Angela’s Warehouse
When Angela Poile left school, there was really only one place she was destined to get a job, and that was at the family business her grandparents started back in 1976.
From humble beginnings the business started out as a wholesale bait business known as Tweed Bait with a little bit of retail fishing equipment, the retail fishing side of the business was then renamed to Anglers Warehouse, where her parents took over and her grandfather still runs Tweed Bait today.
Today Anglers Warehouse is one of the leading online fishing equipment stores, selling a huge range of all types of fishing equipment, from rods, reels, line, lures, knives and knife sharpeners – including the Nirey range of electric knife sharpeners – in fact any piece of equipment a keen fisher might need.
For thirty-eight years the iconic business was based in Wharf Street in Tweed Heads in Northern NSW, but just last November moved to new larger warehouse premises in Ourimbah Road, where, although 90% of the business comes from the online side, there is still a retail outlet open five days a week.
Angela and her partner Jedd are the third generation in their family to look after the business, taking over from Angela’s parents in 2013. They both know the business inside out, with Angela having worked there from when she was at school to today.
“We place a great deal of emphasis within the business on making sure we ship all orders as soon as we possibly can. We don’t need to use any sales gimmicks, we rely on good old fashioned customer service, which applies as much in the online world as in our retail shop.” explains Angela.
“We stay in touch with all of our customers personally as the business owners and we always aim to go the extra mile, helping out with advice and assistance when people need it.” they add.
They have seen fishing as a hobby and a sport evolve almost out of recognition over the last ten to fifteen years,
“Fishing is very trend orientated now. You’ve got to look the part and have the right gear. People are sharing their experiences and views on the fishing forums and social media. Today it’s all about who can catch the biggest fish on the lightest line.”
The latest trend they have spotted is ‘Micro Jigging’ – using ultra light rods and jigs with different techniques. They’ve also seen a move away from catching fish to eat – most fishers are now recreational only and catch and release, aware of the sustainability issues facing fishing stocks.
When it comes to knife sharpeners, Angela says the ‘go-to’ brand is the Nirey range,
“Luke from Total Knife Care came in and showed us the Nirey sharpener, we put them up online and they just took off.” says Angela. “We use a Nirey ourselves so we know it’s a great piece of kit.”
