By Karen Long MacLeod

When most people think about parrots and other exotic birds, they conjure up visions of colorful creatures flying free through dense canopies of leaves, over raging waterfalls, beyond rugged cliffs.

But how can an ordinary pet store capitalize on this vision of wild birds living in a tropical jungle? By building a miniature rain forest, complete with vegetation and water features, for hand-tamed birds.

And that's exactly what Mark and Caroline Janczak have done in their store, Critters Pet Shop in St. Charles, Ill.

Over the past several months, Mark and Caroline have taken steps to upgrade their store--with the help of two well-known industry consultants, one prominent distributor/wholesaler, 20 leading pet supply manufacturers (and their sales representatives), and the staff of PET AGE magazine. They have a budget of $60,500, including their own minimum $10,000 contribution, and expect to receive products valued at more than $25,000.

In this segment of our year-long series about Critters' redesign, we'll see how the Janczaks built a rain forest for birds to add an exciting focal point to their store. (Although this series will continue until July 2000, the Janczaks will complete the actual renovation and remerchandising of their store in less time.)

Decisions, Decisions

Representing less than 10 percent of overall sales in 1998, the bird department is not a big money-maker for Critters. But the Janczaks believe it could be, if it were spruced up and promoted more effectively.

"The bird business has potential in this market, partly because a birds-only store in the next town closed," Mark said, early in the project. "We've gotten some of that business. If we advertised birds, we could sell more."

After touring the store last spring, project consultants Simon Handelsman of Out of Hand Inc. (Newburyport, Mass.) and Mike McCahill of Retail Store Planning (Roseville, Calif.) agreed that birds would make an exciting livestock-oriented focal point for the store.

For a sense of drama, Mike suggested building an open-air rain forest for medium and large birds.

Simon, who was adamant about emphasizing livestock, loved the idea.

Caroline, who had her heart set on a pond, took some time to warm up to the idea. But Mark was enthusiastic about it. "Birds sell faster at a higher profit [for us] than pond products," he said.

Deciding to build a rain forest was easy. Figuring out where to build it--within the context of the entire store design--was a bit harder. It needed to stand on its own without detracting from the more important fish and puppy displays, and it needed to be near maintenance facilities.

Mike and Simon agreed that the best spot for the live bird display was the right rear corner of the main sales area. Next to this, Mike allocated space for habitats for small birds (incorporating relatively new bird habitats on wheels that the Janczaks already owned), as well as display units for small animals. As a complement to the store's new racetrack layout, the rain forest would draw customers through the store and help expose them to more products.

Early in the design process, Mike had proposed a bird nursery. However, with Simon's help, Mark and Caroline realized that they shouldn't devote that much space to such a small segment of their business. They could manage nicely by having their manager, Susan Scudder Roy, continue to hand-feed baby birds in her home.

Creative Details

Armed only with blueprints--they did not receive pictures of rain forests that Mike had built for other pet stores--the Janczaks didn't have specific expectations for the new bird environment.

"We decided to turn our general contractor loose on the rain forest," Caroline said.

"Mark and Caroline trusted me to use my imagination," said David English, owner of Jade Custom Builders Inc. (St. Charles, Ill.), general contractor for the project. "It was a lot of fun being able to use my creativity."

Although Mike's plans called for a semicircular pony (partial) wall at the front of the custom display, David elected to construct angled walls to create a pentagon. This decision simplified the construction process and helped reduce labor costs. As an added bonus, it ensured that the bird area would mirror the puppy play area in the opposite corner.

The overhead soffit, ceiling, pony wall, swinging door and exterior walls of the rain forest are built of untreated cedar, which won't rot when exposed to moisture.

The ceiling consists of 2-by-6 cedar beams and garden lattice. As a safety measure, David affixed screening to the back of the lattice so birds that fly up to the ceiling won't get caught. Furthermore, he installed the ceiling panels in separate sections that can be removed whenever repairs or additions are necessary.

After lining the rain forest's interior walls with  Durarock, a water-impervious material used in residential baths, David applied lightweight synthetic rock to produce a natural look. The job required six boxes of cultured stone, which were purchased on clearance for half price.

He removed excess mortar with a steel brush attached to a drill, then applied a latex cement sealer to add a bit of shine to the rocks.

He covered the top and inside surface of the swinging door--the areas birds are likely to chew--with ceramic tile made to resemble stone. Mounted on heavy-duty hinges and closed with a simple barrel bolt, the 3-foot-wide door gives employees easy access to the display.

Almost immediately, the Janczaks wished they'd built a step-over door instead of the swinging door. "We're worried that somebody will knock something over with this door," Caroline said.

To light the area, David installed six low-voltage patio lights with colored lenses in the walls near the opening, and eight traditional can lights on  tracks suspended from the ceiling. The track lights operate on separate dimmer switches, giving employees control over the mood of the area.

Water Features

According to Mike's original concept, the rain forest would experience "storms," complete with thunder, lightning and rain. Storms are easy to simulate, he said, with inexpensive misters that run on timers (like those used in the produce departments of many grocery stores), strobe lights and sound machines.

Although the Janczaks wanted a water feature, they decided to build a tiny pool instead of installing misters. Since they had many of the materials needed to build a pond, this seemed to be an easier and more economical option. (However, Mark noted, they might add misters and sound effects in the future.)

To create the water feature, David built a trickling waterfall and tiny pool out of cultured stone.  He lined the pool with a Hagen Laguna-brand pond liner he found in the store's back room, and installed a Hagen recirculating pump from Critters' own aquarium products department.

Although it worked properly and looked good, the  pool posed a slight logistical problem. "The birds kept going into the water and had a hard time getting out," Caroline said. "We were afraid they'd hurt themselves."

Subsequently, the Janczaks reduced the amount of water in the pool (from approximately 25 gallons to 10 gallons), and filled it with quarry rocks. Now the birds have plenty of surfaces to climb on, and there's no standing water for them to fall into. The final touch was a simple spray fountain in the center of the pool.

They experimented with the water flow to get just the right effect. "We ended up turning down the water flow because the noise was so loud," David said. "You want the sound of water to be pleasing."

Since it is adjacent to the fish room, the rain forest was easy to plumb. The plumber installed a floor drain, piping and a spigot with minimal additional labor. After the drain was installed, the contractor poured cement over the old floor and graded it to promote drainage. Now employees simply turn on the wall spigot to hose down the area.

Finishing Touches

To give the area the lush look of a tropical environment, David hung colorful silk plants from the stone walls and dripped dried moss from the ceiling.

Assorted vines and garlands, including asparagus fern, variegated ivy and exotic-looking flowers, cost $150 at the local crafts store. To hang them, David simply drilled small holes in the cultured stone and glued the stems of the vines into the holes.

Caroline scattered driftwood logs on the floor and set up a rugged-looking T-stand made of natural log.

To complete the natural look, David hung grapevines--which he collected in his own yard--along the overhead soffit.

Safety Considerations

It's no secret that birds like to put things in their mouths, or that they are sensitive to chemical fumes. Therefore, David English was extra careful about selecting construction materials and chemical products for the rain forest.

"It's important to read all the labels of any chemical products, paints, adhesives, etc., you plan to use in a pet store environment," David said. "There were some products we couldn't use. For example, one floor sealer we almost bought produces too many strong smells, and we were worried it would hurt the birds. Instead, we used a latex-based sealer because it produces fewer fumes, and is nontoxic if ingested by the birds. Also, we planned to use muriatic acid to clean the cultured stone, but we discovered that its fumes were toxic to the birds."

 Furthermore, as mandated by most building codes, the electrician installed GFCI/ground-fault circuit interrupt outlets in the rain forest. These outlets, which cut electrical power immediately if they become wet, prevent shock hazards.

Naturally Appealing

Combining natural textures and colors with the appealing sound of trickling water, the bird display is a sylvan glade that captivates Critters' customers. When we visited Critters over the holidays, we saw children and adults alike hanging over the doorway, visiting with the birds and soaking up the atmosphere.

"I like the rain forest more than I imagined," Caroline said.

"We plan to hang a lot of toys in the rain forest, and change them often, to give the birds incentive to stay in there [since they like to strut around the store]," Mark said. This approach also will support merchandising efforts, since customers are more likely to buy items they see the birds using.

"[The rain forest] turned out to be a very economical feature, because we used materials that were readily available," David said. "There's no right way or wrong way of doing it. It would be easy to adapt this concept to any store's situation."

Now the Janczaks face the challenge of stocking a variety of birds. At press time, they had not found a reliable local source for small, hand-tamed parrots.

Now that the rain forest is complete, will sales of birds and bird supplies increase as much as the Janczaks--and our fearless consultants--hope? And how will other focal areas devoted to livestock turn out?

Next month, we'll look at upgrades in Critters' remaining livestock areas--for puppies and small animals. In our April issue, we'll see how the Janczaks installed new store fixtures and remerchandised their store. PA

Karen Long MacLeod is editor in chief of PET AGE.