Thursday, January 24, 2013

Aquarium Stand

During the Preach Better Sermons conference I attended in Duncanville today, Dad called saying he had finished staining the aquarium stand he was building for me and wondered if I could look at it. Since we were so close, I asked Philip if we could stop by on the way home and look at it. Here's how it looks so far.



I was so impressed with it, I couldn't help but think that he could sell these things. They would not be cheap because of the materials and the hours involved in making it, but I thought that people who buy expensive fish tanks might be willing to buy quality stands to make their tanks look better. I stopped by The True Percula, the fish store we recently discovered, tonight and asked them if they might be interested in selling quality, custom-built aquarium stands. The lady I spoke with suggested I email this picture to her along with contact information which she could pass along to the manager. I don't know where this might or might not go, but here is the email I sent this evening.


Hello {name},

My name is Rob Hurt and I spoke to you briefly Wednesday night about True Percula's possible interest in selling custom aquarium stands. You asked me to send my picture and information to you so that you could forward it to the store owner as he is the one who would make those kind of decisions.

We bought a 10 gallon aquarium for our daughter a few months ago and I just purchased all the supplies for a 29 gallon tank. My dad is making a stand for it and I'm anxious to get started. My wife, daughter and I have just discovered The True Percula and have stopped in several times asking newbie questions, looking at fish we would like to put in our tank and buying a few supplies.

My dad has enjoyed wood working for as long as I can remember. I remember him making complete chess sets (board and all the pieces) when I was a child. For the past several years, he has done contract work for a taxidermist in the Duncanville area making mounting plaques as well as several custom pieces of furniture such as gun racks, display shelves and a cabinet for displaying elephant tusks.

I stopped by my parents' house this afternoon and saw the stand my Dad is making. It is beautiful and will make the new aquarium a nice centerpiece in our living room. When I saw the the quality and beauty of the cabinet this afternoon, I couldn't help but think there are people who would appreciate the quality and craftsmanship of a stand like this and would want one to accent the tank they spend a lot of time and money putting together.  Knowing the quality of your store, I thought of The True Percula and your customers.

I just mentioned this idea to my Dad today so he is still working out the actual time and cost of building the stand as well as what he would like to sell them for (I am guessing it will be in the $300 price range), but I stopped by the store today with an in-the-works picture to see if you might be interested in seeing the finished product. I thought perhaps your store would be interested in displaying a stand with contact information for my Dad. Any sales made through the store would pay a commission, or you could buy them outright and re-sell them.

I am not asking for a commitment to buy or do business with us. I have a full-time job as assistant pastor at Vine Fellowship church here in Arlington so I'm not a high-pressure salesman. This is just an offer if you are interested. I am simply sending a picture and asking if you would be interested in looking at the finished product to see if this is something you/your store would be interested in pursuing. If not, I will look elsewhere and continue to be a customer of The True Percula.

I am attaching a picture of the stand in-progress. Would you please look at the picture, consider if this is something you might be interested in and then let me know if you would like to see the finished product? I am anxious to get it to my house so I can get my new aquarium set up, but if you would like to see it first, I would be happy to bring it by the store. I believe it will be finished this weekend or the first part of next week.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Rob Hurt


While I was at the fish store, I bought a couple African Dwarf frogs. They will add some "personality" to the tank. I hope they make it.

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