Orvis, the iconic Vermont-based outdoor retailer that has outfitted anglers and hunters since before the Civil War, announced it will close 36 locations by early 2026.
The company, which started as a small fly-fishing tackle shop in Manchester, Vermont in 1856, is shuttering 31 retail stores and five outlet locations across the United States.
That is roughly half of its entire brick-and-mortar footprint.
Company President Simon Perkins pointed to an unprecedented tariff landscape as the driving force behind the decision.
The closures represent one of the most visible casualties yet of the current trade policies affecting American retailers.
For a business that has survived the Great Depression, two World Wars, and countless economic downturns, the current tariff environment has proven to be an insurmountable challenge to its existing retail model.
The Tariff Crisis
The Trump administration’s tariff policies have created a ripple effect throughout the retail sector.
Outdoor retailers like Orvis, which source equipment and apparel from overseas manufacturers, face significant challenges:
- 25% tariffs on many imported products
- Tariffs on Chinese goods reaching as high as 245%
- Unprecedented cost pressures squeezing profit margins
- Difficult choices between absorbing costs or passing them to customers
Perkins explained that the company’s business model faced a sizeable shift with the introduction of these tariffs.
For over 150 years, Orvis has been committed to being leaders in the outdoor space for customers and partners.
To ensure a durable brand for decades to come, the company made the difficult decision to rescale the business by tightening its product assortment and reducing its corporate store footprint.
But here’s the catch.
According to industry data, nearly 61% of sporting goods imported into the United States come from China, totaling $6.27 billion worth of equipment in 2024.
Mexico and Canada contribute an additional $746 million in sports equipment imports.
When tariffs hit these imports, retailers face an impossible choice: absorb the costs and watch profit margins evaporate, or pass them on to customers and risk losing sales.
Which Stores Are Closing
The closures will hit communities across the country.
Texas will lose the most locations, with stores in five cities shuttering:
- Austin
- Plano
- San Antonio
- San Marcos
- Southlake
Pennsylvania will see three closures in Downingtown, Haverford, and Plymouth Meeting.
Ohio loses three stores as well, in Cincinnati, Columbus, and Westlake.
Other states losing Orvis locations include:
- Alabama
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- New Jersey
- New York
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
The five outlet locations closing have not been specifically identified by the company.
The stores that will remain open include the flagship location in Manchester, Vermont, along with select locations in major metropolitan areas.
Cities like New York, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, and Phoenix will retain their Orvis stores.
This suggests the company is focusing on markets with the strongest customer bases.
A Storied American Heritage
Understanding what makes these closures particularly poignant requires knowing Orvis’s remarkable history.
Charles F. Orvis founded the company in 1856 in Manchester, Vermont.
He turned his hobby of rod building and fly making into America’s first mail-order catalog business.
That is 16 years before the famous Hardy brothers created their legendary British fly-fishing brand.
Charles Orvis patented the first vertically mounted and ventilated fly reel in 1874.
The design was so innovative that reel historian Jim Brown called it the benchmark of American reel design and the first fully modern fly reel.
His daughter, Mary Orvis Marbury, took charge of the fly department in the 1870s.
She published a milestone reference book in 1892 called Favorite Flies and Their Histories.
By then, Orvis had emerged as the country’s foremost authority on fly-pattern authenticity and style.
The company nearly collapsed during the Great Depression in the 1930s but was revived when Leigh Perkins purchased it in the 1960s.
Under Perkins family ownership, which continues today through third-generation owner Simon Perkins, Orvis became the world’s largest manufacturer of high-quality fly rods and reels.
In 1989, management expert Tom Peters named the Orvis fly rod one of the five best products made in the United States.
More Than Just Stores
The 36 store closures represent just the latest blow to Orvis employees and the communities they serve.
The company has made multiple workforce reductions:
- October 2024: 112 employees laid off (8% of workforce)
- June 2025: 50 additional employees let go (4% reduction)
- Ceased catalog operations, ending a tradition from the 1800s
- Relocated headquarters from Sunderland to smaller Manchester facility
Combined with the store closures, these moves represent a comprehensive restructuring of a company that once employed over 1,400 people at its peak.
The human cost extends beyond numbers.
These are not just statistics, but families who have built careers around a company known for its commitment to quality, customer service, and conservation.
Many Orvis employees have worked for the company for decades.
They were drawn to its mission and values as much as the paycheck.
Refocusing on Heritage
Orvis is not giving up.
The company is making a strategic pivot back to its roots.
Perkins announced that Orvis would be returning to its heritage and sharpening its focus on fly fishing and wingshooting.
These are the pursuits at the heart of what made the company famous.
That means reducing the lifestyle apparel, home goods, and gift items that Orvis had expanded into over recent decades.
The company still manufactures fly rods in Vermont, a point of pride that Perkins emphasized in his statements.
Looking ahead, Orvis plans to invest in three key areas:
- World-class gear and apparel for fly fishing and hunting
- Unforgettable experiences through its Orvis Adventures program
- Deep commitment to conservation efforts
Orvis will also lean more heavily on its wholesale partnerships.
The company works with more than 550 independent dealers across the United States.
It also partners with major outdoor retailers like Bass Pro Shops, Cabelas, and Sportsman’s Warehouse.
By focusing on these partnerships rather than maintaining its own stores, Orvis hopes to reach customers while keeping overhead costs manageable.
The Broader Retail Crisis
Orvis is far from alone in struggling with the current economic environment.
Retail layoffs spiked 274% in 2025.
Major chains like Joann Fabrics and Macy’s have announced significant store closures and workforce reductions.
The combination of tariffs, changing consumer shopping habits, and the ongoing shift to e-commerce has created chaos.
Industry experts call it the most volatile and unpredictable period for retail businesses in recent memory.
Eoin Comerford, former CEO of Moosejaw and current outdoor industry consultant, told reporters that tariffs are the only conversation happening in the outdoor industry right now.
Nobody is thinking about anything but tariffs and how to navigate this unprecedented trade environment.
The outdoor industry faces particular challenges:
- Most manufacturing has moved overseas over the past several decades
- Annual sports goods imports grew from $15 billion to $64 billion globally between 1996 and 2022
- Many American outdoor brands source from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Taiwan
- All these countries now face significant reciprocal tariffs
What Customers Can Expect
For Orvis customers, the changes mean fewer locations to browse and try on gear in person.
The stores closing at the end of 2025 will offer clearance sales.
But the personalized service and expert advice that Orvis employees provide will be harder to find.
Many anglers and hunters developed relationships with their local Orvis store staff.
These employees could offer regional fishing reports, hunting advice, and equipment recommendations based on local conditions.
The good news is that Orvis’s website and mail-order business will continue.
The company pioneered catalog sales in the 1800s and has maintained a robust online presence.
Customers can still access the full range of Orvis products.
The company promises to maintain its legendary customer service standards.
That is why the shift to relying more heavily on dealer partners matters.
Instead of driving to an Orvis store, customers may find Orvis products at their local fly shop or sporting goods retailer.
These independent dealers often provide the same level of expertise and personalized service.
They are deeply embedded in local fishing and hunting communities.
Conservation Continues
One bright spot in all this change is Orvis’s ongoing commitment to conservation.
The company’s conservation efforts include:
- Donates 5% of pre-tax profits each year to protect nature
- Over $20 million raised and donated in past 25 years
- Focus on protecting rivers from dam construction
- Support for grassroots conservation projects nationwide
Perkins emphasized that protecting the wild places outdoors enthusiasts love remains central to the company’s mission.
Even as the retail footprint shrinks, that commitment to conservation will continue.
For the 50-and-over generation that has seen environmental degradation threaten fishing and hunting grounds over the decades, this commitment represents something more valuable than any product.
Looking Ahead
The question now is whether Orvis’s strategy will work.
By cutting costs, focusing on core products, and leveraging wholesale partnerships, the company hopes to weather the tariff storm and emerge stronger.
The Perkins family has guided Orvis through challenges before.
The company’s 169-year history suggests a resilience that should not be underestimated.
But here’s the deal: the retail landscape has changed fundamentally.
Younger generations shop differently than their parents and grandparents did.
The experience of walking into a specialty retail store, being greeted by knowledgeable staff, and taking time to examine products has given way to online research, price comparisons, and doorstep delivery.
Even before tariffs complicated matters, many retailers struggled to justify the cost of maintaining physical stores.
For longtime Orvis customers, these closures mark the end of an era.
The experience of visiting an Orvis store, with its carefully curated displays of fishing and hunting gear, its knowledgeable staff, and its atmosphere of outdoor adventure, has been part of the ritual of preparing for fishing and hunting seasons.
That is what makes this story about more than just economics or tariffs.
It is about the loss of places that served as gathering spots for outdoor enthusiasts.
Simon Perkins has framed these changes as entering an exciting new chapter.
But for the employees losing their jobs and the communities losing their stores, excitement may not be the first emotion that comes to mind.
Yet Orvis has survived nearly two centuries by adapting to changing times while staying true to its core mission.
The company that Charles Orvis started in a small Vermont shop in 1856 has weathered bigger storms than this.
What remains to be seen is whether other outdoor retailers will face similar pressures.
If Orvis, with its strong brand, loyal customer base, and long history, cannot maintain its store network under the current tariff regime, how will smaller, less established retailers fare?
The answer to that question will shape the future of outdoor retail in America.