iHerp at
LARGE.
A trip to the Amazon.
Amazing Amazon was amongst iHerp
Australia’s original supporters, and is one
of the best-known reptile retailers in
Melbourne. Recently, we caught up with
owner Paul Stokes for a chat:
iHerp: Paul, I believe you were previously in the
building trade. What made you decide to venture
into retailing reptiles? Was it a struggle in the early
days, and were you active in the hobby before that?
Paul: I was actually into fish and had progressed
into a big marine set up. I had had enough of the
building game as it was taking its toll on me
physically. I guess any new business is something
of a punt, and Amazon took a long time to really get
established. I remember vividly the last few nights
before we opened – I was frantically building
racking for aquariums and got very little sleep. It
was touch and go whether we would finish the fit out
in time.
iHerp: Who came up with the name ‘Amazing
Amazon’?
Paul: We were sitting around with friends one night
and someone came up with it; I can’t remember
who. I liked it immediately.
iHerp: The store has been around for about 15
years now and seems to be flourishing. What are
the secrets to your success?
Paul: We have a good location and spent a lot of
time and money in the early days investing in the
brand, so that people knew who we were and what
we were about. We’ve always been reliable; we
stock a comprehensive range of reptiles and equip-
ment and we have the best brands at great prices.
Plus our staff have a fantastic knowledge base – we
have people with higher degrees in the biological
sciences, and others that are prominent in the
hobby, some of whom are regular contributors to
books and magazines. They all have a solid back-
ground in keeping reptiles. We cater to all levels of
experience; we spend time with our customers, and
pride ourselves on providing the best possible
advice.
‘We cater to all levels of
experience, and pride
ourselves on providing the
best possible advice.’
We make sure our animals are in good health and
feeding regularly and on their own before they go on
sale, and are always here to provide follow up
assistance should it be needed. And we can put
together full enclosure set ups and talk our
customers through their operation. We have a large
number of regular clients who we know by name,
and I think that is a good measure of the success of
our approach.
iHerp: You would have seen a lot of changes in the
industry since you first opened.
Paul: At first, some of the gear was a little rudimen-
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