After leaving the hospital yesterday I took a ride over to Orvis Princeton to pick up a projector I had left there following a presentation I did a few years back. The employees there are busy either selling stuff off or readying it to shipped back to Vermont, or piled up for the dumpster.
I felt sad as I entered the store. Not only is New Jersey losing its last Orvis store, but the entire Philadelphia region is losing their Orvis stores. The Plymouth Meeting, Haverford, and Downington stores didn't survive the chopping block are closing as well. That leaves a big gap in the remaining triangle formed by the remaining stores from Manhattan, to Pittsburgh, to Tysons Corner, just outside of Washington, DC. There's still authorized dealers around, but those are the remaining retail stores.
The bulk of the work of emptying the store is done. People have come and taken advantage of 60% off sales mostly in the clothing and apparel sections. They have also started to sell off the furniture and displays. If you're looking for some great tables there's a bunch there if you're interested.
And in the fly fishing section there's some products still avialable to pick through. Most are marked full price but there's still some reduced priced items like flies, but they've been heavily picked through. The only item I was interested in was one of the wader made ottomans pictured above in the lower left corner. Not only is it just a cool piece, it's also something I had sat on
trying on waders over the years, and something that we could use in front of our couch in the living room. So I loaded it up and brought it home.
While there I spoke with Andrew and Bruce about all things Orvis. From the shuttered stores, to Shawn Combs heading over to Scott, to what the future may bring. They're confident Orvis will remain, but do see the possibility of being purchased by a big conglomerate like the Bass Pro Shop and its affiliates. They were less convinced of Fulling Mill making a purchase as Orvis' net worth is most likely greater than FM could afford.
When I sat down to write this blog I searched the internet for any new Orvis news. The only thing that popped up was Combs move over to Scott. But I did find something interesting coming out of Nevada. Who would have thought that Orvis was in the business of nursing education?
What a perfect fit? Maybe I could become an Orvis Endorsed Nursing Professor? No, it's not your grandfathers Orvis, which was started in 1856. The Orvis School of Nursing was started 100 years later after a large gift from Arthur and Mae Zenke Orvis to the University of Nevada, Reno.
I did a quick genealogical search of Arthur Orvis, donator to the Orvis Nursing School, and Charles F. Orvis, the founder of the Orvis company. While they both were in the United States in the early 1900's there no family connection between the two. Charles F. Orvis was born in Vermont in 1827 and started Orvis in 1856. He died in 1912.
Orvis was sold to D.C. "Duckie" Corkran in 1939 and then to Leigh Perkins in 1965. Currently the company is lead by Leigh's grandson, Simon. So the big question is will Orvis continue to be owned by the Perkins family? Will another private owner come forward to take over the reigns or will it fall into the hands of a conglomerate of outdoor brands?
For now I just put my feet up on my new to me ottoman and watch and wait, hoping for the best for Orvis, it's ex and remains employees, and its loyal customers.