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Luring new Customers By Douglas Sams Paul Range is the store manager for Orvis, which launched its second metro-Atlanta store two years ago in the Forum on Peachtree. Orvis’ first store was in Buckhead.
The Manchester, Vt., company boasts 125 years in business and generations of fly-fishing purists who seek trout in isolated mountain brooks, or entice bass and bluegill in weedy black water farm ponds. But the same Orvis where fly-fishing veterans will eagerly put down $500 on a new rod is also reaching out to the novice who may not want to spend so much cash and probably doesn’t even know the difference between a brookie and a brown. Orvis launched its second metro Atlanta store more than two years ago in the Forum on Peachtree, an upscale open air mall in Peachtree Corners designed to look like an Alpine village. While the new store — along with its predecessor in ritzy Buckhead — appeals to the affluent veteran sportsman, it also caters to the rookies. Paul Range, who manages the Peachtree Corners Orvis, confirmed the company will soon offer a low-end fly-rod outfit for about $100 in Wal-Mart, a decision that some Orvis purists have frowned upon. Range is one of the sport’s traditionalists who fished with Orvis gear on Texas farm ponds and later traveled with his father to some of the most famous trout rivers in the western United States. He says he supports a marketing plan that helps introduce fly-fishing to the masses. “I think it can help bring more people into our stores, and when they come, we can spread our conservationist values and tradition and get that message across to those new customers,” Range said. Orvis may have a longer history than its competitors such as Sage and Winston fly rods, but where it really separates itself is an emphasis on retail expansion and customer service, fishing veterans say. Orvis has 27 stores from the Northeast United States to popular trout fishing destinations such as Eaglewood, Co., and Jackson Hole, Wyo., to West Coast cities including Seattle and San Francisco. While other manufacturers may work with dealers to get their products out, Orvis goes straight to the consumer. Stores offer not only fly-fishing gear but hunting equipment, outdoor clothing and pet supplies. “Orvis tries to cover all the bases,” said Lee Hiers, a member of a Georgia chapter of Trout Unlimited. “It has mass appeal, from the low-end to the high-end products. It does more extensive marketing than the others and is a lot better known among the general public who are not necessarily in the sport.” Six years ago, Billy Parrish was a fly-fishing newcomer intimidated by his lack of knowledge about a sport he considered elegant and challenging. He has since became an Orvis devotee, especially for its knowledge of equipment and tactics, along with customer-service policies including one that allowed him to trade in a fly rod he never felt comfortable with, though he had used it for weeks. “It was really surprising,” Parrish said. “You won’t find that kind of customer service at the bigger sporting goods retailers.” For Orvis managers such as Range, working for the small company is apparently a dream job. The 27-year-old planned to get a master’s degree in history from the University of Georgia and become a college professor. After working for retailers including Eddie Bauer, he got a job with Orvis and never looked back. Now, with his Peachtree Corners store just a couple of miles from the Chattahoochee River, he can afford to wade through the chilly waters of Jones Bridge Park at least three times a week, hoping to land another 21-inch brown trout — his largest there so far. “I’ve decided I can make a living doing something I really love, and make a little money at it as well,” Range said. “Not a bad life.” |
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