Orvis

Orvis is an American family-owned retail and mail-order business which specializes in selling fly fishing, hunting and sporting goods. Founded in Manchester, Vermont, in 1856¹ by Charles F. Orvis to sell fishing tackle, it is the oldest mail-order retailer in the United States. Orvis operates 40 retail stores and 1 outlet/warehouse locations in the US and 1 retail store and one outlet store in the UK. The firm produces flies and fly-tying tools, employing professional tyers like A.K. Best and Tom Rosenbauer to create new versions for sale. Owned by the Perkins family since 1965, the company has transferred ownership twice and has had five CEOs in its history.

Orvis is an American family-owned retail and mail-order business which specializes in selling fly fishing, hunting and sporting goods. Founded in Manchester, Vermont, in 1856 by Charles F. Orvis to sell fishing tackle, it is the oldest mail-order retailer in the United States. Orvis operates 40 retail stores and 1 outlet/warehouse locations in the US and 1 retail store and one outlet store in the UK. The firm produces flies and fly-tying tools, employing professional tyers like A.K. Best and Tom Rosenbauer to create new versions for sale. Owned by the Perkins family since 1965, the company has transferred ownership twice and has had five CEOs in its history.

History

, Alpharetta, Georgia]] Charles F. Orvis opened a tackle shop in Manchester, Vermont, in 1856. The C.F. Orvis Company operated in close proximity to the Equinox House, a hotel opened by his brother in 1853. The brothers were soon able to build a trout pond for the hotel. By 1870, Charles had moved into a factory building on Union Street. He also began sending out catalogues, which predated more famous ones from Sears, Roebuck by more than 20 years. In 1874, he received his first patent for a new reel design. His fly reel was described by reel historian Jim Brown as the "benchmark of American reel design," the first fully modern fly reel. In 1880, outdoor writer Ned Buntline named the Orvis bamboo rod the best of its weight in the world. The company introduced its glass minnow trap in 1885. Charles's daughter, Mary Orvis Marbury, took charge of the Orvis fly department in the 1870s and helped standardized fly lures. By 1890, the company's catalogue included a full line of Orvis Superfine Flies, including over 400 different patterns. In 1892, she published Favorite Flies and Their Histories, an encyclopaedic reference book on fly patterns made up of letters from Orvis customers It went through nine reprints by 1896¹. The illustrations were exhibited at the 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition. Following Charles's death in 1915, sons Albert and Robert managed the company. They automated the process of splitting and planing bamboo used to make rods. By the 1920s, the company was producing four grades of rods and 500 varieties of flies. However, the company financially collapsed during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Following the death of Robert in 1939, Orvis had just two remaining employees.

Books

In 1883, Charles F. Orvis and A. Nelson Cheney published the book Fishing with the Fly: Sketches by Lovers of the Art, with Illustrations of Standard Flies. The 333 page book was cloth-bound, contained 24 articles by well known fly fishers, and contained colored plates of 149 standard trout, salmon, and bass flies. Featured writers included Charles Hallock, William Cowper Prime, Robert Roosevelt, James Alexander Henshall, and Ned Buntline. In 1892, Charles' daughter Mary Orvis Marbury published Favorite Flies and Their Histories, an encyclopedic reference book on fly patterns. The book was largely made up of letters from Orvis customers. Considered the standard reference guide for flyfishing for decades, it went through nine printings by 1896. The illustrations in the book were exhibited at the 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition. Orvis has since published dozens of guide books, many written by fisherman Tom Rosenbauer, covering topics related to fishing, shooting, and outdoor lifestyle.

Company newspaper

In 1967, new Orvis owner Leigh Perkins started a company newspaper called The Orvis News. He hired ad executive Baird Hall to run the publication. After Hall retired, "Perk" Perkins became head of the newspaper, followed by Tom Rosenbauer. In 2010, the company launched the Orvis News website. It featured articles from experts on fly fishing, hunting, dogs, conservation, and travel, and also housed the company's podcasts.

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1359636752 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.