I created this little timeline for Oyster yesterday. I cannot remove the PDF bar at the top and I spent way too much time this so it has to find a “home”.
1998: little shop. Big heart
By 1998, we had a fully functioning 200 square foot, one man
bamboo fly rod making shop in the basement of our home
complete with sheet metal walls and a homemade hinky bench.
We sold our first custom rod and never looked back. By the end
of 2001, we expanded the shop to 1500 square feet including an
office, lounge area and 3 additional benches to spread out.
2000: the great equalizer
“Thanks to the internet, you no longer have to be the biggest,
If you are the best, they will find you.”
WWW.OYSTERBAMBOO.COM was born in 2000. This was the
year we opened our official on-line e-commerce site.
2003: CLASSES
“If I ever get truly adept at this…I am going to teach others.”
Bill made good on his promise and starting teaching
bamboo fly rod making classes. He started with a single
student. These classes take on a life of their own
2006: HAND ENGRAVING
When the Carter Center called and commissioned an Oyster
rod for President Carter, they requested a hand engraved
Presidential Seal, inspiring Bill to learn to engrave. This
turning point elevated the craftsmanship and LEGACY aspect of
Oyster rods to another level.
2008: WORKSHOP IN THE WOODS
In 2008, Oyster went all in...we built a
workshop B & B style for our students deep in
the woods of North Georgia surrounded by
nature and most importantly, trout.
2009: MAIN STREET
We quickly outgrew our little dream above “little red” shop
in the woods and knew the next natural transition was a
store front. And while we moved to Main Street for
professional reasons and more exposure for Oyster, we
ended up with a lasting community.
2012: THE HOUSE THAT BAMBOO FLY RODS BUILT
In 2012, Oyster completed construction on our 6000 square
foot brick and mortar that includes an expanded workshop,
showroom open to the public, offices and lodging for our
students staying with us for the week. The INN is situated
above the shop overlooking Main Street.
2018: 20 YEARS
2018 was a landmark achievement for Oyster.
We celebrated 20 years.
WE PERSEVERED.
We flourished in the struggle.
2019: SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
The Georgia Department of Economic Development named
Oyster Bamboo Fly Rods the Small Business of the Year (retail) for
the state in 2019. This was a particularly significant accolade
because making a successful business from a passion is a rarity,
let alone receiving mainstream recognition.
2023: 25 YEARS
Today, Oyster continues to thrive on Main Street,
in Blue Ridge, Georgia, with an unbelievably
talented crew of full-time craftsmen and
engravers. In addition to making the finest
bamboo fly rods, Oyster has taught more people to
Make bamboo fly rods than anyone in the world.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Oyster's original blog was on the oldie but goodie platform, Blogger, in 2009, before moving to WordPress. You may find a copy of this post on “The Bamboo Fly Rod Maker’s Widow” blog HERE. I have tried to preserve the integrity—or lack thereof—of each “Widow” post, especially to reflect the resources—or lack thereof—available at the time, as time and technology continue to freak me out evolve.