Relocating with dogs, horses, and want to start business... (Knoxville: income, to live in)

[3tailswaggin]

Hi Everyone,

We are really looking to move to Tennessee (from Charleston South Carolina). Would be moving with 2 horses and 3 dogs, plus elderly mother who needs a good heart doc (she had valve replacement, is doing GREAT, but I worry and want good medical for her).

My dream is to open a speciality pet food store dealing in raw and grain free foods, and combine that with agility and obedience training. I compete in agility and AKC obedience trials and run a small training group in Charleston that is a lot of fun.

Spent the last four days in the Crossville area and also explored Knoxville. I'm so confused on where to relocate to make a go of the business.

Do not want to be in a HOA, because I will keep my horses on my own property and also teach agility on my property (it takes a bit of room and equipment).

Any ideas? I am looking to spend between 150,000 to 300,000 on a new place.

[MountainAire]

Horse and dog person here. This is such a tough one. I sure wish someone like you would come to the Sequatchie Valley as there are no dog trainers there whatsoever and no one I could find that can do agility or certify dogs for things like Good Citizens etc. But there are no heart doctors around there and only a clinic, no hospital and I don't think most people would pay for good dog food. I have to go to PetCo or PetSmart for mine in Chattanooga or Tractor Supply.
Crossville is such a nice town, great area around for dogs and horses but not quite sure how the business would thrive there. Why not Google the kennels there and see what they have to offer? There are a couple of outstanding heart doctors there and a decent hospital. I know they send some patients out to Nashville if they need sugery like a by pass which is what they did with my mother twice.
I would assume you could find better prices on small acreage there than Knoxville. As for Knoxville of course is so much larger so no way of telling if that can work for or against you.

[SPLIT]

3T.W. : Not sure of your competition, but I would review the FLAT valley along rt #58 North West of Cleveland. . This would be on the East side of river / lake , rt #60 bridge.
.. Dayton has new hospital last year , but I-75 shot to Knoxville for bigger hospital access .. Dayton very horse friendly & posted here before about Holiday carriage parade.
.. Town of BROOKFIELD has many 5 acre tracts, & area will only grow with the South Corporate park coming south of Cleveland... New 4 lane bridge on Rt #58 just built last year. . Can look UP at both mtn ridges.
. Beautiful area, dont tell everyone.

[3tailswaggin]

Thank you for the information.

MountainAire, do you compete? I have slowly built a nice clientele here in Charleston, South Carolina, I don't even advertise, but word of mouth has really been passed along as to my training style, etc. A lot of local vets recommend me, and several of the vets train and compete with me at trials. I hope to be able to start something similiar in Tennessee, just am so confused as to what area to pick. It's so hard to decide!!!

Split, thanks for the info, you are talking Tennessee, right? Sounds almost like you are talking Ohio, LOL. I used to live in the Cleveland area of Ohio, no way I want to go back there!! I will get a map and look up the areas you are talking about.

[MountainAire]

I do show horses, have all my life, not locally though. I keep it to breed shows where it counts.
I am a GSD person and don't compete in anything because there is no one anywhere in sight to train dogs in any way shape or form. No dog professionals here at all, no groomers, no trainers, no nothing and there is a need for your talent. Yes, it surely would be an open field here for you as there are dogs everywhere (horses too) and the only vet in town (who I adore) is very good at recommendations that way. Its only the part about selling a specialty dog food here that I wouldn't think would fly at this time due to economy and failing business. As a horse pro, I refuse to feed "cheap" anything to them also. But because the general consensus only want "cheap" I have been unable to get a good name quality horse feed store in this area so that is what I base my thoughts on. But like everything else, no gaurentees of how anything would take off and as a local business woman, it does take a while to become known and trusted and build a solid clientelle.

Split is correct as for the Cleveland/Dayton area is very nice, but already has an abundancy of dog trainers/breeders in that area. Lots of agility and chitzen type especially is popular there.

[3tailswaggin]

I was hoping in the Crossville area, since a lot of retirees are going there and Lake Tansi and Fairfield Glade that they would have the disposable income to spend on their pets. But it seemed iffy to me after visiting the area.

I am now thinking of some other business perhaps, not the dog food. Still would do agility as I do it myself and might as well give lessons when I have all the equipment. I probably would build an indoor facility as well, because I want it, so again it would be nice to give lessons there to get the use out of my building. If I go that route, I may just offer the quality dog food at the training facility and forget about an actual store.

We are thinking of doing a "Wild Birds Unlimited" store maybe. It's a franchise, but the folks who franchise it are really decent to work with. I'm going to contact them and get a feel for what they think would go over in the Crossville area.

All I know for sure is that I do NOT want to work for any corporations again. Once I leave my current job, I'm not going back to the rat race, so I need to find something to pay my bills. I don't have a need to be rich, just to pay bills and be able to do things I want to do. I'm not a material person at all.

[MountainAire]

Tansi and Fairfield Glade are good areas however I don't know if anyone has disposable income for anything anymore. Its a good area because its not so far out and away that people will have to strive to get to you. You need to take great care in finding out about any restrictions and check all county ordinances however in order to do this on your own property. I guess you know that.