But the mood wasn’t that light as four Dayton businessmen who were among 14 who started Fisherman’s Quarters at 142 South Keowee St. sat around a table a few days ago, talking realistically about the tackle shop that has been a destination for area anglers for 37 years.
Jim Sims, Jim Carr, Dick Miller and Glaser are the only original owners left who still have a financial interest in Fisherman’s Quarters. Last month, store President and Manager Chris Hochwalt announced they were looking for a buyer, but if nobody came forward, the store would close sometime this month. He said this week that Dec. 23 probably will be the store’s last day.
The idea for Fisherman’s Quarters came about in 1973 when Sims’ wife was searching all over Dayton to find a trolling motor to give him as a present. He had seen one in action during a fishing trip he and several friends had taken to Arkansas. That group became known as AFTA (Arkansas Fishing Tournament Association), and they continue to fish each spring, although now it’s in Tennessee. That’s when someone suggested they open their own fishing tackle store. They settled on the name Fisherman’s Quarters with the slogan “Fishermen serving Fishermen.” Their first store was on Leo Street. They moved to their present location about 27 years ago.
Led by the late Don Steinbach and Bob O’Bryan, the store did well for many years. But the past few years have brought deficits.
“There’s something to that slogan,” Glaser observed. “When someone came into the store, they would get more than just fishing tackle. Everyone who has worked there is an experienced fisherman. And some of our regular customers are usually around to offer advice, too.”
“And you could always count on good service,” Sims said. “Chris (Hochwalt) is an expert at fixing reels. I don’t know where people are going to go to get that kind of service now.”
All four said they felt the store has fallen on hard times as a result of several factors: the sluggish economy, Internet sales, large sporting goods stores, a sharp downturn in the number of Ohio fishing licenses sold and a location that is not near water.
“If you put a business like this close to a lake like Caesar Creek, it would do very well,” Hochwalt said. “You would even be able to expand it to sell a wide variety of things.”
Tom Zobrist, Steinbach’s son-in-law, has been a fixture in the store for 30 years, most of that time as manager before semi-retiring recently.
“It’s really slowed down the last couple of years,” he said.
The four founders each offered their feelings about closing Fisherman’s Quarters after 37 years:
Sims: “It’s always been fun to go in there to see Tom and Chris and talk to all the guys who come in to sit around the round table to talk fishing. I am going to miss that.”
Miller: “It seems like going to a funeral ... the death of our store. But it was always more entertainment for us. Nobody thought we were going to get rich off of it. The camaraderie was the most important part of it.”
Carr: “I look at it a little differently. We should have sold the store about 15 years ago when we were doing well. Now we’re selling down the inventory to pay the help. It’s a sad way to see the store close.”
Glaser: “It’s bittersweet. ... The store has always been a pleasant place to be — for employees and customers.”
Or as Hochwalt said, “Dayton is losing an institution.”
Outdoors columnist Jim Mor
ris can be reached through his website at www.examiner.com/outdoor-recreation-in-dayton/jim-morris or by email at sports@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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