Tye-Dyed Iguana is one-of-a-kind exotic reptile resource located in the St. Louis Metro East area. The concept was unknowingly kick-started in 2002, by Matt and Stephanie Smallheer, with the purchase of their iguana, Zeus. Zeus quickly became the center of attention and prompted their advance in the reptile industry. A fire was started in their minds and reptiles became a major point of interest.
As the duo dove into the exotic world of reptiles, they began rapidly expanding their knowledge base. A fascination developed in these wonderful animals, and they wanted to find a way to share this with the public.
In November of 2005, the pair opted to go public with their hobby. But this wasn't going to be just a regular reptile store; there was going to be more to it. The world needed to understand these species that co-exist with humans. They needed to understand the lack of care and abuse that many reptiles receive daily. The community needed an establishment that not only retails reptiles to the public, but that offers an invaluable education. And then... Tye-Dyed Iguana was born.
Since inception, Tye-Dyed Iguana has undergone many changes. The store opened on April 1, 2006 as a small 1,700 square foot facility. It was the perfect start for the company. It allowed an initial inventory of about 30 species of animals plus dry goods. This space, however, was quickly outgrown.
Within the first year of business Tye-Dyed Iguana doubled it's operational size to a little over 3,500 square feet. This allowed a tremendous expansion in both live and physical inventory. Given the fresh addition of space, Tye-Dyed Iguana was able to double the amount of livestock offered along with an increase in reptile care product. This expansion also led to the birth of our odor-proof rodent breeding room. This expansion also brought the first hiring opportunity to the store. In early 2007, Tye-Dyed Iguana officially became a team with it's first team member.
With an ever growing inventory, a growth in our local breeding projects, and the popularity of our birthday parties, the team found a need for further expansion. In mid 2008 the store doubled once again, this time to 7,000 square feet. The additional 3,500 square feet provided Tye-Dyed Iguana with the necessary room for breeding, storage, administrative space, and our new on-location party room.
This new space served the store well for several years, but in typical Tye-Dyed Iguana fashion, there were more new ideas. In July of 2012, the store diversified into high-end horticulture equipment. A separate storefront was opened under the name "Indoor Cultivator". This endeavor stemmed from the design of living vivariums in the store. This addition added another 2,500 square feet of retail space to the operation for Indoor Cultivator. The addition of this product line truly made Tye-Dyed Iguana / Indoor Cultivator your one stop specialty shop.
In 2012, Tye-Dyed Iguana absorbed Indoor Cultivator under one brand. Indoor Cultivator ceased to exist as a separate entity, and Tye-Dyed Iguana absorbed the product line which allowed the creation of an entire plant and bio-active department.
As the company arrived in 2016, diversification was once again a topic of hot conversation. This time the company branched into Freshwater Fish. During the course of 2016, 40 Freshwater Fish tanks were added along with a full line of Freshwater Fish supplies. Combining Freshwater Fish, Reptiles, and Bio-active supplies allowed our customer base to create truly stunning one-of-a-kind vivariums.
At the dawn of 2018, the company has further diversified their educational services to include a summer camp, birthday parties, school shows, and boy scout merit badge counseling. The educational services provided aimed at educating people of all ages about the beauty of reptiles. Our highly qualified team provides services as simple as an in-store demonstration or out-of-store exhibits with local organizations. With Tye-Dyed Iguana, the possibilities are limitless.
During this time frame, Tye-Dyed Iguana expanded the fish department further. This allowed the addition of several aquatic tank units along with more product to support the fish-keeping hobby.
As we entered 2023, a further expansion was required. This expansion aided in shipping/receiving, administrative space, and production space. The team also further diversified the store's educational offerings to include Snake School, Winter Camp, Parent's Night Out, It's a Wrap, and a Vivarium Design class. The store now sits just shy of 11,000 square feet. Roughly 7,000 square feet is dedicated to the retail space, with the remaining space aiding the behind-the-scenes operations.
As Tye-Dyed Iguana rounds out 2024, there is a constant stream of innovation and expansion taking place regarding our product lines and educational offerings. The team is always pushing the needle another 1% and constantly challenging the status quo. Tye-Dyed Iguana prides itself in innovation and risk-taking. The team at Tye-Dyed Iguana is never afraid to step outside the comfort zone and try something new.
Our team is extremely well trained and educated. We are constantly learning, growing, and adapting. The belief at Tye-Dyed Iguana is that you never stop learning.
"When you stop learning is when you have truly failed in life. The funny thing about this industry is that even the experts learn something new every day. That's the fun thing about the hobby. You always learn something new!"