I wanted to see who shops where. Online or local flyshop.
I personally shop local shops whenever I can. I just think they deserve by biz and I know I’m getting good advise pluse I can touch what I’m buying. I’d never buy a rod online without casting it first, but sometimes with clothing, I do go online because of the deals. Basically, if it’s flies, rods, reels, or something I really want to touch and check out, I’m going local. Some shirts or killer deals on raingear, fly lines, etc, I’ll go online cause sometimes it’s a lot off. Usually they don’t have my size though
The reason I ask is because two shops have closed up locally and I’m feeling like online biz is killing them. I guess they probably should get online to compete, but it’s getting like Wal Mart and Amazon. Record stores and Mom and Pop stores are all but gone with the internet and big box retailers. It just scares me my local shops where I fish will close the doors one day and I’ll be SOL for tippet, flies, good stories, and early morning coffee.
A fishing buddy and I went to a local fly shop yesterday. It was 65 miles ONE way. I have a couple of other local fly shops in another direction. These shops are 55 to 75 miles one way. I guess you know how I do most of my shopping.
The nearest “local” shop that I will do business with is about 200 miles from here. The ones closest to me do not get my business since both of them have not shown me that they have the products I need or want, have accurate information, or have the attitude that the customer might just know something about flyfishing.
It only takes one bad experience for me to walk away from a flyshop forever.
The vast majority of my flyfishing purchases are with local shops. I am fortunate in that one is about 3 miles from my home and 3 within 35 miles. My favorite is 35 miles away. It was great when I was consulting for a company for 14 months just a 1/2 mile down the road from them. These days a usually make a monthly trek. I say about 5% of my purchases are online. Like many, I like to see what I am buying first.
Im fortunate to have a great fly shop 5 miles down the road and another one 60 miles away and rod building supplies 20 miles away—i buy very little online
id hate to see any of these shops fail from nonsupport
Most of my purchase come from a local shop. However on occasion, if I find a really great deal, I will purchase on the internet. For example, I have purchased a couple of new rods and a new reel at 50% of retail or less. The local shop could not acquire these items since they were discontinued and they were out of stock. I also purchase online items that it is inconvenient for my local shop to special order because of a minimum quantity requirements from their supplier. The shop I prefer will get almost anything for me, but I don’t always need 10,000 of a special hook that I want, or 100 of some other item that is in very low demand.
Besides the shops in my city, I also treat three shops in three other CA cities as “local” because I have in the past been to those shops multiple times during the course of a year.
i dont have any fly shops in mississippi. i travel to california about twice a year. when in the bay area i shop at the midge fly shop in los altos. when up north in reading i shop at “the fly shop”. when home i mail order from bob marriots or stone river outfitters. both provide excellent service.
no “real fly shops” within a 25 mile radius of my home so its online buying for me.
when the gas price does come down to a reasonable level, i’ll venture out and head up to new hampshire and go to “stone ridge outfitters” in bedford. thats what i cll a fly shop.
besides after 28+ years of tying and collecting materials, what else do i need?? :D:D
maybe thatll be a new mission: use up what i got before i eventually die!
There is an Orvis company store about 8 miles from me…and they get a good percentage of my business. There is another hunting/fishing/camping store about 23 miles away, but their smug attitudes keep me away. If I have to order on-line, (or purchase right here…a much preferred option) then so be it. I’d really like to do all my shopping from brick and mortar establishments, but it’s not always possible.
WE have had two local shops that have since gone out of business. One that wanted to be a high priced clothing store, and the other waiting for retirement and didnt want to waste the time to price small items. A spool of thread might be $2.50 one day and $1.75 the next week.
Now we have a new store. Likeable and knowledgeable sales staff and owners, But a spool of thread costs $3.00, on line the same costs $1.95. I know another fly shop in the Smokey Mountains that ships postage paid and is very, very much customer oriented.
Now comes the question, does my local shop figure in postage that I would have to pay if I went mail order, and adds some of my postage, to his price? Is he taking advantage of his location being local, is his overhead that high, or is he just overcharging because he can??
Both. I shop local and online pretty much equally. Price is usually the deciding factor. With selection and item availability a close second. I hate nothing more than driving 15 miles to a local shop only to find out that they dont have the thing i want.
I try to buy from my local shop as much as possible. But there are items that I wouldn’t buy, except that the on-line price is too good to pass up. I also use the 'net if my shop doesn’t carry a certain item or brand. For instance, the quality and price of Elkhorn reels, or a no longer made rod at a great price.
I think that my local shop has the right idea about filling a niche. The carry the usual rods and reels, but also carry a great supply of fly tying supplies, clothing for men & women, gifts, sunglasses, float tubes, and now a kayak. Besides all that they give casting lessons, fly tying classes, stream-side seminars, lectures by the big names, and guided trips - local, national, and international. The staff is also superb and they have started their own on-line site.
I feel pretty lucky as the shop is 3 minutes from my house.
Nearest flyshop to me is a three hour round trip. They have everything under the sun. The shop is almost always full with customers. The advice from staff is excellent. I sure wish it were closer. We lost an excellent local shop when it closed its doors 2 years ago. I never knew how much I would miss it till it was gone.
Luckily the Wal-Mart and Canada tire stores near this good remaining shop carry a minimal amount of fly fishing stuff. They are no competition to a real fly shop.
I shop almost exclusivly with FAOL sponsors via online shopping. They have excellent stuff and service. If I cannot find it at a sponsor I shop Cabellas website. Good stuff with good service. Shipping is much cheaper than the gas and lunch I have to buy in order to shop at the closest hands on fly shop.
If you have a local shop, for pete’s sake try to hang on to it. Its cheaper in the long run.
I have come to respect the great knowledge that many fly shop owners have and their contributions to the fly fishing community. Who do most TU chapters seek out when it comes time for a raffle or conclave or any other fly fishing community function? They ask the local or many times not so local fly shop owner for donations. I respect guys that put their money where their mouths are and help us out.
The flip side of it, is a practical matter. Why are there so few local hardware stores, or any retail store for that matter? Because price does matter. I buy many things on line, because what I consider true fly shops are not really local, but the real truth is, that if they were really local would I still buy everything there? Probably not, because of the price, but I definately would be spending money in the shop and probably more than many people.
In general, and this isn’t just fly fishing related, I don’t spend retail on things that I can buy other places less expensive unless there is a really good reason to do so.
This question is not a black and white answer because there are many things that go into this answer.
Seeing as though our local shop is Squander Mtn, I shop via e-mail or if I happen to be going where there is a shop that has fly fishing stuff I will stop there.
We have no local place that carries a good supply of fly fishing items.
I am very fortunate to have a great shop 10 minutes from my house (to the dismay of my husband - I just keep reminding him that at least I don’t have numerous purses or boxes of shoes lying around the house). The only time I do not buy from the local shop is when they do not have something that I want and they cannot order it for me. I try to do everything I can to support their business, even if it means paying retail prices for rods and reels. They have been an enormous help for me in learning how to fly fish, where to fish, how to tie flies, etc… They also offer helpful suggestions that are almost always better than what I had planned to do or buy. Books, videos, and online forums can be helpful, but nothing beats having someone walk you through the steps on a certain technique.
If I’m buying new - I go to the local shops (shop now, I guess, with the closings).
However, I have purchased several used ‘niche’ rods that I wouldn’t buy new and those I’ve gotten from e-bay. For some reason the reels and lines have always come from the shop, as well as waders, nets, tying stuff, and all the usual consumables.
The local shop is about 35 miles from me, but on the way to the rivers I mostly fish, so I usually try to combine trips. They are also very friendly and helpful, which counts for a lot in my book.
Whoever has the item I am after at the best price gets my business whether it’s flyfishing or anything else. Cozy quarters, free coffee and advice at the “local” shop are nice but I’m not subsidizing anybody just because they are there.
For me that was always the beginning of the fly fishing retailers silly season, a time when many of our favorite lines of products got discontinued and when all of the new stuff that we just can’t go fishing without get’s introduced.
So mark your calenders and watch what happens over the next sixty days or so.
It would be interesting during this period, to be able to keep a running tab of how many times anglers in search of "the deal " or a specific product, get directed away from their local shops by our fellow internet posters and redirected towards an online purchase from a shop outside of their home range.
I’m not knocking the practice, if it weren’t for internet trade, there would be far fewer sponsors around to support bulletin boards like this one.
But it is kind of comical sometimes to read how fervent some folks are about buying locally, right up until they find a rod or reel they’ve been drooling over but couldn’t afford, on sale for 30% off being offered by a dealer, three states away.
:(Would use my local shop; but, it’s gone the way of the dinosauers. It’s either off to a big box store, catalog or online ordering for the future -dang it!!!
