Joe, do you really think REI is hurting small flyshops? I've checked out their site, and it seems geared heavily towards beginners. Lots of basic how-to stuff and what not. Don't you think that by pulling more people into the sport, they're actually helping small flyshops? I mean, sure, I might order a thing or two from them from time to time, but a mail-order company -- be it REI or Cabela's or Orvis (all of whom I've ordered from) -- can never really replace the hands-on, local expertise of a good small flyshop. Seems like a synergistic relationship -- at least in my case, because I buy from both the big guys and the little guys, and the more I buy, the more I fish, and the more I fish, the more I buy...

Being that you own a shop, maybe you have a different take? Just curious...