THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 23, 1996 TAG: 9605230396
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB HUTCHINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 63 lines
Within a few days, you'll be able to go into a local store and pay $1,500 for a fly rod, $675 for a fly reel and $375 for a pair of hunting boots.
The store also will offer Gorkey leather luggage for up to $325, Lewis Creek waxed-cotton shooting coats for as much as $375 and Battenkill duffle bags for up to $250.
One of the nation's premier upscale retail outlets for fly-fishing gear, shooting apparel and outdoor clothing will be opening Friday in the Hilltop East strip shopping center off Laskin Road.
Orvis. It's a name that connotes class and quality to many outdoor enthusiasts, especially fly fishermen. It's a name synonymous with top-of-the-line quality - and prices.
Orvis has been in business since 1856, when it was founded in Manchester, Vt., by Charles F. Orvis. At first, its only offerings were split-bamboo fly rods and fishing flies crafted by Charlie himself.
The company is still headquartered in Manchester, although the firm's international distribution center is in Roanoke. The product line has been expanded enough to fill several seasonal catalogs.
The closest Orvis retail outlet is in Williamsburg, although that store does not handle fly-fishing gear.
The Virginia Beach store is known as Anglers Lab Outfitters. It's owned by Bill Wiley and Tom Blunt, who opened a similar store last September in Richmond's trendy West End section.
The success of that store, Blunt said,convinced them the time was ripe for a similar operation in Virginia Beach. ``We did a lot of looking and decided that this was an area ripe for an Orvis outlet,'' Blunt said.
Blunt and Wiley will operate the two stores as dealers, as opposed to factory franchise holders, honors reserved for Orvis stores in such major markets as Dallas, San Francisco and New York.
Their store will have what Blunt calls ``a good, solid, representative inventory'' of clothing, men's and women's gear, shooting accessories, books, videos and gifts. Plus, they'll stock the famous Orvis line of fly-fishing rods, reels, flies and fly-tying materials, with heavy emphasis on salt-water gear.
``But you won't find any $1,500 fly rods on the wall,'' Blunt said. ``They're only available by special order since they're made of split bamboo and customized for each purchaser.''
The Beach store will stock the Orvis line of Trident graphite-composite fly rods, listing for up to $525, and the Odyssey line of fly reels, selling for as much as $390.
In addition, Blunt and Wiley will handle famous Donner boots, Orvis' Battenkill duffle bags and Orvis' leather Gorky luggage.
They'll also book guided fly-fishing trips to several Orvis-tested-and-approved locations, including Tierra del Fuego, Paraguay, Labrador and Montana.
Nonstocked items from any Orvis catalog can be ordered through the store, with no shipping charges.
Wiley, the principal owner, will manage the Virginia Beach operation, with assistance from Blunt and John Burgwyn. The store will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. six days a week and will hold its grand opening Friday, Saturday and Sunday, when noted fly-fishing guide, instructor and guru Harry Robertson of Richmond will be on hand. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Bob Hutchinson
Tom Blunt, right, with John Burgwyn by CNB