Read these, including the link, and tell me what I can do? I copied this from a fly fishing forum so pardon the way it may appear when I cut and paste it into the email. Last year Jon Emmons and I witnessed an spectacular hendrickson spinner fall right in front of this shop at about 9 in the morning. They are in trouble and I need advice on what would be good to do for this benefit? This shop is our first stop when coming into grayling.
Hey all. The Trout Bums BBQ may become history. Follow this link and help if you possibly can. www.stevesfriends.com and Hi Jackster, I have attached an e-mail I recieved from Steve recently which may help explain. By the way, these are some quality individuals that have done enormous things for the area, the AuSable in particular, and for fly fishers. The Trout Bum Bar-B-Q is a tradition in the eastern US especially since the Grayrock Rodmakers Reunion is normally run along with it. Here's the e-mail: The view from our perch on the banks of the AuSable in uptown Grayling.a personal message from Steve & Cecilia Southard and family. Fall is in the air here in the north. The trees are beginning to show autumn's bright colors, bird hunters are afield; it's an excellent time to partake in cast & blast. The streams are in great shape, albeit a little low, but hopefully fall rains will bring the river levels up and offer some great opportunities for streamer fishing and to chase the brookies as they come into their brilliant spawning-season colors. This is also the time of year for us here at the shop to catch our breath, reflect on the season just passed and to begin to look forward to and plan for the coming year and into the future. This coming April 28th will mark the beginning of our 25th year here at Ray's Canoeing & The Fly Factory. What an interesting 24 years it has been! Being "up north", on the AuSable, has always been an important part of my life. Until 1979 our family home was on a bay of Lake St. Clair but we didn't even own a boat as virtually all of our recreational time was spent first camping, then later at the family cabin, above McMasters Bridge on the AuSable mainstream. Some of my favorite boyhood memories are of the nights spent with my Dad on the river at night fishing the Hex hatch. I've never regretted leaving my position as an officer in the operations area of National Bank of Detroit and cutting short my college education at Wayne State to make the move north. Yes, there have been bumps along the way.plenty of them in fact! But it has been a thrill and a privilege to be involved in a business with such a rich tradition and history. The opportunity to participate in addressing important issues affecting the AuSable and Manistee watersheds has been very gratifying. I've always considered the highest form of free enterprise to be the situation when you do the "right thing," that is, to give something back [to the resource in our case] AND you are also able to support your family. I've tried to live and work by that credo. We count among our blessings the many great friendships made and, more than that, the support that you have all given us over the years here at the shop. On a personal level, if I'd not have made the move north I wouldn't have met Cecilia Zuker [Southard] at the Holiday Inn's Speak Easy Saloon, clearly the best event in my life! She has been a more wonderful life-partner than I can adequately express with words. While the past 24 years have been a great ride, the future, in terms of our business, is a little clouded at the moment. If you've been through the shop recently, you may have noticed that inventory has been "down". If you've recently visited the TroutBums.com web site, you've noticed that there have not been frequent/recent updates. We feel that we need to let you, our friends and customers, know what's going on. In recent years we have dealt with trying family issues related to the care of and passing of my parents. Many of our generation have already faced this situation or will do so in the near future. My wife and kids were extremely helpful and supportive in helping to provide 100% care for my mom in our home for two years during the closing chapters of her battle with Alzheimer's [with a critical and most-welcome assist from the wonderful folks associated with the Hospice program]. I am grateful that we were able to give mom loving care at home and that our children fully participated in providing that care, learning a very meaningful life-lesson. Our first twenty years in business were not a piece of cake but we were moving constantly forward with, at the least, incremental gains and improvements from year to year; there was a plan with viable options geared toward continuing that trend. However, while mom was with us, I found that I was not up to the task of both being a care provider and also giving our business the attention and effort that were required. The inertia of our upward business trend was broken during that 2+ year period, a critical factor with any business, but especially so with a very-seasonal business such as ours is. The lingering economic downturn since 9/11 has exacerbated circumstances. Cash flow, the lifeblood of any business, and especially so with a seasonal business, has become a major issue for us. We are now facing, at least in the short term, a very difficult business/economic situation. Operating Ray's Canoeing & The Fly Factory, renewing the many wonderful relationships we've established over the years, helping to address critical resource issues, supporting the fundraising efforts of many conservation organizations, and our involvement in the annual Trout Bum Bar-B-Q.all of these things have become integral parts of our family's way of life. We want you to know how much we appreciate the outstanding support from you, our many friends and customers, over the past 24 years. Given the realities of running a small business, we would not have made it this far without you! While the future is somewhat uncertain and we don't have in hand a final solution to our short-term difficulties, you can be sure that we are working hard to make it through the tough times and find a way to stay right here, in the landmark half-log building on the banks of the AuSable in uptown Grayling. We hope to be here not only to have you join us in celebrating our 25th anniversary next spring, but for many years to come! If you find your way north during the coming fall and winter seasons, we hope that you will take a few minutes to stop by the shop and say "hi." If you can't make it by the shop, we hope you'll at least check in at our TroutBums.com website. As we work our way forward, in the coming weeks you can look for updates to TroutBums.com, including the latest good news about the Grayling Stormwater Management Project, new articles from our great line-up of column contributors and last, but not least, the initial roll-out of our TroutBums.com e-commerce section later this fall. In any event, we hope to see you at the Midwest Fly Expo in March, 2004, or in the shop and on the stream next spring. With Warmest Regards, Steve & Cecilia Southard, Katie, Luke & Andrea What can I do to help this situation?
