Looking for that special pet skink or scorpion? A new reptile super store in Fresno has those, and much more

Lost Realms Pets is like no other pet store you’ve ever seen. There are no puppies, goldfish or cute and cuddly rodents. Well, unless you think a giant mossy leaf-tail gecko is cuddly. And if you do, then Lost Realms Pets is for you.

Founded by Nick Crawford and Pat Fournier, the super-sized pet store specializes in reptiles and amphibians. Located on the northwest corner of Cedar and Nees avenues, the store is 14,000 square feet of pet store, zoo and educational center.

Crawford and Fournier said they wanted to create a place that would wow people when they walked in the door. Parts of the inside resemble an ancient city complete with concrete made to look like mossy, stone-covered walls. The store has about 200 pets, including geckos, monitors, skinks, turtles, chameleons and tree frogs. There are even tarantulas, scorpions – yes, there are pet scorpions – and lots of lizard food, otherwise known as crickets.

The store also contains a zoo with more than 50 species of reptiles, from a rhinoceros iguana to a reticulated python. Admission to the zoo is $6 and $4 for children, $5 for senior citizens or military. The store’s educational center will be available for parties, corporate events and school tours.

Crawford said owning and operating a pet store has been a dream of his for years. He used to be a regular customer of the Reptile Room, the company Fournier founded in 1999.

“I was hooked the day my grandmother bought me a garter snake,” Crawford said. “I was just 11 years old.”

Fournier, who remembers Crawford as a child, said they became friends over the years and eventually business partners.

The concept for the super store was nine years in the making.

“We have been working very hard to make this dream a reality,” Fournier said. “And now we have finally done it.”

Fournier promises customers they will find things in his store that they won’t find elsewhere.

“We expect to have customers come in from Sacramento to Los Angeles,” Fournier said.

Lost Realms Pets is hosting an open house celebration on Saturday, April 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be food trucks, giveaways, face painting, music and more. Ten percent of the proceeds on that day will benefit Valley Children’s Hospital.

This story was originally published April 9, 2017 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Looking for that special pet skink or scorpion? A new reptile super store in Fresno has those, and much more."