Sadly, it’s Happening; Gander Mountain is Closing

About two months ago, we  got the news that some Gander Mountain locations were closing. At that time, it looked as if the Middletown and Kingston NY stores were going to make it. This week, we found out differently. It was announced that Camper's World had purchased all of the Gander Mountain stores and would begin closing 120 additional locations.

Sadly, that did include the Hudson Valley locations. As a person who has shopped at Gander Mountain Kingston, since the week that the store opened, this is especially sad.

Will you and I still be able to get fishing and camping gear online? Of course we will. But think about the people who are losing their jobs and the tax revenue that will once again be leaving the Hudson Valley.

Sure, I liked having a place that I could go play in tents, get hiking boots and buy beef jerky in the 'really big bag' (come 'on, you played in the tents too).

Where will you be able to go in to a store, pick a fishing rod off the rack and get the feel of it before taking it home? Gander is where I learned that an Ugly Stick is not just something that you thought people got hit with at birth, it is a brand of rod. Where can you just buy a few lures, a camp stove and the really thick wool socks?

Am I sad to see yet another business close their doors? Of course, I am sad for myself, for the employees and for every kid who will not have the pleasure of being taken fishing. Because when it is harder to get the supplies, more and more people will be excluded from a sport that isn't all about what you see on weekend TV fishing shows, it's about a sport that is passed down from family member to family member on weekend days, where it isn't about whether or not you actually catch a fish, it's about spending that precious time together as a family.