Small is the new Big

Them:  "You should franchise Oyster or try and build your brand large enough to sell it."

Me:  "No."

20 years ago, we decided that making bamboo fly rods for a living was a good idea.  Why?  Why would we ever dream that our passage into adulthood commerce should be anything less or more than a simple choice regarding the direction of our lives?  Everyone else was doing it...not building bamboo fly rods necessarily but our "contemporaries per say" were getting out of school and jockeying for position obtaining jobs that seemed to make a serious impact on the remainder of their lives as well...at least it felt that way in your 20s. 

So, let's be brutally honest HERE.  Bill and I grew up in the 80s.  The honeymoon for "big, fast and cheap" was simply incubating with ambitions well beyond our imaginations.  By the time we finished college, disposable products that made an impression no matter how temporary dug in and enveloped our culture.

Bigger. Faster. Cheaper.

In some ways, the same mantra applied when most of us chose our careers.  It only made sense.   Following your dreams and ultimately doing what you love was just a bunch of bullshit told to you by well-intended strangers seemingly reserved for the three people we watched succeed at some obscure art in a documentary once and people with too much time on their hands the independently wealthy.  So, really...we were actually being guided all along not to explore our dreams but instead to ask ourselves..."What do we do to make as much money as possible as easily as possible so we can ideally pursue our true interests on weekends, paid vacations and just before we die if we are lucky enough to live that long?"

No memo here...

Except...we did not get that memo. And, honestly, we still do not know why we chose the smallest most ill-conceived hand crafted limited obsolete profession possibly on earth. And then MOVED to the smallest most ill-conceived ridiculous most obsolete little town on earth.

Bamboo fly rod making chose us. 

Blue Ridge, Georgia chose us.

Or should I say the overwhelming desire to pursue our lifestyle chose us. 

Small. Slow. Real.

We can all agree that times have changed over the past two decades.  Small businesses command more respect as does the craftsman and the virtuousness of the handmade item...not to mention bamboo fly rods in the fly fishing industry. 

In the beginning, fly fishing trade shows were the most effective way to reach potential clients.  The internet was still in its infancy and fly fishing was basking in "A River Runs Through It" Renaissance.  However, bamboo fly rods were not having any sort of "rebirth"...yet.   (see faster and cheaper reference...fly fishing was not immune either).

The "GO BIG" misconception mentality about our business was prevalent from day one.  We would sit at these trade shows in the 90s, 2000s and beyond and get giggled at receive (again) fatherly advice from the sympathetic (after they stopped giggling at our ambitions):

OLD school trade show photo!

Them:  "Hmmmm...you can only make money at this if you have the blanks made in China and use your name."
Me: "No."

Them:  "You should work for Orvis, Sage, Winston..."
Me: "No."

Them:  "You should move to Colorado."
Me: "That would be nice but...ummmm...no."

Them: "You cannot possibly do this on your own.  You should get a professional sporting or collectables representative."
Me: "No."

Them: "See...here is how you sell custom bamboo fly rods...make people wait...a really long time, limit their customization options because customers will kill you on those details.  You tell them what they want."
*editor's note* This sentiment was told to us repeatedly...really.
Me: "No."

Them: "Aren't you afraid if you share your knowledge of the craft with others...you will essentially be teaching your competition."
Us: "No."

And while this sounds like we say no a lot...we truly DO listen to our clients and have become a successful small business because we listen. 

You:  "Bamboo fly rod making...that looks cool.  Will you teach me how to make one?"
Us: "Yes"

You:  "Will you build a rod and tailor the taper specifically to the type of fishing I prefer?
Us: "Yes."

You:  "I need a very special rod built for a very special retirement/birthday/anniversary/holiday...but we need it soon.  Will you please try and squeeze us into your schedule?"
Us:  "Yes."

You:  "Is it possible to tell a story on my favorite bamboo fly rod?  Will you learn to hand engrave to forever preserve the legacy of such a heirloom."
Us: "Yes."

You:  "Will each and every one of your bamboo fly rods live up to your near "beyond reproach" standards aesthetically and performance related?"
Us:  "Yes."

You:  "Will you always push modern limits while preserving and respecting the tradition and heritage of the hand crafted bamboo fly rod?"
Us: "Yes."

You:  "Is it possible that you are exactly as you seem on your antiquated web site?  Are you indeed a small little shop on Main Street making awesome things while raising children underfoot in an absurd little mountain town in Georgia?"
Us: "Yes.  We are simply not savvy enough for smoke and mirrors."

Small. Slow. Real.

And while we do not aspire to have our logo cantilevered over any given highway peering out from any given strip mall...we do realize there is merit applied to starting a business alone for profit and growth.  We have just chosen lifestyle over a bottom line of any sort.  

Bamboo Fly Rods...

Unarguably the worst business idea ever.

However, the best lifestyle choice ever.

Small is the new Big.

Shannen

Facebook, oversharing and bamboo fly rods

POST! Okay...these photos belong on Facebook...my children and Kory with their bamboo fly rods and huge trout!

For years, Oyster Bamboo Fly Rod's marketing department (me) has deliberately "opted out" of the Facebook phenomenon.  Deliberate or not...and among other reasons, this marketing department (me) prefers oversharing the old fashioned way (face to face with a bottle of wine).


In fact, this blog (and if you are reading this...you know that it's fairly difficult to even find this link on our web site)  originally was a passive way to share our story a bit more in-depth with future students coming from afar.  Then, you (my flock...and you know who you are) talked me into digging a little deeper and I now must admit, I enjoy chronicling this zany little life that chose us. 

One of Oyster's first Facebook photos...Bill photo bombing Riley during a class...look close.

I see Facebook as a third party presence that looms over pop culture in most situations. I won't bore you with all of the "everybody's very own editable reality show" references but I will say integrating "camera courage" into our lives has been fun to watch from the safe haven of  an "observer" non-participant.  So far...

Is it "post-worthy" when horses regularly cruise Main Street?  Do others find this as amusing?

I have heard from Facebook bullies advocates for years concerning  the benefits of sharing your life online...

You can keep up with your friend's children.
I would love to but I have a hard enough time keeping up with my own!

You can reconnect with friends from your past.
See above...

Facebook allows you to play games online with your friends!
Really...

You can tell everyone "what's on your mind"...
Do you know me at all?  Because if you do...this is not a very good suggestion.

POST!

So, you know where this is going, right?

After much cajoling from the peanut gallery Riley, Oyster Bamboo Fly Rods went Facebook official a few weeks ago.  And, even though I do not use my personal account, this little company is personal. Period.  Now I must learn how to properly navigate all of this or just move forward and maneuver as always .  For Oyster, there is no other possible approach than to just put it out there...our genuine nature.  "Like it or not".

And then there is the cat and mouse game with the newest "age old" question:  

To Post or Not To Post!?!?  

POST!

So, will this be some conversion on my part about sharing my personal, private, professional and family self more readily with zeal and vigor?  Is this blog going to end in some cathartic revelation about the integration of Facebook into my life?  

Probably not.  However, I remain flexible on this issue.

One more confession regarding why Facebook makes Oyster Bamboo Fly Rod's marketing department (me) uncomfortable.  I was raised to keep my true personal feelings at arms-length.  Therefore,  begging asking for your approval on any level feels wrong unnatural.

So...

I'll employ my secret weapon (I hear animals and kids are a big hit on Facebook)

LIKE ME!

In a much more subdued voice...

please and thank you

10 reasons why I love my shotgun more than a diamond.

 While diamonds are presumably a girl's best friend...

my shotgun has become my BFF.

 

This blog needs no introduction.

10. Even if I gain 10 pounds, my shotgun still still fits!
9.   A diamond does nothing but just sit there and I swear my shotgun loves me back...it does.
8.   Having my shotgun "sized and fit" included a full round of sporting clays!
7.   I don't have to wait for a proposal or some special occasion to buy a new shotgun.
6.  You don't have to "take off your nice shotgun" when visiting a questionable area.
5.  It's much more fun to "dust clays" than simply "cut glass".
4.  My husband can engrave my shotgun.
3.  The beauty of a shotgun stock and receiver  is only limited by our imagination.
2.  My shotgun goes "BANG"!
1.   Regardless of the price or size of your shotgun, skill is the great equalizer.

Bamboo Fly Rods, Change and the Accidental Retailers

 “If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is compromise.”  - Robert Fritz

Late night in the shop...my class!

Over three years ago, we had outgrown our "cottage" inspired home workshop after a decade plus and needed more space immediately. So, with a three day old baby in the back seat, we set out to find a workspace that could fit our ever expanding family bamboo fly rod business.

While roaming around, we literally took a wrong turn down Main Street in our new hometown of Blue Ridge, Georgia.   Then, while trying to get off that one way street, the  former run-down "Dip n' Dots" in town and big "FOR LEASE" sign caught our eye.

"Yuk", I said.

"Ooooo...that's cool", Bill said.

"I am not cleaning it", I said.

"Let's call the leasing agent", Bill said.

"I am not cleaning it", I said.

A few minutes later...

"The agent will be here in 15 minutes", Bill said.

"Do you think the ceiling is supposed to be on the floor, Bill", I said.

"I'll see if we can move in Thursday", Bill said.

 "I am not cleaning it", I said.

After a mild negotiation and a professional cleaning, the run down old Dippin Dots in town was all ours...

And, by Thursday, we were ready to work.  However, there was a big surprise on the horizon...



New baby, locked doors and hanging tarps times.

Because we were on Main Street in the rapidly growing tourist area of Blue Ridge, Georgia, people would just walk into our shop...just come in as if they were entitled to some piece of us.  At first, this freaked me out so bad I locked the doors, hung up paint tarps in the windows and left out of the back door of the building so no one would even see me.  Okay, so I had just had a baby...give me a break.  For those of you unfamiliar...when you have a baby...you get a little crazy.  I am assuming there is no need to elaborate.

So, here we are...on Main Street trying to make bamboo fly rods for a living, bringing in students from all over the country to teach and raising  two small children all in a run down ice cream shop.


Bill And Henry Williamson in front of the shop

You know where this is going, right?  Eventually, we unlocked the doors, tarps came down and we used the front entrance instead of sliding in and out of the back unnoticed.



Doors unlocked...Oyster showroom

We were warming to the retail lifestyle. We renovated the shop (as much as possible), filled the "showroom" with "merchandise" and opened our hearts to the life of a retailer...sort of.   Most of all, we became part of something bigger than us...we stumbled upon a sub culture of fellow business owners, artists and group of dreamers like ourselves.

Main Street in Blue Ridge, Georgia is the true "Street of Dreams".

We are honored to be a small part of it.

My children are almost a science experiment (the children raised by Main Street).
 
When Bill called the leasing agent (who...by the way...as a direct result...is a dear friend of mine now), our lives made a drastic change.  

 Change is hard. 




Change leads to growth.




Growth is good.

As I sit in this "dump" for one of the final times, I can not help but remember...

...Roni has literally spent most of her life rolling around the floors beneath me.

...Cutter became a full fledged boy in front of my eyes here fly tying and breaking away.

...Bill's mother moved here from South Georgia after visiting and enriched all of our lives to infinity.

...Oyster Bamboo grew as a company in every possible way.

...Total strangers have walked through our doors and left as our friends.

...My own connection to my parents and my past deepens as a stroll Main Street remembering how we would visit here on a regular basis growing up.

...We have made friends...real friends...the kind you never expect to come your way as a grown up.

...Yogi spent his last hours in my arms here.

Riley and Quinn

 

...Just when I thought my heart could not grow any further, Riley, Quinn, Ian, Kara, Tristan and Molly the dog came into  our lives and proved me wrong.  We have them because they entered through our newly unlocked doors.



Quinn aka "SuSu"

So...why so nostalgic?

We are moving in our new space (four doors down) in the very short future and I can not believe I am about to say this but I am going to miss this place.  While I have affectionately referred to it as "the dump" for years, I now see it as a stepping stone of all kinds.

That wrong turn turned into something very right.

Go figure.

  





http://oysterbamboo.com/cast-and-blast-inn-blue-ridge-georgia-ga-oyster-bamboo-fly-rods.html