As a kid I remember the big adventure traveling from the Island on BC ferries to visit my Aunt and my two cousins on the mainland and being introduced to the Army and Navy store for the very first time at the age of 9yrs. I was already a fishing fanatic, built up over a few years from the age of three. I had six years of pro master sunfish, trout and salmon angling under my belt and was ready for the next big fish. I had no idea what this retail store was about...it was all very boring to me, that is until the very second that I discovered the basement. I thought that I had died and arrived in heaven... FISHING TCKLE. All of my vacation money gone in less than an hour. I loved that place. Part of my history & who I became. I have not been to an Army and Navy store in the past few decades, but man do I have memories from the previous decades before them. One by one the iconic angling havens of our local communities are vanishing. As are the brands of quality and ever so reliant knowledge base. Sad.
