HM: What have you kept or what do you currently keep?
JM: We currently keep some Hognoses, Boas, Ball Pythons, Kingsnakes, Leopard Geckos, a Pixie Frog and a Leopard Tortoise. Looking to get a Leachie in the future.
HM: What made you decide to start making cages?
JM: We tried purchasing some PVC enclosures for our animals, and were disappointed in the lead time for delivery. It took months. We started talking to Cyndi, the owner of Reigning Reptiles in Buford, GA about the wants and needs of the industry and what was missing in GA. She really helped us lay out some enclosure sizes and gave us some great feedback. The shop was very supportive and willing to help as well as take on our product. They were the first store we featured our products in. We can’t thank them enough for their input and support.
HM: Have you found it to be a difficult part of the industry to work your way into?
JM: Fortunately for us, no. It has not been difficult. There are so many enthusiasts and so many types of reptiles that there really is far more demand than supply in the industry for our products. Offering great customer service, well built products, and quick turnaround time, tends to allow us to stand out in the industry. People have been very receptive, and helpful in suggesting improvements, as well as completely new products. It has been a very rewarding and encouraging experience.
HM: You had a table at this past Daytona show, how was that?
JM: Daytona was our first show and it was amazing. We met so many great people and saw so many awesome animals. We weren’t sure what to expect at that show, and unfortunately, the pandemic made things somewhat more complicated for so many folks. Several of the other vendors mentioned that the show was WAY smaller than in past years in terms of the number of exhibitors and that the turnout was also quite a lot smaller than usual.
Even with the complexities of the pandemic, and all the precautions that were necessary, we met so many people in the industry and so many breeders and enthusiasts. We couldn’t have asked for more! We talked to so many great people, and got a chance to introduce them to our products. After the show, we saw quite a lot of new interest in our rack systems as well as our enclosures. We took the feedback that people gave us to heart about where our products didn’t quite fill the niche they needed and improved them.
HM: How do you find a way to differentiate yourself in the rack and cage business?
JM: Our goal is to provide the best customer service in the industry. Every single person is important to us, and we will spend as much time as necessary to help them make the right purchase decision; even if the best product for them isn’t one of ours. It is more important to us that people be comfortable and happy with their purchase than it is to sell them something that doesn’t fulfill their needs.
Our products are designed to last. Our racks are constructed from solid, ½ inch PVC Foamed Sheet. The Shelves and Back are Dadoed to add a more sturdy and structurally sound rack which will withstand years of use. All of our racks feature recessed heat-tape to prevent wear and tear on the heat tape from sliding tubs, and we cut temperature probe inlet holes on each shelf to allow the most flexibility when setting up the temperature control for the rack. We constantly get kudos for how well tubs slide in and out of our racks, as well as the tight clearances we achieve.
Our smaller enclosures are built from ½ inch pvc, however our larger enclosures are made using ¾ inch pvc sheets. We design our enclosures with the same solid, fully-dadoed construction that we build our racks with. All of our enclosures are designed to stack nicely on each other.
HM: What’s the most popular rack or cage in your catalog?
JM: Popularity or most sales in the rack catalog is very dependent on the season. When the hatching season is approaching the hatchling racks seem to be very popular. The rest of the time our V-70 six stack seems to be the most popular. As for cages, our XT-6 seems to be the most popular. There are so many enthusiasts with large snakes and lizards; the XT-6 fits their needs quite well.
HM: BlackBox really seems like a family affair. Who does what in the business?
JM: Black Box is definitely a family owned and operated business. Jennifer Martin handles all of the website, sales, customer service and all the heat taping. Kevin Mauro runs the manufacturing shop, cutting and assembling almost everything. Clint Martin designs and draws all of the products and helps out with assembly in the shop.
HM: Has COVID caused as many dilemmas for you as it has for others in the industry?
JM: COVID was a fairly impactful setback when it first hit the USA. We had just set up our shop and started manufacturing when the first lock downs hit the country. The fall-out of the lockdowns and all of the job losses that resulted from the lockdowns cut severely into everyone’s purchasing decisions. Food, shelter and such is more important than getting a bigger enclosure for growing snakes or getting new reptiles. It is completely understandable! We had to make the same decisions and concessions as everyone else.
The lag time due to lockdowns allowed us to spend more time designing products, tweaking our manufacturing process and finding suppliers. We looked at it as an opportunity to improve our products and our capabilities.
Eventually, the market started picking up for the reptile industry and more stores were interested in carrying our products. We currently sell our products at Reigning Reptiles in Buford GA, Exotic Envy in Dallas GA and GHC Exotics in Cleveland GA. These stores really love our products and we get a lot of support from them.
