The Tye-Dyed Iguana is owned and operated by Matt and Stephanie Smallheer. The concept was unknowingly kick-started in 2002 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 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... The Tye-Dyed Iguana was born.
Since inception, Tye-Dyed Iguana has undergone many changes. The store began in 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 abundance of room, The Tye-Dyed Iguana typically stocks 50-60 different varieties of reptile, amphibian, and arachnid. This expansion also led to the birth of our odor-proof rodent breeding room.
With an ever growing inventory, a growth in our local breeding projects, and the popularity of our birthday parties, the staff 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 stop.
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 Horticulture equipment has 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 aim at teaching people of all ages about the beauty of reptiles. Our highly qualified staff 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.
Our staff is extremely well trained in the field of exotic reptiles and will never consider themselves above a customer. 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 reptiles is that even the experts learn something new every day. That's the fun thing about selling them to the public. You always learn something new!"