When Southland Outfitters opened its doors on Memorial Day Weekend, it marked the rebirth of one Atlantic Beach’s most popular spots for anglers looking to gear up for a fishing trip or stock a tackle locker for an entire season.
The new store has opened in Atlantic Station on West Fort Macon Road, which was the previous location of the old Outer Banks Outfitters, an Atlantic Beach landmark for fishermen for a number of years before closing after becoming a part of Boater’s World, which closed its stores a couple of years ago.
Owner Jarrett Thorne says Southland Outfitters was founded to offer anglers premier fishing tackle from the world’s leading fishing manufacturers at highly discounted prices.
“We buy large quantities of tackle direct from factories all over the world, thus eliminating several “middle men” along the way,” Thorne said. “Our company motto is ‘by sportsmen for sportsmen.’ All of us at Team Southland are lifetime anglers ourselves, and we get excited when we find a good deal on the fishing gear we use every day and are able to pass the deals along to our fellow anglers. We carry a full line of the newest and latest products.”
“We also work continually to buy highly discounted items for our store, so don’t be surprised to see great items at up to 90% off retail prices. While we have a constant flow of items to our store and our web-based operation, we move large amounts of products very quickly, so we do not know from one week to the next what kind of deal we may come across. That’s why it is imperative for our customers to constantly stay updated with us, because you never know what we might have brought in since your last visit.”
One thing is readily apparent when you enter the store…this operation is founded on the principle of customer-friendly service, because you’re met with a warm smile and a cheerful greeting, and Jarrett and his crew make it a point to provide knowledgeable answers to your fishing questions. And don’t be fooled…yes, these are young guys, but they know what they’re talking about! In fact, most mornings will find these dedicated anglers on the water before going to work, so not only can they pass along fishing reports and tackle tips from store customers, but they also can speak from very recent personal experience.
“Southland Outfitters was based on the idea of being able to fish more on less money, because we started out as simply a network of friends and family who loved fishing, but constantly found ourselves dumping our whole paychecks into fishing lifestyles. With the state of the economy and the ever-escalating prices at retail, we began looking for an alternative path to supply our fishing habits. We began by sourcing fishing gear and selling it from a trailer at the Raleigh Flea Market. Before long, we created our online store, starting what is now known as Southland Outfitters,” Thorne stated.
“Once we decided to open a store, this location was our first choice, because of its history with Outer Banks Outfitters. And, of course being able to blend our business and our love of fishing is quite a blessing,” he added.
“Our business goal is really quite simple: to offer quality outdoor products at the best possible prices. That means eliminating as many of the middleman markups as possible, selling in volume to get the best deals and providing an honest approach to our customers,” Thorne said.
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