In the swampy outskirts of Gainesville, the iconic alligator may steal the show among the reptilian ecosystem. But on Southwest Archer Road, Florida Man Reptiles showcases its very own population of nearly 100 reptiles and amphibians.
On July 1, its doors opened to the public to shop from a selection of snakes, bearded dragons, turtles, frogs and more.
The checkout desk doubles as a frog tank and terrarium, housing a dozen yellow-banded poison dart frogs. In the back, Erwin the ball python stretches out to a comfortable length of 8 feet, 9 inches. On the store’s floor, 1-year-old Ace Buchholz strolls around on his walker giggling at the bearded dragons.
Co-owner Nick Buchholz said his company bought out Gator City’s assets of inventory, tanks and animals in March. Florida Man Reptile finished out the old reptile store’s lease on Newberry Road.
His reptilian affinity began in 2019, when he had to hide his orange leatherback bearded dragon in his closet from his parents. Buchholz went on to work at an auto body shop and moved out shortly after. Three years and nearly 30 pets later, running a reptile shop came secondhand.
“I was never allowed to have them because my mom didn’t like lizards and snakes,” he said. “Dogs and cats are a little bit more labor intensive.”
While he’s setting up, most enclosures in the store boasted a variety of luscious greenery in an effort to create more realistic, biodegradable environments for the reptiles. Along with recreating those environments for customer’s tanks, the store offers boarding services for pets and occasionally rehabilitates surrendered animals.
Florida Man Reptiles employee Dylan Jimenez, who used to work at Gator City, is along for the ride and knew Buchholz prior to buying out the store. Jimenez takes Erwin the ball python to birthday parties, where the “butterball” is friendly enough to pet.
“My whole life has been surrounded by reptiles,” Jimenez said. “It’s all about educating the public, spreading awareness. If we get an animal out of the wild, we might as well make it look like they’re exactly in the wild, make them less stressed because it’s our job.”
His high school years consisted of lion cubs in his bedroom and scoping out the Everglades with friends after Hurricane Irma. Growing up in Miami, he helped out with the family business, Everglades Exotics. His personal collection consists of crocodiles, alligators, snapping turtles, pythons, anacondas, cobras, rattlesnakes and more.
“We just want the animal to live a better life, give it better sustainability and a better ecosystem if you’re going to keep it,” he said. “That’s the meaning of Florida Man Reptiles.”
Buchholz said he tries to source captive-bred animals from either wholesale or local breeders. Both Buchholz and Jimenez also personally breed different reptiles.
His son, Ace, grew up alongside these reptiles. Co-owner, girlfriend and mother Riley Stevenson calls herself the “backend girl,” managing promotions, accounting, pricing, store organization and everything in between.
“I really enjoy the artistic aspect of it all,” Stevenson said. “Making it a welcoming atmosphere and seeing the reactions of people's faces when they walk into our store.”
She graduated from UF in 2022 with a bachelor's in public health with a minor in mass communications and disabilities in society.
“I definitely never thought I would see myself here, but I will say it has been pretty cool to apply my major in different ways,” she said. “I’d definitely tell other UF students that you’re not necessarily locked into your major, you can make your major work for you.”
For now, the store is open 7 days a week, from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., but is subject to change.
“I hope that we become an integral part of the Gainesville community and Gainesville name,” she said.
Contact Noor Sukkar at nsukkar@alligator.org. Follow her on X @noorsukkarr.
Noor Sukkar is a third-year journalism major with a minor in Arabic. She is the Avenue's Fall 2024 General Assignment reporter. When she's not writing, she's most likely talking to her cat or overwatering her plants.
