Saw people on Facebook say that as of today ALF is closed and all employees were laid off. The original owner died about a year ago and the kids were running the show (terribly judging by recent reviews). 

I’ll tell you in a couple hours.  I’m on my way to Evansville for a work trip and was going to swing in this afternoon,

that's a bummer, they were a go-to for a while.

That explains why I've been waiting since March for a rod if so. Used credit from trade ins for it too so pretty sure thats money down the drain for me now. 

You can’t get them to answer thier phone or email, makes sense they closed.

Tom

They were one of my mainstays - all the used gear I got, I got from them. Including a couple of my Victory rods. They'll be missed by me at least.

Tom Ashby passed on 31-December-2022.. after this, it’s been trending downwards and I don’t know why exactly. I’ve been there several times and still have several emails conversing with Mr. Ashby. 

ALF had ads running for Phenix and Dobyns rods I tried to buy the Phenix rod but couldn’t get anyone to reply by phone or email, that was 2 weeks ago.

Now I know why. They need to update their contact info informing they are out of business! The ALF site is still up and running!

Tom

Ordered a NRX+ from them a little over a year ago.

 

They worked with me on the price and I thought the entire experience went great.

 

Seems like this year things seemed to be going south based on other reviews I was reading.

 

Too bad, never like to see businesses close and people losing jobs.

While everything they sold was available elsewhere, their trade-in program will be a big loss for everyone who has taken advantage of it over the years.  

Sad to hear!! I've bought A LOT of new and used rods and reels through them, as well as trading in a handful.

 

They were only about 1:1/2 hours south of us, so we would run down there every so often, get some lunch somewhere, maybe some ice cream at Cold Stone, then stop by ALF to look around.

 

Always liked going there and looking through the used stuff!!

A few months ago I tried to order a Megabass rod and it showed in stock but I was then told it was on backorder and would ship from the manufacture. That was not the case. I had to wait a week for a refund which prevented me from ordering a rod from someone else.

 

It's shame though. They had a good thing going. 

I swung past on my way to dinner tonight.  They are normally open until 6 and it was 5 when I got there.  All locked up.  Sign on the door says “temporarily closed” whatever that means.  

 

 

 

d**n. that sucks. I've ordered a few Loomis rods from them over the years up here to Canada because I couldn't get them anywhere else. They had just about every Loomis rod made in stock. 

I’ve got rod tubes from them spanning the last 5 years. Not fun to see them go but the founder is gone. Hard to keep the dream alive when the guiding force isn’t there. I really hope those who are waiting on orders get their money back. 

I didn't know Mr Ashby had passed away.  I bought rods from him prior to the Superstore.  He used to run 'Pogo's Place' circa 2002.  Definitely sad.. his family/staff should have been a well-oiled machine at this point 🤷‍♀️.

I’ve bought several GLoomis rods at extremely  good deals. Hate to see such a great service end. Truly “your dream is not mine” holds true for many a family business.

21 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

I swung past on my way to dinner tonight.  They are normally open until 6 and it was 5 when I got there.  All locked up.  Sign on the door says “temporarily closed” whatever that means.  

 

 

 

Dang. That’s too bad. It’s never nice seeing a business go belly up. 

Someone will pick up their inventory watch for sales!

Tom

I bought 4 rods and 2 reels from them this year, along with line and a few baits;  sorry to see them go.  Sometimes in situations like this, former employees will find a way to purchase the business;  that takes time.

The sad part is that many family owned business like this one will go under with all the price increases we've seen it during this year, Fishing equipment has been slammed with high prices and that for sure hits their bottom line and the ability to keep their business running. 

 

 

Yeah this is very bad news.  I ordered all my rods/reels through them, especially considering the used selection discount.  I had a lot of points and also gift cards...

This is a shame. ALF had great customer service and promotions. 

21 hours ago, Tackleholic said:

Sometimes in situations like this, former employees will find a way to purchase the business;  that takes time.

 

Might explain the "temporarily closed" sign.

 

Hopefully this happens.

 

The more competition in the market the better.

I hope they can bounce back from this.  That explains why the used section seemed like it was abandoned.  ALF has been my go to for used gear for years.  A good portion of my gear has been sourced through them. very sad to hear this.