manageable process, but it is not for someone who doesn’t have the background or time to take on an endeavor  like a business and a store.  It is very much more complex and difficult than an online store you can do from home.

CHRIS: Now that you are more involved in the stores development, have you delegated some of the reptile husbandry to other people or are you still just as involved with the animals themselves?

RAY:  We do have wonderful people working with us.  My wife Carol, and I of course carry the brunt of the work on our shoulders, but we have a highly skilled and fantastic person helping us who is a certified vet tech.  We couldn’t have done this without Lynne’s help!  We also have Brittney Gougeon from Reptile Creative taking care of the complexities of our website, and we’ve had incredible support from Exo Terra, Central Pet (Zoo Med and Zilla), Rep Cal, Fedex, and our great feeder vendors who keep our geckos fed and healthy. We also have had immense help from our gecko advisors who have been just amazing in helping us work through this process and have provided us with excellent animals…folks like Ron Tremper, Garrick DeMeyer, Jeff Galewood, and Steve Sykes, among others.  They have been truly amazing and we couldn’t have pulled all this off without their help and expertise, so my hat goes off to them.

CHRIS: What are your plans for the store for the next 3 months? 6 months? 1 year?

RAY:  Hmmm, let’s see.  One thing I’ve learned in life, especially in these very challenging economic times, is to take things a day at a time and put forth your very best effort possible.  We have already been approached twice about franchising Designer Geckos stores around the US.  We prefer to move very slowly at this time, but we are flattered that a few think we might be onto something.  Let’s face it though, the failure rate for new small businesses is extremely high, and while we are keeping a positive attitude and an optimistic outlook on things, the reality is that we are up against quite a challenge these days.  We have been able to set up this business without financing, so the monetary pressures on us are minimal.  Building up a customer base locally, and elsewhere, will take time.  Our goal is to provide high quality, socialized geckos at reasonable prices, and to provide the very best customer service we can.  We get many repeat customers, so I think people appreciate us and like the way we conduct our business.  We also refer customers  to other gecko breeders if they are looking for something specific that we do not carry ourselves.  The gecko business is very much like a family, where everyone knows everyone and we try to help each other out.  So, we’re setting the groundwork now, and when the economy turns around, as it always does, I’m confident that the gecko business in general will do well.  The Hawaiian people believe that geckos bring good luck, and nowadays we all need all the luck we can get!  We’d like to place a gecko in every household….and who knows…maybe have a few Designer Geckos franchise stores popping up in towns near you someday.  Hey, you just never know.

Thank you Ray for giving us an update on your store. Having a gecko in every household would surely be an amazing feat and would not be possible without your efforts. We wish you the very best and look forward to the events that unfold for the first gecko store in the world!

Please continue to support Ray and Designer Geckos. If you would like to know more about them please visit www.designergeckos.com