I love to support the local guys, but after burning up a half-tank of gas over the weekend going to all of the local shops, I still couldn't find everything on my list.

Got home, pulled "The Fly Shop" catalog out, they had it all.

Guess paying shipping beats burning up $3.45 per gallon gasoline.

Sure wish we had someplace like "The Fly Shop" here in Texas.

we have cabelas?

...which might contribute to the problem of "what if"

The "big box" shops dont get big for no reason. They usually have it all and are cheap.

I actually did the same thing you did a couple weeks ago. After visiting 3 local fly shops, I got on Cabelas to order the rest of my fly tying supplies that I needed.

Still support your local shops... and be very thankful that you have local shops...

I want to keep buying from them but it is just an economic thing. I can't justify spending $35+ in gas to go on a fly tying shopping spree - and end up still having to make a catalog order.

Running a small local business has never been a walk in the park, even before the advent of internet shopping. Way back when, the advantage of being local was that folks could see the merchandise and get your expertise compared to one or maybe two pictures and a brief description of a catalog. Now we can see detailed pictures, complete specifications, and even the thoughts of our peers of and about a product by barely lifting a finger.

Inventory management has always been one of the toughest things to stay on top of, whether you were competing with the internet or not. The local shop still has to buy that $300 widget and hope someone buys it before the cost of keeping it kills his already slender profit margin. Most of the successful online retailers either use "just in time" inventory, or ship straight from the manufacturer. They don't own the merchandize until seconds after you order it.

The mantra in a local store used to be, "If we don't have it, we'll order it for you." Now we can order from home and get it just as fast, if not faster. Remember the days of "Wait 6-8 weeks for delivery"?

Now that's all fine and dandy for local retailers that try to compete on something that almost everyone wants like electronics, but if you throw a niche market into the equation, things get really ugly for the local folks.

Even when you've got a niche-driven local shop near a "destination" location, living isn't easy. If the online folks ever get the Zappos model working for something besides shoes, it's going to get ugly.

Fly Rod Yakker...I hear what you are saying. I won't drive all the way to BPS anymore. I have ordered stuff from the local place, but many times he cannot get what I want. Plus I can get it just as fast, or faster, usually by ordering on the internet. The Fly Shop does have a good selection of stuff. Their prices are a little on the steep side. Some things you just need to buy in person if at all possible. If I can't get a material locally, I usually ASK online if someone has good luck with a dealer, in a specific area...such as...who has good straight bucktail? Who has the best strung streamer hackle? Where can I get black squirrel tails, that are good quality, and so forth. Some people don't want to tell you their favorite spots, but many will. I needed micro ultra chenille in black and white, the local store is out again. The hair ladies have found the store, and they have bought a ton of stuff from there too. That is another issue we are all dealing with.

So nobody hits up Barlow's anymore? I never walk away from there empty handed. Certainly TFS in California has some great inventory including "their own" hook selection.

Bearsden.com for me, great selection, great folks, fast shipping, I use Barlows occasionally but I can get stuff from bearsden just as fast.

Hey Lynn, I just had a similar experience. I stopped by one of the bigger shops in the area on way back from the airport with a list. I only found one of the items and it was in the clearance section. I didn't expect them to have everything on the list, but I was surprised that they didn't have any of it.

I will give The Fly Shop credit for having the best fly selection of any catalog I've ever seen.

May I (respectfully) suggest you try calling ahead before making a visit?

PS - I commend you for making a conscientious effort to shop local!

J.

I, too, believe local is the first and most chosen opportunity for my stuff, but regarding Barlow's, I don't care if they had the greatest and best of everything. That man is so mean, I won't walk in that store ever again. Right after Norm Goheen died, both Norm's brother, Mike, and Cody and I were treated so shabbily by him, and all we were trying to do is tie up some unfinished business on Norm's behalf that was to Barlow's benefit. Ebeneezer Scrooge, before the Ghosts of Christmases came to visit, is a saint compared to Barlow's.

When I lived in California, a friend of mine turned me onto Barlows. I ordered plastics from them every season. About 3 months after I moved to Texas I was was completely surprised to see the store while I was driving on 75. I pulled off the next exit and went in. I introduced myself and said I had been a customer for years but that was my first time in the store. He was a complete jerk to me. I was floored. It wasnt like I was asking him for anything, I was just excited to be in the store after giving them business for so long. He asked if I wanted him to do cartwheels. I really wanted to take him outside and teach him some new cartwheels. I've never shopped there since.

Wow, that is something else. I cannot imagine maintaining a business like that. This guy needs to work on some manners, and knock out the attitude. I have bought stuff from them now and then myself, via the internet.

Barlow's is the rudest tackle store I have ever been in.