Google Map of LFS & Fish Businesses

[bondolo]

I'll admit it. I found the BAR Local Businesses Page difficult to use because I don't really know my Bay Area geography that well. (Shameful but true for someone who's lived here 16 years and been coming for more than 20).

So I made a map of the LFS and fish businesses that I've visited on Google Maps and invite others to use it and add places they shop at and/or think are worth visiting.

Google Map of Bay Area LFS

I have specifically included closed businesses (making sure to give them a red place marker and adding an appropriate description). Right now the map allows anyone logged in to google to edit the map. If that turns out to generate spam I will switch back to invited collaborators only.

Hopefully useful to others. I'm eager to find out about places nearby where I already go that I've not known about.

 

[rygh]

Cool.

You might want to add sustainable reefs in San Jose.

Hey: You forgot Petco and Walmart.

 

[bondolo]

Cool.

You might want to add sustainable reefs in San Jose.

Done. Remember though that anyone (hint, hint) can edit or add to the map.

Hey: You forgot Petco and Walmart.

"Places of interest to marine and reef aquarium keepers.". 'nuff said. ;-)

 

[markzdemetrez]

Google map is really been helpful this days and it is one of the most used in search engines.

 

[anathema]

Awesome idea, and I learned about a few stores I've never been to.

 

[eldiablosrt8]

thanks mike cool idea

 

[Kensington Reefer]

If you are including what was:
The Octopus's Garden
3039 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley CA
2002-2005

 

[bondolo]

I am going down to the south bay on Thursday for work and was thinking of stopping by at :

King Aquarium
1221 Story Rd. Suite 80
San Jose, CA 95122
Phone: (408) 288-6968
http://www.kingaquarium.com/

Worthwhile place or should I check out another place? Besides Neptune (which I really like) are there any other recommendations for places I should try to visit in the Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, North San Jose area? I'd also like to go by Sustainable Reefs since I've never been.

Mike

 

[Kmooresf]

A personal favorite is T & T aquarium in San Jose. They have a couple beautiful show tanks as well as a decent selection of fish and coral. They specialize in Koi though.


www.marineandkoi.com/MARINE & REEF AQUARIUM PRODUCT COMING SOON! ... Add to Cart. Mini ...
950 South 1st Street
San Jose, CA 95110
Hours: Sun 12–5pm; Mon Closed; Tue-Fri 11am–7pm; Sat 11am–5pm
Tram: Virginia Station (1)

 

[anathema]

Thanks to your handy map I found two new fish stores to check out on my way home from Vallejo yesterday. Ended up finding two pieces of red macroalgae that I'd been looking for. Great tool you've put together!

Now I can finally figure out where things are. Once people talk about over the bridge land it's all mush to me! If I had forum glue I'd sticky this thread.

 

[GreshamH]

If you are including what was:
The Octopus's Garden
3039 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley CA
2002-2005

I think people want to know where they can shop, not what closed down over half a decade ago :lol:

 

[bondolo]

If you are including what was:
The Octopus's Garden
2002-2005

I think people want to know where they can shop, not what closed down over half a decade ago :lol:

I am currently putting closed businesses (within reason) onto the map. For a google search for "The Octopus's Garden Berkeley" only one hit (yelp, the third hit) of 15 or so returned hits includes info that the place is closed. Crummy sites like YP.com, insiderpages, citysearch and bizrate make it hard to tell what the truth is (and it's impossible to get them to update their data). These sites will probably be returning the same data in 2025 and 2112. :sigh:

I did spend some time in September trying to go to Ocean Treasures in the city.....

 

[GreshamH]

In the last 20 years I figure around 50 stores have closed, or changed names. Just how far back are you going with stores that you will never be able to see, shop at, etc? Exactly what use is it other then cluttering up the map? Just seems goofy to me.

 

[GreshamH]

And why google this? I built a complete one for BAYMAC, I helped build a few others over the years, even a few all Cali ones. there must be a dozen now :lol: Lotsa places to obtain this data

 

[h20player101]

It might help people coming back into the hobby that are looking for their old favorite stores.

 

[GreshamH]

How so? You don't get returns on searches for items nested within a Google map? How would they ever find it?

 

[bondolo]

Maybe when the map has better coverage for the whole bay area then closed places can be dropped.

So if you were looking for a LFS (besides Petco) in Mountain View or Petaluma what would you do? IME the online resources for locating actual operating businesses worth visiting are nearly worthless.

 

[h20player101]

Not so much finding them, but if I stopped reefing for a few years and came back and Joe at Ultimate had closed shop, I would want to know he is closed vs him having moved and/or change names.

 

[anathema]

I like having closed businesses on there as well, for the reason that it lets people know there WAS a store there, but it's gone.

I have a terrible memory for names. I've shopped at Aquatic Central since before Chris bought it, written them two Yelp reviews, and my girlfriend makes fun of me because I still call it "that fish store on Ocean Street." If I was looking at that map and the closed businesses weren't on it, I'd have all these recollections of "Hey there is a store missing, it's umm, whatchamacallit over there by the thingy!" So then I'd have to figure out what the heck it was, then try to add it to the map, then have it removed by someone because it's closed. Seems better to mark what was because of how (lack of) memory works.

 

[GreshamH]

Wow, just wow.