As we watch the clock wind down to the new year we want to take a moment to say thank you:

- thank you to our suppliers for the privilege of working with you this year
- thanks to the members of our team who work hard to keep the doors open
- thank you to those people who have emailed the words of advice and criticism. We appreciate you taking the time to send us your thoughts and hope we learn from your suggestions
- thank you to our customers. Your words of encouragement are appreciated more than you know !

On a final and much more personal note, thank you to the soldiers of the Canadian Armed Forces who are defending people in the world who cannot defend themselves. Yesterday was the 3rd deadliest day our country has experienced in Afghanistan and the lives lost make anything we face in Canada seem trivial. We are lucky to live in the best country in the world and our thoughts and sympathies go out to the families of those who have lost their lives defending it. Thank you for your sacrifice.

Please have a safe New Year’s Eve – we look forward to seeing you in 2010 !

Just letting you know that there are only two days left in our Boxing Week Sale. Everything in the store is up to 40% off ! If you need to stock up on your fly tying supplies now would be the time to do it. Given the savings we would highly recommend buying that rod and reel you have had your eye on since last summer, a new fly line or two or those new waders or wading boots you have been planning to get… just a thought!

The Ministry has published the new 2010 fishing regulations (which if you haven’t noticed starts this coming Friday…). One thing to take note of is that the 2009 Provincial Budget introduced a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) which takes effect on July 1 so the fees will be changing (in the Government’s favour of course…). We have lots of copies so if you need one please come by at your convenience to pick one up !

As a follow up to our entry yesterday we realized that many people who have not visited us haven’t the faintest idea what new gear we have in the store let alone what we have carried since day 1 ! The above picture shows our 3 reel display cases in the back of the store and it is worth mentioning that we carry reels by Abel, Ross, Hatch, Nautilas, Sage, Orvis, Saracione and Peerless. We also occasionally have consignment reels so if you are looking for the best selection in Eastern Canada if not the whole country, come on in to see us !

One of – if not the truest – pleasures of being in the fly fishing business is meeting people and yesterday was one of the more enjoyable days we have had in our store in a long while. To all those who took the time to come in for the first day of our Boxing Week Sale – thank you ! It was great seeing familiar faces and reconnecting with regular customers but we have to admit the highlight was meeting a number of new customers who were visiting our shop for the first time.

We have been in the business for almost 12 years and like other retailers this last year in particular has been more than trying. We have experienced a lot of highs and a number of lows but we keep going because we love what we do. Admittedly 2009 has been weighted more to the low end of the ‘enjoyment spectrum’ but the conversations with the people who had their initial visit yesterday were a great elixir for a long year.

Three conversations stick out. The first was with a man who was dragged in for the first time by his best friend who happens to be a regular customer. He is a float fisherman who has recently discovered fly fishing and when he walked in our front door – he stopped. He stood there for a few moments and I happened to be walking towards the front of the store when he came in. I looked at him, smiled and said, “Hi, welcome to WILSON’S !” His response made my day. All he could say was, “Wow!” I have to admit I smiled and what followed was one of those conversations that make any businessman proud. He said that the other fly shops he has visited didn’t have inventory. They all offered to order the items he wanted but ours was the only fly shop that had them on the shelf. He smiled and explained to me that while he appreciated the customer service in the other shops he can order stuff on-line just as easily. What he wanted was a store with inventory and the reason he stopped when he walked in was because he hadn’t seen a shop as well stocked as ours. He said that we don’t have everything, but that we have most things – and I’m good with that !

The second conversation that sticks out was with a young woman who was buying her boyfriend a SIMMS wading jacket. She explained that before Christmas she had visited a big box retailer and two other fly shops but couldn’t find his size and unfortunately had been treated rather coldly – in her words, “because she is a woman.” I asked which shops she visited and expressed surprise because the ones she mentioned are run by great guys and I told her that she probably caught them on a bad day. Regardless, her experience in those shops and a number of recommendations from her boyfriend’s fishing buddies (thankfully) sent her our way. She made a point of praising the service she had received from our store manager, Vasilios “Bill” Katraouras when she came in before Christmas and explained that it made her pause and reflect on what had happened in the other shops. She then added that she was also getting into the sport and was looking for a rod and reel. I love those moments. She and her boyfriend spent the better part of an hour browsing the store and when they went to the sales counter were surprised to learn of our Boxing Week Sale. Their day got even better when they reached into the jar and got 25% off !

The third conversation was with an older couple I had met a few weeks ago. They have a relationship I hope to some day find: loving, respectful and fun. She had given him a gift certificate for Christmas and they were in to redeem it. The store was busy but they were kind enough to make a point of saying hello. We got talking about them wanting to take a “trip of a lifetime” to a destination in Canada. After asking a few questions I handed them a brochure for Rapid Lake Lodge in Nunavik and showed them some video I took there in August after which they smiled and said, “Sold !”.

I had to leave the store a bit early yesterday to get some errands of my own done but have to admit that as I walked out the door, I also paused, reflected on the people I met on Saturday and the laughs we shared, balanced the conversations against the year we have just weathered in the store and said to myself, “It’s worth it…”