Another Great Fly Fishing Store Closing

[troutless]

I thought I heard the owners of WSS got old and their son did not want to carry on the business? Not sure if this is really what happened or not?

In some cases the owners of these businesses get old and just need to retire.

I seem to vaguely remember reading somewhere that the current owners bought the store sometime in the 1980s, like 1987??

Hate to see them go, it was a really unique place for this area, fly stuff, duck stuff, and a truly amazing book selection. I sure hope the books find good homes.

[Ralph]

I read that after a huge and expensive remodel of their San Francisco store, Leland's abruptly shut their doors and moved to Sonoma to focus on internet sales. Their website says they "might" consider reopening in a year or so near Fort Mason. They have some fine staff, hope they will continue to be employed at some level.

[Slice]

I read that after a huge and expensive remodel of their San Francisco store, Leland's abruptly shut their doors and moved to Sonoma to focus on internet sales. Their website says they "might" consider reopening in a year or so near Fort Mason. They have some fine staff, hope they will continue to be employed at some level.

There is a Leland's on Bush st. Coincidentally I was planning on walking over there in a few minutes. It was open as of a month ago.

[Slice]

Damn, you were pretty much right ralph. Its open but they are moving to sonoma next week, he said they are looking at a smaller shop downtown sf or chrissy field to reopen in 3-6 months, with a big "maybe."

[Ned Morris]

Man they are dropping like flies.... no pun intended.

[Reno Flytyer]

I drive by the location of the Reno Fly Shop everyday on my way to work. Their sign is still on the front of their store, and I wax nostalgic everytime I look over to see if Dave's car, or Rob's or one of the other fellas is parked out front. I miss dropping by and shooting the breeze with 'em. Sucks.
RFT

[kokaneejr]

Sweeneys in Napa is still there as I pass it on my way to Berryessa all the time. Haven't been in for a while though.

Western was great and Carlo taught me a lot about fishing. I will always miss their flyfishing days just before the opener, always a great time to meet tyers and stack up on hooks.

Outdoor pro is it up here now. Good store and friendly advice and I heard the fly part is supposed to get bigger.

I guess it is just another excuse to stop by Keines on my way to fishing

[rusty fly]

It's the era of Costco, Target and online and of coarse Kiene's. Bass Pro Shop if your heading toward Pinecrest or Yosemite is not a bad place for fly gear but it's a small part of their business. There's alot to see there. But I don't see fly shops expanding their stores like the Bass pro shop to stay in business. There was a fly shop in my area called "The Midge" that said their bigger selling item was a rubber tube sling shot that launched water balloons. Maybe all fly shops should sell those. Kiene's seems to have a niche and this board doesn't hurt. Long live Kiene's!

[Tony Buzolich]

I owned my own business for almost thirty years and I know what competition is like. I sold tires, and at one point in time we had more than twelve others shops where a person could buy tires all within a half mile radius of my store. And we still survived because of good customer service. People want service and they want to talk with people they trust. It's the same with any retail business, fly shops included.

What makes things hard to survive though are the lower profit margins and rising fixed costs all going at the same time. It takes a LOT of feathers and thread and flash-bou to make even a very small dollar contribution to the day's expenses. And for rods and reels, the same holds true, and how many of those do you sell in a single day? Sales may seem good for a while, but how much profit did the store actually make?

Fixed expenses are things like rent, utilities, and insurances. Not just store insurance that covers fire, rain, wind damage, etc. but what about liability insurance? Does the store have more than just an owner working there?, then they have to have Worker's Comp. insurance as well. What about taxes? Sales taxes, Federal taxes, income taxes, property taxes, quarterly taxes. It seems to never end.

And rent. What about rent? Landlords seem to think that just because you've been there a long time you should pay more rent. Most rental agreements have a clause that describe rent increases. A lot are based on the nation's CPI (Consumer Price Index) or a percentage of actual sales. All of this seems mute when sales are dropping and landlords would rather hold firm and let businesses fail rather than lower their rent and keep businesses alive and going.

Retail today is tough, selling flies or otherwise. TONY

[Ned Morris]

For the updated info. Haven't been to Sweeneys for a while either. So bummed. Just bought a house in Forbes 2 months ago and just started hangin as Leland's was my old local shop prior. Now they're both gone. Good to know about OPS. I saw new Cotati store last spring but Fly dept. spartan compared to old Ronert Park store. Hope it's expanding.

Bill I think your store is really the last jewel left in the old crown

Sweeneys in Napa is still there as I pass it on my way to Berryessa all the time. Haven't been in for a while though.

Western was great and Carlo taught me a lot about fishing. I will always miss their flyfishing days just before the opener, always a great time to meet tyers and stack up on hooks.

Outdoor pro is it up here now. Good store and friendly advice and I heard the fly part is supposed to get bigger.

I guess it is just another excuse to stop by Keines on my way to fishing