Courtesy of Benson’s Pet Centers
By Rod Bacon
Entrepreneurship is all about seizing the day. When someone with an entrepreneurial spirit recognizes a viable business opportunity they act upon it.
What started as a small fish room inside Benson’s Pet Shop in Wilton’s Pyramid Mall in 1992 has grown over the past 33 years to a family-owned-and-operated business with eight locations in the Capital District, Upstate New York, and Massachusetts.
As a youngster Ryan Kramer became interested in aquatics and his father, Frank, bought him his first fish tank when he was 12. His interest in fresh-water fish never waned and 10 years later he had the opportunity to purchase multiple fish tanks from a Ballston Spa store that was getting out of that area of the pet business. Shortly thereafter, he walked into the mall’s pet store looking for fish. There were none. The owner, a self-described “dog guy” who had named the store after his pet beagle, Benson, suggested that Ryan set up his fish tanks in an unused section of the store. He sold fish and fish supplies.
“Within three months I was making more money than the rest of the store,” said Ryan. “Every day I would take some of my profits and buy more product.”
