We thought much before opening our store.  Our original thoughts were to buy gear from American manufacturers, after all, we are born and raised Americans.  Those visions dissipated rather quickly once we started looking around for places to source from.

I had worked at a manufacturing facility in Keene NH where they produced general machine shop wares, as well as a side line of making reels for Orvis.  This seemed like a good place to start.  By the time the meeting was over it was quite clear that there were no opportunities there.  And this continued to be the case throughout 3 months of searching for products.

It seemed no matter where we went it was much the same story, and a pattern started to surface.  Regardless of cost to manufacture, the wholesale prices were set at a point there was no room for profit, and certainly no way to hand any savings on to the end user, our customer.

Back in the days when American Iron was what ran this country we had Lodge and Shipley lathes, Kerner and Trecky mills, and Giddings and Lewis horizontal boring mills.  These machines were geared power houses, but sadly, the electronics end of it was lacking.  Machines went down for weeks on end for want of a simple electronic fix.  We had yet to enter the electronics age.

Japan was the first to enter the market with machine tools that carried state of the art electronics.  And just as China is shunned now for the perception of inferior quality, so was Japan back in the beginning days.  If it was made in Japan it just plain wasn't any good.

But a few brave Americans that could no longer afford American iron went out on a limb and bought the Japanese machines anyway.  And much to their delight, though the machines were much lighter duty, they were oh so much more reliable.  And they bought more.  And then they bought more and more.  Anything that is electro mechanical is going to wear out, things are going to go wrong.  And they did, though on a much lower scale.  And we were faced with down machines once again because we still hadn't gained the knowledge of electronics to repair them.  Small problem said Mother Japan, we send technicians to US to fix.  And they did!
In our arrogance, we still refused to take the new challenge seriously.  And now with the ease of putting Tadataka Nashita on a plane we procrastinated even more.  Japan literally dominated the world in machine tools, and at the same time decimated our machine tool builders here in America.

Above is Aki Kitamura, son of PhD Kitamura, just one of the many builders that saw the opportunity in the world, and took it.  Aki and his Father are both close and dear friends.

At the time this took root, Browning was manufacturing over and under shotguns in Belgium.  A high grade Superposed with a fair amount of engraving and inlays was pricing out at $30,000.  Of course at that price not many were selling, except to the rich and famous.  When the Citori came out Browning enlisted a factory in Mirouku Japan to build them.  Now a high grade over and under was in the offering for under $3000.  And they sold!
Over time, Japan earned an enviable reputation for quality in electronics, optics, machine tools, automotive, and a host of other diversified products.  And also over time, we Americanized the Japanese people through countless visas.  Upon returning home after a year of living in America they found it difficult to go back to their basic lifestyles.  They put pressure on the government for higher wages, golf courses, houses, and big American cars!  One must be careful in changing a culture.  Japan still produces high quality products, but there are no longer any bargins in Japan.  Their cost to manufacture is now quite similar to ours.

Korea has dabbled in the US market but is torn between manufacturing and becoming a world power.  Quality is at an acceptable level, and so far, they offer a price advantage over Japan in the sporting goods arena.

Next comes the one to watch, China.  If one thing can be said for Americans, we don't learn from history.  Once again we are found looking down our collective, now multicultural noses at a nation on the way up in manufacturing prowess.  This is the prevalent perception about products produced in China today by the average consumer.  Yet if we were to put 3 fly reels on a table, that same average consumer would be hard pressed to determine which reel came from what country.
The retailers on the other hand have temporarily found a windfall that gets their bottom line out of the red.

And right here is where we start to have a problem.  It seems that taking advantage of a lower labor base entitles Importers and Retailers to hold the made in America price.

One big player comes to mind. By changing our name from xyz to xyz Worldwide we can now feel good about the inflated prices.  After all, some of the reels are still in fact made in the USA.

Almost without exception, some, if not all of the major players have vested interests in China, Indonesia, or India.  We're talking about brand names that have stood the test of time and folks have come to depend on.

We find ourselves asking how this is justified.  Perhaps we don't understand the metrics of the big box outfitters and retailers.  But then, just maybe we do.  How many people do you have on Pro Staff Sir?  Those people who literally fly around the globe on endless hunting and fishing trips to "field test" your products.  By any chance some relations?  How many people, including yourself, are on the payroll with salaries in excess of $250,000 with company SUVs and perks?  What is your average yearly bonus Sir?  And you have the audacity to try and charge a fee to a manufacturer here in the US just to allow him the privilege of selling in your store.  At what point will you feel you are finally getting enough Sir?  How much did you say it cost to have this brand new 500,00 square foot building put up Sir?

Have we become so mesmerized, so compliant to this, that we no longer even give it conscious thought in our buying decisions?  One must come to realize that buying from the big boys is costing you the consumer way more than you need to be paying.  How can it be otherwise.
We sell a well known fly box.  We in fact get them from the same factory that the XRQ Design  does.  They want you to pay $40-$60 for one fly box.  We sell these on eBay and in our store for $12.95.  How is this possible?  We don't have Pro Staffers, we don't have $250k salaries, we don't have a 500,00 square foot store.  All of this costs money, and if you buy from the big houses, you are the one paying for them to party. 

Are these fly boxes any good?  Just type in TJ's Bear Den on the eBay search bar and see what customers say about them.  After all, it's their and your opinions that matter.

---

The store opened because we felt we could offer quality products at a price that the average working man can afford.  We source from all over the world looking for the best value for the dollar.  And we stand behind what we sell in service and support.  We also use the equipment just as you do.

Click the link below and browse around the store.  Some items may be temporarily out of stock because we do business with the smaller manufacturers as we get the best quality there.  Drop us a line and we'll get you up to date with the shipping schedules.