Anglers Pro in Souderton

[poopdeck]

I stopped by this afternoon and liked what I saw! It is reasonably well stocked with tying material, good selection of rods and reels and the owners were very friendly and engaging. They are still getting the place set up and in order. Apparently the previous owner was a pack rat and his daughter is making a valiant effort to get the place in order. I was stunned to hear that it never closed but it looks remarkably better and I was told they have a new sign coming.

As It sits right now it is already the best fly shop in the area and it seems it will only get better as they continue to work on it and sort things out. I liked what I saw.

 

[Sylvaneous]

Bamboozle wrote:

Sylvaneous wrote:BTW, are there any fly shops left in the Lehigh Valley?

Depending on your definition of “fly shop”, the Lehigh Valley (proper) has .54 or none.

.

I'm glad the Little Lehigh/Heritage fly shop is still around. There is something great about a fly shop being right on the stream. Neshannock Creek shop is like that. Oil Creek used to be.


Sylvaneous

 

[PALongbow]

If you decide to venture into the fly fishing retail space you need to get the customer base involved in the shop. Your not just there to sell stuff, you are there to support and involve the customer in your activities. Fly shops that have went of business were those that did not involve the customer. The ones that are successful involve the customer and take their input seriously.

Ron

 

[Bamboozle]

Sylvaneous wrote:

I'm glad the Little Lehigh/Heritage fly shop is still around. There is something great about a fly shop being right on the stream. Neshannock Creek shop is like that. Oil Creek used to be.

Sylvaneous

Dave Bittner the owner, is one of best things about the Little Lehigh experience. If there is a nicer guy around, I have yet to meet him.

 

[Harley]

I headed up to the shop today and arrived around noon. I have passed by numerous times in the last year after work, but the place never looked open. Today there is a neon sign in the window that declares they are open.
Upon entry, I was pleasantly greeted by the owners Eddie and Joanne. The shop is pretty neat considering they are adding and sorting product. There's a large new fly case, with a good selection of flies in it.
I didn't go up there with anything in particular that I needed. I figured I'd check it out and I'm always picking up tying materials where ever I stop. I ended up walking out with far more than I thought I would. There is a good selection of hackle, which I find is rare for a local shop. Some of the stuff is older stock, but its a good value. I ended up picking up two capes and some misc supplies.
Talking to Eddie, he isn't real familiar with fly fishing or tying. He is however super friendly and working on making this a good shop. He mentioned numerous times that he can get things in if I needed, and we talked about it a little bit. I believe his intentions are to change or modify the inventory based on the inputs the customers give him. He mentioned that a few customers had inquired about UV products and biots, and he ordered them in. Not just for those customers, but to have in stock. I feel like this needed clarification, as some of you guys had mentioned ordering and stock on hand issues with other shops.
The only other point to make is that they are in fact open during the week. Mostly 9 to 5. I took a pic of the sign and will include it if I remember how to link it correctly. Other than that, everything that has been mentioned is correct. As far as I heard the tying nights have not started again as of yet.

 

[J55tyger88]

I stopped in Friday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised. Eddie seemed really busy, but took his time to get input. It's nice to have a shop with selection!

 

[Bamboozle]

Harley wrote:

Talking to Eddie, he isn't real familiar with fly fishing or tying. He mentioned numerous times that he can get things in if I needed, and we talked about it a little bit.

Bill Hayes the former owner had a good relationship with Rumpf up the road in Sellersville. As a matter of fact many times I would order stuff he didn't have in the store and pay him over the phone with a credit card. He'd would then call Rumpf and I'd pick it up there which is closer to me than Angler's Pro.

If the new owners can maintain that kind of relationship it's a great thing because no fly shop can stock everything. It also doesn't hurt having a distributor 10 minutes up the road.

 

[JohnPowers]

Bought a pair of Weinbrenner felt soled boots there many years ago. Couldn't wear them out. My feet got wider so their retired. I have to say a flyfishing shop run by someone who doesn't know much about flyfishing or tying is a novel idea. But best of luck.

 

[fishngun]

I did the same thing as Bamboozle on many occassions and would think that the relationship would still be there as it's his widow who took over the ownership if I heard correctly.

 

[Sabot]

I promised Main Line Fly Tiers (one of the clubs I belong to) I would tie some flys at their booth this weekend at the Oaks outdoor show, please attend if you can. I decided what I'd tie and upon checking my inventory realized I was low on some materials. I deliberately stopped in at Angler's Pro Shop as a result of reading this thread. I met Eddie as soon as I came in and he is as friendly as everyone has said. The shop looked like a bomb had gone off in there but that's good! There were lots of crates/boxes around and Eddie was unpacking and stocking the shelves with their contents. He quickly showed me the things I needed and I was set. He told me about the new product lines he's bringing in and I can't wait until he finally gets everything set up. I asked him about Thursday fly tying. He told me that he plans to have fly tying classes on Tuesday nights and group fly tying on Thursday nights. He has an instructor picked out for Tuesday but the evening classes/tying are in the planning stages as per now. I am really hoping he can make a go of this enterprise.