Local tackle shops episode

[Drossi]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

. Those shops need traffic.. If not they fail, simple as that.. I agree a shop needs to be open VERY early, especially if they want to sell bait.. One problem is this-Most guys simply don't use bait anymore in FW. With modern high tech lures that are so effective bait just isn't all that neccessary except for maybe Carp or catfish... Shops LOSE money on live shiners, fatheads, Herring or Sawbellies as they are known up here in NY. They just die in the tanks after a while..Owners need to buy and sell them fast as they just start dying quickly. Right now, I can't buy bait anywhere, except worms in gas station.. There might be one or two bait shops within a 50 mile radius. The vast majority stopped because the cost was killing them. They told me. Different scenario in NJ, with the big population but still online sales of tackle and accessories has to be hurting a lot of those small businesses. It cannot be easy to make enough profit in NJ with its crazy overhead selling just bait, even saltwater bait.. bob

I think live bait, specifically herring and shiners have probably always been a money loser for a shop. The purposes for selling them were to get fishermen into the shop in the 1st place, cause rarely does one leave a shop with just bait, they often will pick up other items as well.

I'm honestly stunned there's still freshwater fishing shops still around. The overhead has to be murder. Plus most people buy things other than bait online. Declining sales means cutting back hours or you just make the profit (loss) margin worse, that's why the remaining shops are open the limited hours they are open. If the shop isn't right on a body of water like Dow's I don't see how they aren't a money loser.

[AndyS]

Ideally you would have to be like Dows, sell bait and tackle and rent boats. Or like others, sell kayaks, boats, weigh in deer etc etc.

[RWole]

Another big factor that has lead to Dows success is their hours of operation are great. Open when other shop owners are still in bed sleeping.

[reason162]

If every brick/mortar shop closed I don't think I'd notice for years lol.

[hammer4reel]

Originally Posted by Drossi

I think live bait, specifically herring and shiners have probably always been a money loser for a shop. The purposes for selling them were to get fishermen into the shop in the 1st place, cause rarely does one leave a shop with just bait, they often will pick up other items as well.

I'm honestly stunned there's still freshwater fishing shops still around. The overhead has to be murder. Plus most people buy things other than bait online. Declining sales means cutting back hours or you just make the profit (loss) margin worse, that's why the remaining shops are open the limited hours they are open. If the shop isn't right on a body of water like Dow's I don't see how they aren't a money loser.

I had friends in the bait business .
Bait is what carried the shops , well above tackle inventory .
.
.

[bunker dunker]

all i got to say is that you would never get the service,info and dedication on line that you get at a local shop.we need local shops,ever try getting a hot lure
in a hurry on line???i buy all me tackle,bait and anything else at local shop.also,i
have never heard anyone say that the on-line buy has ever helped as much as the local shop.thank you laurie,joe & jimmy.

[dales529]

Sad our own NJF'er Mike Reynolds passed aka Sharkispy. He bought Brinkmans down by the big D river and right before he passed he called to tell me he was opening a second shop. We talked often about being business owners and we shared the pain and success stories. He GOT IT on hours, bait and tackle and his battle with online stores as he was an avid angler.

Anyone know what happened to the shop after his passing?

Miss him!

[Drossi]

Originally Posted by hammer4reel

I had friends in the bait business .
Bait is what carried the shops , well above tackle inventory .
.
.

That is enlightening for sure. Margin on bait sales must be better and loss less than I expected.

[Broad Bill]

Find it interesting to have an online podcast discussing the demise of the small business tackle shop owner due to pressures from online competition. Any business that has an online presence, brick and mortar stores are done unless somehow they change their offering. It starts with wholesalers who get a greater margin selling direct to the consumer online than they do by selling through retailers or distributors. Why share the profit when you can keep it all for yourself. Read the story of what happened to our own Eyes on First Avenue and it'll give you an idea of how the large wholesale companies want to market and sell their products. If there's not economies of scale, no business much less a small business will survive and the internet took away the economies of scale from local tackle shops which for years rested on the shoulders of local small business owners.

Don't mean to be a wet blanket but in that particular space you either adapt or close your doors.

[Gerry Zagorski]

Any way you slice it, it's a tough business with so many things working against them. Online retailers, regulations, a lack of fishing interest from the younger crowd. No throw in lower disposable income caused by inflation. Only people with any money to spend these days are the old farts like me that paid off their affordable homes and managed to save some money back in the day, when saving money was possible.