Form Follows Function

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We spoke with Tomi Takemoto, owner of Animal Lovers Pet Shop in Torrance, Calif. about his expansive and talked about reptile section.

Rebekah: Can you tell me a little about Animal Lovers Pet Shop?

Tomi: We have been in business 28 years. I took over Animal Lovers when it was a full grooming facility for cats and dogs. The store did not have the exotic birds or reptiles that we now have. In 1989, the Palos Verdes Bird Farm closed and I agreed to take care of their customers and a handful of their birds. Overtime, we phased out the dog and cat grooming to specialize in birds and reptiles. At the same time we continued to carry food and supplies necessary for all animals.

Rebekah: Can you tell me a little about your reptile section? Was there any specific influence for how you laid the section out? Any inspiration?

Tomi: We carry a variety of reptiles like bearded dragons, chameleons, geckos, snakes, tarantulas, frogs etc. We also carry all the supplies necessary to take care of your reptile. The layout of our reptile section was determined by how our customer looks for a specific type of reptile. Chameleons in one section, bearded dragons in another, etc.

Rebekah: Have you seen any increase in sales since you configured the section a specific way?

Tomi: Ever since we remodeled our reptile section, we have increased our sales by 100 percent as our customers can see how our reptiles are set up and they want theirs to look just like ours. My staff arranged our reptile tanks as suitable for each reptile and we make sure that customers have all of the proper equipment that are need and can sustain a healthy reptile when they take them home. Many times, when they buy our reptile and not our specific tank set up, they end up losing their reptile.

Rebekah: Do customers comment about your reptile section?

Tomi: We always hear from our regular as well as new customers how clean and how well it represents various reptiles. We are seeing new customers from Yelp as we do have an excellent review about our reptile department. New customers can see how we take care of our reptiles and feel good about purchasing them.