Matthew Dickerson, Addison Independent, August 13, 1998 (reprinted by permission)
To be honest, I generally find shopping boring. But I love to hang out at a good outdoor store and browse through the fishing tackle and outdoor gear. A trip the fishing section at L.L.Bean's can occupy me for hours. But it is the incomparable atmosphere of the local outdoor store that is especially appealing.
A recent trip to Vermont Field Sports in Middlebury (388-3572) reminded me what I like so much about a local "mom-and-pop" store. Scanning the (slightly cluttered) display of fishing reels against the front window, I found more than 50 models of spinning reels in every conceivable size and shape from ultra-light reels made for 2-lb test to big northern pike reels. And that's just the start. Move 10 feet to the right and you've got at least another 30 models of closed-face, bait-casting, and trolling reels. Jump to the fly-fishing section and you find a full line of St Croix and Cortland merchandise including a dozen different models from both manufactures. It is an impressive inventory, far exceeding anything you would find catalog shopping. And of course you can pick it up and try it out (which you can't do in a catalog).
More importantly, the folks at a local shop are responsive to the whims of area anglers. For example, rather than carrying just a few popular national brand lures, they stock hundreds of local favorites--whatever is hot at the time. Greg Boglioli, a manager at Field Sports, showed me a whole wall of Terminator spinner baits in different sizes and colors. He stocks such a large selection because of their popularity in local bass and pike waters. Across the isle was another wall of Lake Clear Wobbler's, a hot item for trout in local ponds. Both are baits I learned about by stopping by the store to chat. Greg also pointed me to another lure which he claims is a real killer for brook trout in streams and rivers. Not surprisingly, most of their flies are tied by local tyers and are patterns proven successful in area waters. Other items that have been in demand recently are float tubes and trolling motors, both of which the store has in stock. This actually provides one of the greatest challenges for the store. Their inventory--of which about 35% is fishing equipment--is too large to be displayed in their small space. On top of that, they have to keep up on current and upcoming trends, which can require a bit of prognosticating.
All of which suggests the real advantage of a local store: the people.
They are folks who love to hunt and fish, and enjoy talking about it. They
know the local areas, and if you stop by are usually happy to give pointers
including tips on good hunting and fishing spots, hot lures, successful
techniques, etc. This is probably why much of the regular clientele (especially
their fishing customers) enjoy just hanging out at the store talking--and
telling fish stories. Richard Phillips, an area policeman, has owned
the store since opening it 17 years ago and hangs out at the shop when he
is not on duty. Working with him are Greg, Albert Hobbes and Pat
Coursey who handles most of the clothing (about 50% of their inventory).
As Greg said, when it comes to outdoor sports they are into a little of
everything. Between their own time outdoors and the traffic that comes through
the store, they stay in close touch with what is going on in the area and
can be a wealth of information for customers with a good ear.