Not just local fly shops are closing (not that Orvis is anything but a clothing store now)

iveofione said:
It has always been a good time to be cautious with funds! I see people doing such stupid shit with their money and then complaining that they don't have enough. Enough to do more stupid shit. Today I read about a lady that paid $88,000 for a new SUV a little over a year ago and wanted to trade it in on another new vehicle already. Her trade in was appraised at $48,000 and she still owed almost $68,000 on the original vehicle. I don't know what they teach in school anymore but it sure as hell isn't Economics.
Click to expand...
when managing high tech facilities, the value of the cars in the four level parking garage I built at HQ likely exceeded what it cost to build.
Those folks making high six to seven figures a year, working 60 hour weeks, kids being raised by au pairs, $20,000 a month mortgages on prime and vacation houses, need to convince themselves it's all worth it by surrounding themselves with evidence of their earnings.
So was always a grin to park my 'hasn't been washed in a while' five year old Tahoe with surfboard either inside or strapped to roof next to a gleaming MClaren Mercedes, Aston Martin or similar.
 
Russell said:
My girlfriend calls REI an old white ladies store. I haven't really found anything I'm interested in there in years and their member sales have become restricted and they seem to think you want the used stuff for more than you can get it new.
Orvis stores, not the fly shops, are the same. Clothing for old white people. They don't carry enough fly fishing gear to make it worth going to the retail outlets. These stores are far from what got them started.
Click to expand...
Why do you hate the crackers ?
🤣🤣🤣
 
Brute said:
I heard REI is closing their retail outlets on the east coast as well...
Click to expand...
That sounds pretty dire.

(So far, its) "REI is closing three East Coast stores in 2026: the SoHo flagship in New York City, the Boston store(, and the Paramus, New Jersey store)."

Are depth and breadth of both real and perceived "market conditions" in large urban areas driving up costs and causing less foot traffic making them unprofitable?
A real 👁️-opener would be the REI Seattle Flagship closing.
Russell said:
My girlfriend calls REI an old white ladies store. I haven't really found anything I'm interested in there in years
Click to expand...
I have been an REI member since 1972. During their annual clearance sales in the 1970s, REI knowingly sold new gear to climbers that trusted their lives with that didn't meet spec, was poorly designed, or made of inferior materials without disclosing it. Their prices have always been in the upper range that helped to support member dividends and their return policy (which has itself deteriorated over the years). Now I am both seeing and hearing of smaller agile companies driving innovation with superior products at lower prices.
 
Brian Miller said:
That sounds pretty dire.

(So far, its) "REI is closing three East Coast stores in 2026: the SoHo flagship in New York City, the Boston store(, and the Paramus, New Jersey store)."

Are depth and breadth of both real and perceived "market conditions" in large urban areas driving up costs and causing less foot traffic making them unprofitable?
A real 👁️-opener would be the REI Seattle Flagship closing.

I have been an REI member since 1972. During their annual clearance sales in the 1970s, REI knowingly sold new gear to climbers that trusted their lives with that didn't meet spec, was poorly designed, or made of inferior materials without disclosing it. Their prices have always been in the upper range that helped to support member dividends and their return policy (which has itself deteriorated over the years). Now I am both seeing and hearing of smaller agile companies driving innovation with superior products at lower prices.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports) is still an active competitor on the east coast. It may be that there ain't room in this here town for the two of 'em.
 
"While it is impossible to give an exact total number of store closures caused by tariffs, the outdoor retailer Orvis is closing 36 stores and outlets by early 2026 due to tariffs. Other retailers are also facing challenges from tariffs, but Orvis is one of the few to publicly state that tariffs are the direct reason for these specific closures."

"Walmart has said US tariffs are driving up its costs this year, squeezing its profit margins even as more customers visit its stores in search of affordable goods."

There no winners in this tariff war, it is only hurting the average US wage earner and hammering low income families.
The tariff dollars are not building new infrastructure, creating new jobs or funding vital programs, it is being sent to a Treasury that no longer provides Congress it's historical allocation controls of such funds. The chances of what is hundreds of billions not being subjected to graft are likely zero.
 
Last edited:
I think Orvis is reading the handwriting on the wall pretty well. Backing out of the "fashion" markets where everyone from Bean to North Face to Filson for chrissakes is trying to enter, and going back to fly fishing and wingshooting markets, following their "endorsed" lodge and guide programs. The new demographic of customers don't need physical stores to test out stuff, they go to youtube or boards like this to get reviews and examples. They go to lodges or book guides all the time, and any guide will be able to outfit their sports with new-ish equipment pretty much anywhere they want to go. And quality wingshooting and fly fishing specific accessories are getting harder and harder to find, let alone test out. In the end I'll bet they lose a lot of high-unit-cost operations and increase profitabiltiy.

But man, I'll miss that georgia fatwood kindling, bundled and shipped across the country for lordy-knows-how-much per stick. Maybe Filson can backfill that market. (Yes, I'm bitter. I loved and coveted their stuff 40 years ago...)
 
Guy Gregory said:
But man, I'll miss that georgia fatwood kindling, bundled and shipped across the country for lordy-knows-how-much per stick.
Click to expand...

Fatwood...shipped in Otter fur pouches.
🤣
 
Guy Gregory said:
I think Orvis is reading the handwriting on the wall pretty well. Backing out of the "fashion" markets where everyone from Bean to North Face to Filson for chrissakes is trying to enter, and going back to fly fishing and wingshooting markets, following their "endorsed" lodge and guide programs. The new demographic of customers don't need physical stores to test out stuff, they go to youtube or boards like this to get reviews and examples. They go to lodges or book guides all the time, and any guide will be able to outfit their sports with new-ish equipment pretty much anywhere they want to go. And quality wingshooting and fly fishing specific accessories are getting harder and harder to find, let alone test out. In the end I'll bet they lose a lot of high-unit-cost operations and increase profitabiltiy.

But man, I'll miss that georgia fatwood kindling, bundled and shipped across the country for lordy-knows-how-much per stick. Maybe Filson can backfill that market. (Yes, I'm bitter. I loved and coveted their stuff 40 years ago...)
Click to expand...
I buy fatwood kindling from my local Ace Hardware in a cheap cardboard box….
 
Often times its the apparel that pays for the gear. When I worked at Dakine we made a lot of cool water and snow sport products, but for the most part they didn't make any money. It was the hats, the T-shirts, the bags that made the company money. In its heyday Dakine used that money to fund the cool product designs.

It seems like Orvis went too far in this split, but I'd expect their fishing gear to get more expensive.
 
Yard Sale said:
Often times its the apparel that pays for the gear. When I worked at Dakine we made a lot of cool water and snow sport products, but for the most part they didn't make any money. It was the hats, the T-shirts, the bags that made the company money. In its heyday Dakine used that money to fund the cool product designs.

It seems like Orvis went too far in this split, but I'd expect their fishing gear to get more expensive.
Click to expand...
been buying Da Kine for decades..padded surfboard bags, surf leashes, my fave snowboarding backpack, just ordered another pair of roof rack pads after two decades of use caught up with the last pair...great company
1760310910359.png
 
SurfnFish said:
been buying Da Kine for decades..padded surfboard bags, surf leashes, my fave snowboarding backpack, just ordered another pair of roof rack pads after two decades of use caught up with the last pair...great company
View attachment 170177
Click to expand...

Well, 5 years ago they got bought again, and the new owners licensed out all the cool stuff and fired all the design teams. At this point they are basically slow coasting to demise.
 
L.L. Bean still sells fatlighter.

Deja vu. Didn't Orvis reorganize to get back to their roots in year 2000.
 
Ron McNeal said:
I don't know what "fatwood kindling" is, but do know that whenever I've had a reason to speak with Orvis Customer Service (Rod Shop & others) I've always come away thinking, "Now that's the way to do it........ really superb Customer Service.
Click to expand...
Ron McNeal said:
Hey, THANKS!!!. What a Forum. :):)
Click to expand...

Me think's there was a whole thread on "Fatwood"

J

NFR Thread 'Let's talk about "fat wood".'

Until a few years ago I had never heard of "fat wood". It is highly flammable wood that is saturated with flammable "sap". Around here the old growth stumps of Douglas Fir often have "pillars" of fat wood protruding above the outer, decaying stump wood. This "fat wood" is of very high quality. It has a strong smell of "Pinesol". It has a translucent honey color. And.. it is flammable as hell. Seriously folks, this stuff burns like nothing else. "Fat wood" is a vast subject...the black smoke that it emits, is used to make the finest black ink for Japanese writings. I personally have had a...
  • Like

Yup, a wholloping 5 pages chalk full of fatwood information

cheers
 
Yard Sale said:
Often times its the apparel that pays for the gear. When I worked at Dakine we made a lot of cool water and snow sport products, but for the most part they didn't make any money. It was the hats, the T-shirts, the bags that made the company money. In its heyday Dakine used that money to fund the cool product designs.

It seems like Orvis went too far in this split, but I'd expect their fishing gear to get more expensive.
Click to expand...
SurfnFish said:
been buying Da Kine for decades..padded surfboard bags, surf leashes, my fave snowboarding backpack, just ordered another pair of roof rack pads after two decades of use caught up with the last pair...great company
View attachment 170177
Click to expand...
One of the companies I owned had the word Da Kine in it (not this company, but I had their phone number in Maui taped to my phone as I used to get calls for them all the time)...always brings a chuckle when mainlanders ask me what it means...
 
I’m an old white guy! I like physical stores where folks can explain and show me things. I have had excellent customer service at the Lake Oswego Oregon Orvis store - their fishing advice and support has been spot on. Have a bunch of their upland and fishing clothing and so far it’s been top notch, especially when I can catch it on sale 🤣. Really enjoy fishing my Helios 3wt and have had outstanding luck with the Mirage LT II fly reels. While I’ll shop online, my preference is still to buy local, even if it costs a bit more. Hard to beat the one on one connection with small stores/shops.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top