Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason & Vanucia Cohn.
Hi Jason & Vanucia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
As a hobbyist for the better part of the last 26 years, I saw an opportunity during the pandemic after a large private sale from my personal collection to a collector to start a small home-based coral shop. Also motivated by the desire to get my wife out of her physically demanding job and into something else, we launched The Coral Station in May of 2021. We started by using social media and a website and quickly moved to attending coral show events every few months on the west coast. By appointment visits and shipping provided the vehicle to get the coral to the customers. 6 months almost to the day of incorporating, Vanucia was able to quit her job and devote her time to The Coral Station full time.
After a move to Dallas Texas in 2022, we decided to move the business from our home and enter the retail + online world with our store at 4901 Keller Springs Rd. Ste 104 in Addison Texas. Providing us a place outside of our home allowed us to expand the business and our offerings while also eliminating the need for customers to come to our home and allowing for some separation of business/home life.
In November of 2022, we got the keys to our new store and started building. Starting with 2- 8foot tanks and a 300 gallon sump, we started off with great results and customer visits. Continuing to build off what we did before and also offer something “new” to the area in being a coral only shop, The Coral Station was able to expand with a 3rd tank and slight expansion of the floor plan of our store. As of today, The Coral Station is approximately 1000 gallons of water volume and houses the largest selection of coral available for purchase in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex.
Almost 3 years later, we have renewed our lease for another 2 years and look forward to some new avenues to explore to increase our sales and look torwards future growth.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Retail is challenging no matter what. You are dependent upon the walk-in traffic to grow your business. Without enough marketing (effective and cheap), and other avenues to sell (online), it is a tricky and up and down business. Seasonality affects our traffic as can other economic factors as we are a luxury/hobby, not a necessity. Overall though, it has been a very rewarding pursuit despite the enormous amount of days/hours we work. Although the store is only open to the public 3 days as week, Jason has a full time corporate software job and Vanucia manages the store’s needs along with being a Mom and taking care of our home 🙂
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a coral only shop in the DFW. We sell live coral for hobbyists who keep live reef tanks in their homes/businesses. We are hobbyists ourselves who take the utmost care of our coral and believe in providing the cleanest, widest variety, and best priced coral in the area. We are always ready to chat with our customers and assist with any issues they have with their tanks. We pride ourselves in excellent customer service and attention to detail. We are also happy to custom order and search for those rare pieces that hobbyists strive to find.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Both Vanucia and I are as persistent and hardworking as it gets. We both work 7 days a week. Vanucia is also OCD clean which sets our store apart from many others in the industry as both our corals and our store are always in tip top shape.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thecoralstation.com
- Instagram: @thecoralstation
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/thecoralstation
Image Credits
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