I've had the last couple of days off for Passover, so it's given me some time to get this blog together. My name's Darren, and I'm a sales coordinator for Jeros Tackle Co., Inc. based in Rahway, NJ, which is full disclosure, because believe you me, I will talk about our products quite often here. I am now officially on the road here in the Northeastern US, from Central Jersey to Maine as a sales rep, visiting tackle shops, distributors and other interested parties. It's been an interesting three weeks or so since I saddled up the Corolla and hit the pavement. I've watched gas prices go up about .70 cents on average, seen weather change from snow to today's heat wave, and witnessed more car accidents than you would believe possible. I've also met some the nicest, most down to earth people you'll ever come across at the various independent tackle shops along the Atlantic seaboard. It's one thing to see some of these men and women at distributor shows. It's another thing entirely to see them in their shops-- from elaborate multi-floor warehouses, to pegboard placed up in living rooms or garages--living out the American Dream of entrepreneurship. You want to find the true spirit of this country? Go to a barbershop, the Mom & Pop diner, and the local Bait & Tackle Shop. They face a real challenge, too. I was reviewing a list of shops with a distributor on Monday, and was shocked by how many had gone out of business within the past 5 years. Now, having been on the other side of the Retail equation for many years, I understand that time is money for these folks. I try to frame my visits to be as productive as possible without being intrusive. If they have the time, I'm prepared to go beyond the "business card/catalog" pitch and produce a quick in-store physical presentation that doesn't take up a lot of space. Skippy's Bait and Tackle in Laurence Harbor, NJ is a great example in the pictures below. Not only are they good people, but they also have three excellent Raritan Bay fishing piers virtually right on top of the shop. The stripers are biting there, so make sure you pick up Jeros Tackle's Pro Series, hooks and rigs hand tied with Seaguar Flouro-Carbon and Gamakatsu hooks. Skippy's running a contest right now, so I'd beat it down there and get in on the fun if I were you.