Let me see, other than those things I have already seen on this thread.
I would have a sitting area in the shop in addition to a fairly large class room for SCUBA classes. Many of the places I have seen are so crowded (in the class room too) you can't move without running into something.
I would like to see an area to post on SD while I'm waiting to check out.
I thought about a large salt water aquarium, but a large screen TV/monitor showing Sea Hunt and SCUBA movies, etc. would be cheaper and less maintenance.
I would have the shop in Florida, so you would have to have Surfer stuff to sell. Some dive shops sell more surf stuff than dive stuff. Sorry about that, but it's a fact.
I am sure I could think of more things, but that's enough for now.
Those are some good ideas, and being a surfer, I love the idea of selling boards. Before my ex-girlfriend and I broke up, she was thinking of buying a dive center and I was thinking about selling surfboards in it. When I worked in Key Largo, we had surfboards in the shop but never sold any. The poor things were getting dinged up just by being moved around (since retail managers are never happy with retail space). So, board sales depend on the proximity to surf. In FL, if you are in an area with good surf the diving usually is less desireable. Cocoa Beach -- good surf crappy vis. Key Largo -- good vis crappy surf. Speaking of moving boards, what's with all the moving of merchandise all the time? I think if they left stuff alone everyone would learn where the stuff is and they'd sell more. I think stores sell less because you can never find stuff. I mean you walk into a shop and the O-rings that were located on shelf A are no longer there. You're just getting a fill & you decide to grab yourself a box at the last minute, but then can't find it. Do you ask the dive store clerk where they are? Of course not! You only have two minutes to spare and the last thing you need is a 20 minute lecture about the value of Viton O-ring 1 compared to rubber O-ring 2. You pay for your fill & scramble. They lose a $3.99 sale because they thought the new pink mask straps would look good on shelf A. And, so far, only one girl wants pink, a couple want purple and a couple more want black. Here's an idea... everything black... one size jet fin... BP, wings, double LP tanks (the girls are doing to die in the HP's), Apeks, Zeagle or Scubapro regs and wait... yes... I've been to this shop before in High Springs, FL. No boards there though & plenty of space. In Key Lasrgo, we had Joe the Fish Guy to service our aquariums. Giant screen TV's are easier by far. Plus, no one wants to look at fish anyway. Diving is a competitive sport now. It's all about carrying botlles, trim, numbers, depths, gases, it's no longer about seeing stuff. Which is my in my AOW class you rarely get to use your mask.
Trace
