We are excited to announce that our building is nearing completion and we are preparing for our Grand Opening!
Whether you’re one of our clients here in Tennessee, or from anywhere on earth really, we welcome you to join us for our Grand Opening from October 28th to October 30th.
This is a great opportunity for you to connect with other people about koi and ponds. One of the aspects of our mission is to bolster the koi community. So, we’re excited to provide a space for the members of our great koi community to spend time together.
THE RANCH
Our new koi ranch features nine 6-foot deep concrete ponds with a total of 60,000 gallons of water. These large ponds serve the koi well while they are constructed of our own special mix of concrete. They are painted with a similar color of Epoxy that they use in Japan, making your in-shop buying experience closer to Japan!
Each tank has a robust filtration system, all supplied by Evolution Aqua. You’ll see our filtration setup when you visit our grand opening!
It took a while for the filtration to get started up, as any koi keeper knows. Got to get that nitrogen cycle going! Because of this, we went through several months of not being able to see our koi as all the levels got to where we wanted them to be.
As a result, our koi have grown a lot! With a depth of 6 feet, they get lots of exercise in, promoting their health and growth. The ranch’s roof features many skylights, so the sun shining through has really made their colors pop. Shirogi is more brilliant white, sumi is more deep black, and hi is even more saturated than before.
JAPANESE KOI BUYING EXPERIENCE
At Select Koi, you can visit the work of generations of top breeders in Japan all in one building. We are known for our diverse & unique inventory of koi. We do not specialize in one breed or variety; Select Koi specializes only in high-quality koi.
You’ll find koi from many different farms, including, but not limited to, Maruhiro, Shintaro, Wada, Sekiguci, Yamasan, Marusei, and more! You'll also notice the inventory of koi we carry are all very diverse. We have a koi from each of the big 9 classes of koi.
The mud pond on our property is modeled after the mud ponds in Japan. Mud ponds are great for enhancing the quality of your koi and helping them to grow larger. Closest to their natural environment, it provides opportunities for the koi to naturally gain all the nutrients they need.
We will be offering Azukari in the future! Azukari is paying a breeder (or Select Koi, in this case) to house and maintain your koi in their mud pond. This may be for just a month, or, more commonly, for an entire season. Azukari gives you the opportunity to have a team of experts helping your koi to reach its full potential.
We tried to make your experience buying koi at our ranch similar to Japan, but with a lifted atmosphere. Our new ranch features upscale lounge areas and offices so you’re not waiting in the snow like you would in Japan. Rather, you can relax in a modern, relaxing environment while you wait for your koi to be packaged!
Each tank is organized by size, and some are currently organized by farm or by age. This way, if you’re interested in jumbo koi, or strictly Sekiguchi tosai, you know exactly where to go. Our entire inventory in the flesh right at your fingertips.
For the grand opening, a dedicated koi expert(s) will be available whenever you need to help you along on your koi buying journey. We are so excited!
We aren’t located in the Yamakoshi mountains of Japan, but we are located at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains! When you visit for the grand opening, you can explore the mountains here. You'll find beautiful views, great hiking trails, and you may even spot some wildlife! Black bears are ever present here so keep an eye out!
FOOD
We are so excited to announce that Blackie Chan’s Sushi will be setting up their sushi bar in our lobby! If you want to check him out on Facebook, here is a link. He has some photos of his menu on there if you’d like to plan ahead.
We will also have Taqueria Macho Taco, an authentic Mexican food truck local to our area. We can personally vouch; these tacos are so good! They also have horchata and agua fresca so you can stay hydrated while you browse our koi ponds!
We are ecstatic to announce we will have Tennessee Shine Company sponsoring our event! Tennessee Shine Co. will be doing free moonshine tastings, in addition to selling their products!
"We use family recipes and a tradition of small-batch distilling to give our Moonshine the same attention to detail as our ancestors. One of the last distilleries in Sevier County to use corn in our distilling process. Come taste the same moonshine that our ancestors loved and cherished! Respect the Shine!"
- Tennessee Shine Co. -
More food vendors TBA.
RAFFLE
For those that attend our grand opening, we will be hosting a raffle for a free, premium koi that we hand-selected in Japan! This is the only time that we will be hosting such an event, so if you’re interested in a free koi, then come on down to our event!
Discounted Hotel Rooms with Country Inn & Suites by Raddison
Need a place to stay for the grand opening? We have partnered with Country Inn & Suits by Raddison in Kodak to offer an over 20% discount to those who book a room using the link below. It's a short 13-minute drive from our new location; it's also a beautiful drive!
The Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Sevierville-Kodak, TN offers a warm welcome to visitors exploring the Great Smoky Mountains. Our hotel is less than three miles from I-40 and on State Route 66, so you can be in Pigeon Forge and Dollywood in less than half an hour. For activities outside of the theme park, challenge the kids to a go-kart or bumper-car battle at NASCAR SpeedPark Smoky Mountains or make the short drive to downtown Gatlinburg. Nature lovers can hike the national park’s trails to view wildlife, historic log cabins, and mountains wreathed in mist.
You must book before October 20th to receive the discount.
The discounts are as follows:
Wednesday, Oct. 27th: $95
Thursday, Oct. 28th: $95
Friday, Oct. 29th: $165
Saturday, Oct. 30th: $165