Tackle Shopping

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Dave
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One of my biggest failings is starting too many projects and not focusing on them. The bigger the project the smaller the likelihood of completion. This is one that sort of evolved, then fizzled out, took a new turn then got neglected but which I think might need resurrecting.

Fishing tackle shops are still predominantly family run businesses, but things are changing as throughout retail in general. However, these bricks and mortar stores do stock one item that on-line enterprises find difficult to supply - fresh maggots (although they are available through the post). There is also the social side to these shops. Some provide stools for customers to while away hours on, often accompanied by a cup of tea either from a machine or a kettle. This aspect of tackle shops is long standing. In 1929 Arthur Ransome wrote: “For there are two distinct kinds of visit to tackle-shops, the visit to buy tackle and the visit which may be described as Platonic when, being for some reason unable to fish, we look for an excuse to go in and waste a tackle-dealer's time. Of this the tackle-dealer is well aware. He knows, at once, as one of us comes through the door what kind of visit is intended.” And “The one that has come because he is going fishing. The other is there because, alas, he is not. The one wants tackle, the other a course of mental treatment. Such is the noble nature of tackle-dealers that in most cases he gets it.” It's still like that.

Back in 2010 I started annoying the staff and customers in the local fishing tackle shop where a friend of mine works part time by taking photographs. I've worked in the tackle trade myself for over 25 years, starting out as a part time shop assistant mostly as a self employed rod builder. What's got me thinking that I ought to get on with this was reading today that one local tackle retailer is in danger of being kicked out of his unit on an industrial estate should Aldi get planning permission to build a new store on the site.

To me there are two main things that need to be documented. The bricks and mortar shops and their owners, staff and customers, and perhaps premises which are no longer tackle shops. This to illustrate the changing face and breadth of the sector. The second thing is the life of a family run tackle shop and it's customers. There is a lot more to record such as the way even small retailers are using the internet to supplement their turnover, particularly through the 'lean winter months' as my former boss called them. Then there are older artefacts from earlier days like bait tubs branded by long defunct regional wholesalers - who couldn't compete with the economies of scale of the large national wholesalers. These regional wholesalers offered a more personal service, including weekly deliveries and the opportunity to collect small orders in person. There were other one-man-band wholesalers who operated out of a van in the way a mobile greengrocer does (did?). Times have changed and much of this is probably scantily recorded, if at all.

I don't think this project could be done with photographs alone. There would need to be a fair amount of explanatory text. My big issue is whether I have the commitment and drive to do this as I'm easily distracted and I'm not great at seeing things through (I've not dumped the poultry project though). The main thing I have going for me with this is that I have plenty of contacts. What I'm not sure of is how to structure things or what to do with it all if it gets completed. I'd feel a lot more confident if I could say to people "I'm doing this and it's going to end up as that." If it had a definite, concrete, conclusion. Instead of being a pie in the sky 'project' some idiot with a camera is doing for a lark which might be a couple of copies of a Blurb book or a box of prints, or more likely a stack of files languishing on a hard drive. If that makes sense.

Something makes me feel that this is important in some way, but at the same time all a bit pointless unless there is an outlet for it. Which probably means it'll continue to trickle along getting nowhere. Or maybe I should just write an essay about the tackle trade and illustrate it with some snaps!

Enough waffle. This is a Blurb book I did of some pics from the local shop - http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/7041119-t-h-e-t-a-c-k-l-e-s-h-o-p The pictures are in black and white to cover up a multitude of technical sins in order to give a uniform look across the whole from using unsuitable cameras at times. I'd do it all in colour if I was to go ahead as per this random selection - http://tackleshopping.blogspot.co.uk/

Some from the book:

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Some colour stuff from when I thought of documenting shops:

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Motivated after writing the above post I visited the shop that's under threat today. I needed something my local shop doesn't stock anyway which was a reasonable excuse. Unfortunately one drawback to trying to photograph a subculture (for want of a better term) which you belong to is bumping into people you try to avoid. On the other hand it means I have a reasonably good idea which dodgy characters might not take kindly to being photographed. One such walked in shortly after I'd arrived, which put me off my stride somewhat and I left without much progress made.

I still can't work out a way to structure this proto-project or exactly what to include in it.

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Stuff like tins of hempseed and snails seems normal to me, but I expect that to anyone outside the angling subculture it might be a bit weird!

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The thought provoking thing I got from these two shots is welcome fish to the capitalist world, when I fished it was sweetcorn from local supermarket, or a pounds worth of maggots from local tackle shop, just an observation.:)
 
It's certainly a lot more commercialised than it was when I started back in the early 1970s. A tin of corn in Asda is about 40p. A tin of corn in a tackle shop is nearer £2.00 than £1.00! I reckon you must be paying a premium for the fancy labels. ;)
 
This project has been bubbling under since my previous post, but has just taken a newturn. One of the firms I do repairs for is moving out of the building it has occupied for 42 years. This is partly to gain more display space and also because of the lack of parking for customers - often the reason for such moves. I asked if I could take some photos before the move, and as a result I got access today to the entire premises including a warren of a cellar, and an attic full of old display items and other junk accumulated over the years. Photographically it was difficult, firstly not knowing precisely what to expect or what I might need, secondly because it turned out to be very dark in places - forcing me to use flash (which I hate using)

This is a quiet time of year in the tackle trade so the footfall was minimal, meaning not much chance for 'people at work' pictures. While all the world and their dog seem to want fast lenses to get shallow depth of field I need them for light gathering and still wish I could get more in focus Hence using the hated speedlight today. Mind you, in some corners it was so dark I only found out what I was photographing when I reviewed the images!

I might have another session before the move. After that I'm hoping to take some pics of the empty shop, followed by some of the new one with the aim of producing a Blurb book for the owners and staff. It's an interesting little side project.

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I found a couple of crappy prints of crap photos I took back in the 1990s when I worked in a tackle shop the other day. Which left me wishing I hadn't been so parsimonious with film back then. But that, along with hearing of another tackle shop going up for sale this week has made me think I ought to get my arse into gear and push this project along.

The shop I worked in - now a book shop:

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It took me until April this year to finally get everything together to complete the Blurb book I had planned for the Fawcett's pictures. Along with some pictures of the new premises I also got to scan some pictures of the shop in its early days - which was what caused the delay. When everything was in place I got a proof copy for their approval. With that gained I was surprised that all the staff wanted a copy!

Despite the hold-up, having an end goal to work towards made this one of the more satisfying projects I've done.

Why I can't get motivated to do more on the bigger projects, as independent tackle shops continue to get taken over by a big multiple, I really don't understand. It could be with it being a trade I'm involved. In theory this should make it easier to get access (which I'm sure it would), but I find being close to or involved in something (or mybe no close enough?) makes me feel a bit awkward about taking photographs. I also prefer to use the photograph taking as a way to learn about things I'm unfamiliar with. Enough of the psychoanalysis!

Here are a some individual pictures and a couple of spreads. (I hope they display OK)



Although not fishing related the gun workshop was probably the most interesting part to photograph.





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Small world, I grew up in Lancaster and remember Fawcett's being there all my life. What I hadn't twigged was that it was their shop at Greenlands, when my lad wanted an air rifle for Christmas I went to the shop at Greenlands and frankly the customer "service" was so bad I ended up getting the rifle from Carlisle.

Anyway, another interesting project Dave
 
Small world, I grew up in Lancaster and remember Fawcett's being there all my life. What I hadn't twigged was that it was their shop at Greenlands, when my lad wanted an air rifle for Christmas I went to the shop at Greenlands and frankly the customer "service" was so bad I ended up getting the rifle from Carlisle.

Anyway, another interesting project Dave
Small world indeed.

Tackle shops (and gun shops too) can be a bit that way with unfamiliar faces. I knew of Fawcett's from the '80s as I fished with a few lads from Lancaster (who usually shopped at Bagnall's...) but got to take these pictures because I now do rod repairs for them.

I should do more with this one.
 
I particularly liked the B&W images in the first post.
The whiff of Tutti Frutti Boilies and Van Den Eynde Groundbait is strong in those photos.
 
I particularly liked the B&W images in the first post.
The whiff of Tutti Frutti Boilies and Van Den Eynde Groundbait is strong in those photos.
I hope those are frozen Richworth boilies you can smell. :D
 
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