When I take a moment to reflect on where we are and what we're facing as opposed to where we thought we'd be right now it feels surreal. I was supposed to be finishing up day 5 on the flats in Cuba, having David and the kids join me at the lodge tonight for dinner, finishing off my week of hosting at one of our favorite fishing destinations with our amazing Cuban friends, and then enjoying a week off with family.
Instead we're trying to cope - along with everyone else - with the roller coaster that is COVID-19.
This is a challenging time for everyone. Many of us are adjusting to working from home while trying to keep kids engaged and away from the constant allure of screens. We're scared about the unknown impacts to our careers, our savings, our businesses, our futures. We are realizing how much we value connecting with our friends, family, and business colleagues. And we're all walking the tightrope between trying to maintain some sense of normal and the current situation.
The trick here - at least for us - is trying to find a balance. This balance is something we've been struggling with. We have a deep sense of responsibility - to our families, our staff, our customers, our vendors, and our community.
To date,
- Fish Tales has cancelled or postponed all events in-store and off-site through mid-April.
- Until today we had stayed on course with regular business hours and operations while making it known we are happy to pick orders and have them ready for pickup to minimize a customer's time in-store.
- Today we shifted to shorter hours of 10-6 and are still offering the pick and pull service.
We have now made the decision to temporarily close the doors to customers beginning Saturday, March 21. This does not mean we are closed for business. It simply means we will not be having customers inside the store. To be frank, we need your continued support but we also need to continue doing all we can to slow the spread. This is not a decision we have made lightly but we believe it to be the right decision.
Calgary - in particular South Calgary - has some of the highest numbers of COVID19 cases in the country. Science shows that folks can be carriers but remain asymptomatic. And the scary reality is even with the current social distancing in place in Alberta, cases continue rapidly climbing. While COVID19 may not be severe for some of the population, it could be deadly for those who are elderly, asthmatic, immuno-compromised, recovering from cancer, etc...
Fish Tales is a social place. It's a place where friends come together and new friends are made. I've often said it's like the "Cheers" of fly shops. We’ve been practicing social distancing in the shop but we have at least three staff households with higher-risk family members and we’re seeing local cases continuing to climb, so we’ve made this decision for the health and safety of our Fish Tales familes and community.
As we continue to navigate this situation we - like all other small businesses - need your support. We need to be able to meet our commitments to staff and vendors.
Unfortunately at this time we do not have an on-line store. This is a project we had planned to - and will - work on this spring. That said, we are happy to shop for you via email, over the phone, through Instagram messenger, Facebook messenger, and Facetime, and we’ll evolve to use other technology if need be.
- If you have a list bring it to the shop and we will pull it while you wait outside.
- If you live in South Calgary and are in self-isolation call us and we will deliver free of charge.
- If you live outside of South Calgary we will ship to you - any order of $100 or more will ship free of charge.
We will continue to be on-site 10-6 throughout the week and 9-5 on Saturdays ready to pull orders and working on in-store projects. For the time being we will be closed on Sundays so staff can spend time with family.
We will also continue providing regular content on social media. Thank you all for your continued support. We are all in this together. Stay well.
Nancy/David & Staff
Mail to: sales@fishtales.ca
Phone: 403-640-1273 or 1-866-640-1273
Links to earlier COVID-19 blog updates.
10 Fly Fishing to do's during self-isolation
COVID-19 Updated Response (March 15)
COVID-19 Our response to date (March 14)