supporting your local fly shop

[AKguy]

I'm not sure if this is allowed on here but Morgantown just opened a new fly shop. Its called The Anglers Hut. 462 Dunkard Ave Westover. Moral of the story is get out there and support your local shop if u can wherever that may be.

 

[Alpabuck]

I wish the Lehigh Valley had a fly shop.

 

[BTflyman]

Alpabuck
In the Lehigh valley we have The Little Lehigh fly shop as well as
A Sporting Lifestyle in Allentown. (Orvis Dealer)

 

[jayL]

Something tells me he knows that, but his point stands. :lol:

 

[GreenWeenie]

Confirming what Alpabuck stated, I too wish Lehigh Valley had a fly shop.

If you want zero customer service and be made to feel like a complete outsider, then by all means the Little Lehigh fly shop is just the place for you.

 

[Pittflyguy]

These topics are always sticky ones and everyone has their own opinion, but I have had nothing but stellar experiences with International Angler in Pittsburgh. Great knowledge and have been treated to fantastic customer service and care. I guess I should consider myself lucky!

 

[JustFish]

GreenWeenie wrote:
Confirming what Alpabuck stated, I too wish Lehigh Valley had a fly shop.

If you want zero customer service and be made to feel like a complete outsider, then by all means the Little Lehigh fly shop is just the place for you.

I posted a similar complaint years ago about the LL fly shop and ten members here jumped down my throat....LMFAO

Glad to see it just wasn't me. I went in there and asked if they had any picket pins and some guy in a folding chair, trucker hat and sunglasses started laughing while saying "I never heard of a picket pin, what the BLEEP is that?"

It's just like walking into a red neck bar down south and the music stops and everyone turns around and looks at you!

Then you hear...."Ya'll ain't from around hear are ya's?"

Sorry guys I had too!! :lol:

I do, however, support TCO fly shop. Nice guys, very helpfull and like to shoot the crap. Standup guys IMHO.

 

[Fredrick]

Alpabuck wrote:
I wish the Lehigh Valley had a fly shop.

Don't you work at the orvis store ?

 

[Heritage-Angler]

JustFish wrote:
I posted a similar complaint years ago about the LL fly shop and ten members here jumped down my throat....LMFAO

Glad to see it just wasn't me. I went in there and asked if they had any picket pins and some guy in a folding chair, trucker hat and sunglasses started laughing while saying "I never heard of a picket pin, what the BLEEP is that?"

It's just like walking into a red neck bar down south and the music stops and everyone turns around and looks at you!

Then you hear...."Ya'll ain't from around hear are ya's?"

Sorry guys I had too!! :lol:

I do, however, support TCO fly shop. Nice guys, very helpfull and like to shoot the crap. Standup guys IMHO.

Just won't let it go, huh?. For as many people that gripe about the LLFS, there's many more that have good things to say. People like Gary Borger, Ed Shenk, Bob Clouser, Don Baylor, Stan Cooper, the late Gary LaFontaine, the late Ernie Schwiebert, etc...

The owner, Rod, doesn't wear sunglasses in the shop, but he's responsible for what his customers say? Sheesh. Rod's not the warmest, fuzziest person you'll ever meet, but you'd be grumpy if you were 70 something, fighting diabetes without medical coverage, and trying to survive on a meager fly shop income. Cut the guy a break already. If you don't like the place, don't go there. Some of us Lehigh Valley locals don't look forward to driving to Reading to pick up tying materials, so we make do with what we have here. It ain't much, but it's better than nothing!

While you're feeling good about TCO, consider the fact that TCO tried to buy Flyfisher's Paradise in State College to add to their collection. The owner of FFP refused to sell, and was threatened that TCO would just open up a shop down the street and put him out of business. I'd rather support the grumpy old guy in the springhouse. He's a survivor, and doesn't employ strongarm tactics to do so.

 

[gfen]

Alpabuck wrote:
I wish the Lehigh Valley had a fly shop.

I just wish they had a highly skilled expert in the art of backing winding.

We don't have something like a TCO, but I've been comfortable with trips to that Orvis place and LLFS. I do what I can to buy things when those guys have it in stock. Sporting Lifestyle works hard on customer relations (except the punk kid there), LLFS has character and something I find plucky about it.

That's right, plucky. Wanna fight about my adjective?

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Plucky? :lol:

It really bugs me to hear the same people bad mouthing Rod. He's been a good friend to me for a long time. Yes, we've had our disagreements, but we always manage to shake hands and put it behind us. He's living his dream - running a fly shop on the banks of his beloved stream.

I've seen him lose his business almost completely during the Hurricane Ivan flood, and the very next night, his residence burned to the ground because of a natural gas explosion. He escaped the inferno with a pair of sweatpants, t-shirt, car keys, five dollars, and his dog. No insurance, either. His kids in Seattle and Arizona wanted him to move out there, but he chose the hard way, and rebuilt his little business and his life here. I have vivid memories of him saying "It's just stuff. Stuff can be replaced." Gotta admire his "pluckiness". Other fly shops chipped in to help him. Little shops with the same "pluckiness".

We'll all be worse off when these little fly shops are gone. I've heard it said more than once that, the best way to make a million dollars owning a fly shop is to start out with 2 million dollars. Kudos to anyone opening up a fly shop in these troubled times.

 

[ThePharmacist]

Have to agree with Pittflyguy on the excellent service and respect the folks provide at International Angler in Pittsburgh.

 

[Squaretail]

Ed,
You seem to have integrity, so I'll take your words as truth. I didnt know that about Rod and thats a pretty harsh but cool little story. Says alot about a man.
But thats not gonna get me back into his shop to feel uncomfortable or as some kind of outsider.
If hes your friend you may want to whisper that in his ear, 'cause hes got the coolest little flyshop on the planet.

 

[PennKev]

Ok, the guy has had a tough life, but so have plenty of other people.

Personal hardships are no excuse to treat your customers poorly.

Kev

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Hi Dan,

Trust me, he's heard it from me, and from others as well. When I was diagnosed with diabetes, and my sugar levels brought under control, my family and friends told me I was a real bear at times. I was totally unaware I was being so grouchy. It's a really insidious disease, and without my meds, I doubt I could control it effectively. My prescription plan makes it possible for me to control it - my meds would otherwise be over $300 per month. Rod has no such luxury. he's trying to control his sugar levels with diet alone. It will kill him eventually - probably sooner than later.

This is no excuse for his behavior, and he IS ultimately responsible for his actions, but I've walked a mile in his shoes. I can understand why he sometimes comes across as gruff and miserable. He's trying, but not always succeeding. He's got good days and bad, and I try to take that into consideration when visiting there.

He'd probably cuss me out for making his condition known, but I've seen the upside of the man. I feel he deserves some "slack" - if for no other reason than he's trying to hang in there. While all of the other local fly shops folded under the shadow of the big box stores, he's still there. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that he passed on sitting in the shop tying flies, while his customers tried to engage him in conversation. It's sad, actually. Kinda like the last dinosaur. He'll be gone soon as well.

H.A.

 

[JackM]

You may know I am not a big proponent of supporting your local fly shop if they don't offer reasonable convenience, price and customer service. Nonetheless, if you have had a bad experience at a fly shop, I would keep this to myself mostly or share the information privately with people you know. To publicly make statements that might have a tendency to prejudice so many others to enter the shop with a negative expectation is just a bit rude, perhaps every bit as rude as you were treated at the shop.

Just about every shop I've felt looked down upon, treated as if my $15 purchase wasn't sufficient, etc., there are 3 other anglers I know that think the shop is the best thing since sliced bread.

 

[Fredrick]

Just won't let it go, huh?. For as many people that gripe about the LLFS, there's many more that have good things to say. People like Gary Borger, Ed Shenk, Bob Clouser, Don Baylor, Stan Cooper, the late Gary LaFontaine, the late Ernie Schwiebert, etc... The owner, Rod, doesn't wear sunglasses in the shop, but he's responsible for what his customers say? Sheesh. Rod's not the warmest, fuzziest person you'll ever meet, but you'd be grumpy if you were 70 something, fighting diabetes without medical coverage, and trying to survive on a meager fly shop income. Cut the guy a break already. If you don't like the place, don't go there. Some of us Lehigh Valley locals don't look forward to driving to Reading to pick up tying materials, so we make do with what we have here. It ain't much, but it's better than nothing! While you're feeling good about TCO, consider the fact that TCO tried to buy Flyfisher's Paradise in State College to add to their collection. The owner of FFP refused to sell, and was threatened that TCO would just open up a shop down the street and put him out of business. I'd rather support the grumpy old guy in the springhouse. He's a survivor, and doesn't employ strongarm tactics to do so.

Ed if Rod treated all of his customers like he treated all those big names you listed I don't believe that we would be having this conversation .

On a second note I never liked TCO. There a big box fly shop trying strongarm all the local shops and have a monopoly in Pa, but they failed LOL

 

[osprey]

This is a subject that means alot to me. I've had the whole range of experiences that one can encounter with fly shops and thier owners , it's the same as every other human encounter , try thinking about it that way , and make a point to turn the other cheek if possible , first impressions mean lots but i don't think you want to make a religion out of it , think about the opposite sex , if we used first impressions when dealing with the opposite sex we'd have probbably missed out on a lot of things , secondly use the jam we just had as an example , not everyone we met struck as as folks we'd want to be in business with or lost on a desert island with but most were folks we could easily spend a few hours on the stream with. Same goes for shop owners , you might not like the person and would throw them out of a boat within an hour , but if they have the stuff you want you will tolerate them till you buy what you want and then you're outta there , in conclusion Bob Clouser and Herb Weigle ran fly shops in the Harrisburg area , they both need no explaination from me , specially you PaulG and you Squaretail , like Ben from the fantastic four used to say .......'nough said.

 

[JustFish]

[/quote]Just won't let it go, huh?. For as many people that gripe about the LLFS, there's many more that have good things to say. People like Gary Borger, Ed Shenk, Bob Clouser, Don Baylor, Stan Cooper, the late Gary LaFontaine, the late Ernie Schwiebert, etc...

The owner, Rod, doesn't wear sunglasses in the shop, but he's responsible for what his customers say? Sheesh. Rod's not the warmest, fuzziest person you'll ever meet, but you'd be grumpy if you were 70 something, fighting diabetes without medical coverage, and trying to survive on a meager fly shop income. Cut the guy a break already. If you don't like the place, don't go there. Some of us Lehigh Valley locals don't look forward to driving to Reading to pick up tying materials, so we make do with what we have here. It ain't much, but it's better than nothing!

While you're feeling good about TCO, consider the fact that TCO tried to buy Flyfisher's Paradise in State College to add to their collection. The owner of FFP refused to sell, and was threatened that TCO would just open up a shop down the street and put him out of business. I'd rather support the grumpy old guy in the springhouse. He's a survivor, and doesn't employ strongarm tactics to do so.[/quote]

Ed,

I apologize if I have upset you, I know your friends with everyone at LLH fly shop. I don't apologize, however, for telling the truth. It's a customer service oriented business. Having friends hang around your shop that will stare down customers, make rude comments and ultimately drive away customers who are bringing in $$$ is usually a bad business decision. He is reponsible for what his friends say that sit in his shop all day.

Jack,

if we're all being rude for giving awareness to an unpleasant experience then I guess we're all rude. I won't lose sleep over that. :-D I guess it's all about how you percieve it. I look at it as a warning so people who have never been there aren't shocked from the experience they will most likely get. I am a honest guy, sometimes it's popular, sometimes it's not.

 

[JackM]

Justfish, it may be in the way it is expressed. Also, if he embarrassed you publicly, embarrass him publicly; on the other hand, if the embarrassment was private, perhaps so should be the retaliation.

If you consider it carefully, at best you save someone a single visit to the shop. If they were one of the types that the LLFS wasn't going to impress, he wouldn't have wasted a second visit. But if you turn away a potentially satisfied or delighted customer, then you have done a greater harm to that would-be customer you were trying to "help," but also to a guy who seems to be just trying to make a living.

That's my only point. It won't be the first time that a point of mine has been rejected as foolish.