Don't Bother Shopping at Army & Navy Downtown-Shelves are Empty

Dogbreath

Well-Known Member
Talk about shock this was it- the store is 80% empty especially the shelves there's still a few fishing rods sticking out here & there.

The young clerk I spoke to said they stop buying stock in September-heckuva nice guy too bad he's stuck in an empty store you can tell he'd like something to do-him & the cashier both.

Look for yourself
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What a shame. Bought tons of stuff there in the late 70’s and 80’s. I go there from time to time still. Guess the time for bricks and mortar are numbered. One by one they’re closing.
 
I don't think Amazon has anything to do with this one. I suspect the biggest factor is the store's location. Not the greatest area of town and getting there isn't a lot of fun. Then there's the whole parking thing. Really, folks, how many of you would go down to the DTES to shop for fishing stuff?
 
I don't think Amazon has anything to do with this one. I suspect the biggest factor is the store's location. Not the greatest area of town and getting there isn't a lot of fun. Then there's the whole parking thing. Really, folks, how many of you would go down to the DTES to shop for fishing stuff?

I would/do.
Not that different from parts of Paris, Naples, Surplus Herby's Vernon and Kamloops, or Harbour Chandler Nanaimo.
 
I was just generalizing the Amazon issue. After all it is a big issue. If they are closing down I’m sure it has nothing to do with fishing. But it is sad to see. Dumpy as their stores are, they have been an institution for many generations.
 
I would/do.
Not that different from parts of Paris, Naples, Surplus Herby's Vernon and Kamloops, or Harbour Chandler Nanaimo.
Dunno - I've been to both Paris and Naples and I sure don't remember seeing any fishing supply stores in either. :)
And while I can't speak for Herby's, the many times I've shopped at HC, I haven't had to fight traffic and I've been able to park right beside the store.
 
I was just generalizing the Amazon issue. After all it is a big issue. If they are closing down I’m sure it has nothing to do with fishing. But it is sad to see. Dumpy as their stores are, they have been an institution for many generations.

I agree. Again, though, given what has happened to Department stores generally and those downtown particularly, it's not surprising.
 
Dunno - I've been to both Paris and Naples and I sure don't remember seeing any fishing supply stores in either. :)
And while I can't speak for Herby's, the many times I've shopped at HC, I haven't had to fight traffic and I've been able to park right beside the store.
Army Navy in Paris or Naples likely just sells white flags!
 
This is what the future looks like when the ENGO groups get what they want, and the new Salmon Allocation Policy is negotiated giving priority access to commercial. Get used to it. Your fishery is under attack. Perhaps the folks at A&N are just looking ahead and exercising their stop loss order.
 
Dunno - I've been to both Paris and Naples and I sure don't remember seeing any fishing supply stores in either. :)
And while I can't speak for Herby's, the many times I've shopped at HC, I haven't had to fight traffic and I've been able to park right beside the store.
Sorry, I thought we were talking about fear of sketchy urban people, not parking.
Got some cool knife jigs in Naples last year.
Only saw fly and carp stuff in Paris during my wanderings three years ago.
 
I was at the New West store a few weeks ago and didn’t notice any empty shelves. It could be just the downtown store that’s closing down??
 
As to that downtown neighbourhood I've been going down there for 40+ years and it's worse than ever-human waste/dried blood & vomit covered sidewalks combined with open drug use and dealing.

It's a nice distance by bicycle from my house in Kits so I like to stretch out a little around False Creek and maybe stop at Granville Island on the way back but my trips down to the downtown east side have been fewer & fewer this past year or so and that trend is bound to continue.

The clerk did say A&N were going to restock in the spring sometime and the first thing that pooped into my head was all the work of 'putting the store back up' weeks & weeks of monkeying around with pegs and tags what a PITA.
 
Speaking of the future you gotta scratch your head as 3 Vets in Vancouver closed and was sold to a developer for $24m last year. Crazy as the assessed value in 2016 was $6m, 2017 spiked to $12m with an annual tax bill of $90k.
Easy decision for the owners. With Army&Navy's 2 locations maybe with both areas under developed their business decisions are easy as well.
New Westminster was my go to place in the early 70's to pick up large hearing strip so I could troll around the sound with a strip teaser, a Chrome dodger and a 16 oz weight at 150 pulls. Scotty hand crank downriggers required a certification from a doctor b4 you could purchase one. LOL.Things have changed no doubt and with all this other stuff going on you gotta wonder what's next.
 
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As to that downtown neighbourhood I've been going down there for 40+ years and it's worse than ever-human waste/dried blood & vomit covered sidewalks combined with open drug use and dealing.

It's a nice distance by bicycle from my house in Kits so I like to stretch out a little around False Creek and maybe stop at Granville Island on the way back but my trips down to the downtown east side have been fewer & fewer this past year or so and that trend is bound to continue.

The clerk did say A&N were going to restock in the spring sometime and the first thing that pooped into my head was all the work of 'putting the store back up' weeks & weeks of monkeying around with pegs and tags what a PITA.

I don’t know how you guys live in those places man,, heck I don’t even like going into my town of 8,000 people it’s to big for me. I live 22 km from town I got 70 acres, my closest neighbor is 1/2 mile away and I’m looking to buy more land out of the way someplace so I can get away lol. Nothing in the world would make me live in a city or town, nothing.
 
All 3 stores have had crazy sales on witching the last year or so. Good stuff way way way cheap tomic,yamashita, ace highs and so on. Like 75-80% off. Me and a few buds stocked up for the next 100 years
 
Rental costs and taxes are driving many small business’s out of Vancouver. It’s just easier to sell property to a developer and let em build condos. We’re losing small business’s in droves. Also, A&N is the perfect location for a new Insight or to house the new B.C. Gov free heroin program. In fact when all hope is gone and we can’t fish or own guns, I’m thinking that free heroin program might not be a bad idea.
 
Is the Langley store getting rid of tackle as well? That's a nice store and I always walk out of there with too much tackle. I definitely understand why they would be getting rid of the New West and Vancouver store because of the value of that land and the current shape of the buildings, but the Langley store is in great shape and always seems busy enough to keep the doors open.
 
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