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NJ small business spotlight June 2009 Giglio's B&T Sea Bright
I stopped in this morning, and it was like going back in time. It was an honor to meet Ernie Giglio, and his son Tom. The old Giglio's was a piece of NJ tackle shop history, and I hope the new place can make it and thrive.
These are tough economic times for tackle shops and any place that caters to people who fish. Tough competition from internet sources, customers that want everything "yesterday" 
, because of their reliance on ther internet and the nano-quick service demanded by the modern patron.
Rising rents and real estate prices in some of the areas these tackle shops are located, together with big box retailers like Walmart, Bass Pro, and Cabela's, are pushing these small guys out of business faster than ever before.
But where at Cabela's, Bass Pro, or Walmart can you get a clerk to tell you how to rig for the fish they're catching today, or caught last night?
Where at the above stores can you go to talk about the best time to get the fish, or where you might at least try, to have a chance of success, rather than the skunk? 
You can't!
You can only get that info at the local tackle shops, and, for some people, on the internet. 
There is nothing like the service that a local tackle shop, that is in tune with its customers wants and needs, can provide. Nothing. 
So when ya get a chance, stop in and say Hi! 
to Ernie and Tom, give them a good luck dollar for their wall, enter the contest for the free weekly plug giveaway 
And above all, don't be afraid to linger and BS with the guys.
(Side story... I walked in there this morning with studded wading boots on, and Ernie stopped me at the door...
Ernie: Hey you're wearing creepers, I don't think you can come in here with those...Tom do you think he can come in here?
Tom: Hey guy, I'm sorry, we just had the floors refinished, maybe you should take those off.
Me: Hey Ernie, what are "creepers"? You call them creepers?
Ernie: Yup, that's what we call em, what do you call em?
Me: I guess you're right, that's what the old timers called them. 
Only the younger generation started calling them Korkers after the company that made them.)
Understanding that the knowledge of this shop, and the men inside, pre-dated Korkers, made me realize I was in the right place. These are the guys who fished before they HAD fancy equipment, $400 rods, and $800 reels, and fancy studded shoes to walk the rocks. 
These are the guys who took old boots, brought them to the shoemaker, and asked him to glue on the modified bottoms of golf shoes with the studs, to make an ancient version of the mass produced Korkers we can buy today with a quick credit card payment.
These are the guys who fished when it was WORK to catch a 50, and you had to go all over in search for them. There was no internet back then, all the fishing knowledge and info was shared around the counter of the tackle shops, IF you were lucky and happened to be there when the sharpies came in.
And back them they didn't call themselves sharpies, they would smack ya on the head if ya even used that term.
They were just guys who fished.
And fished because they loved it, and loved the sport, and loved the catch, and the challenge of using the ancient gear to land the big one.
These were the fishing heroes of yesteryear. At least they were mine. And it all starts again with the re-opening of Giglio's.
When Ernie said I was wearing creepers, I felt at home.
Stop by and say Hi to Ernie, Tom, and the guys who are starting to hang out there. The surf community is a small world. You never know who you might meet in there. 
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Giglio's Bait and Tackle
1123 E Ocean Ave
Sea Bright, NJ 07760
732- 383-5375
E-Mail: GIGLIOSBT@yahoo.com
Hours: (Opened May 16, 2009)
After Memorial Day:
6am - 5 pm Weekdays
6a-8p Weekends (once they get some extra help to fill in, they will be open till 8. See Tom if you have experience and are interested in part-time work)
Background:
Owned & operated by Ernie and Tom Giglio, a father and son team who took over the family business from relatives who have a long history of operating and serving the needs of NJ fishermen.
Details:
Over 40 years in the tackle business, on and off. They used to be owned by two brothers, Armand and Artie Giglio. Armand died, and then Armand's son Jimmy stepped in to give Artie a hand with the shop.
Artie had a stroke, and Ernie came in to help Jimmy. When the rest of the family wanted to pursue other things, Ernie and Tom bought it from them, to keep it in the family.
In the meantime, the building changed hands, and it was sold to local people, who doubled the rent on the Giglios. They could no longer afford to make a profit at the rent they were paying, so they had to close up shop.
Meanwhile, Tom continued to have dreams of opening the shop again, and worked a small part of it from Avon. The space became available again as the building changed hands. The rent was more reasonable, and Tom and his Dad Ernie jumped at the chance.
What they stock:
The same stuff you can get in any tackle shop, but they're just starting out, so their inventory is building.
Nonetheless, they are fully stocked with all the basics any surf guy could want, and then some. The prices are fantastic! They have a full line of Aquaskinz surf bags, and are starting to build their rod inventory.
When I remarked to Tom today that he had cheaper prices than a lot of the painfully high prices in the area, he said:
"We want to be back in business, and are serious about it. We're not making a lot of money at these prices, but we hope to do well on volume, we want lots of volume, and our prices are very reasonable to encourage that."
Some of the price ranges I saw:
Custom plugs in the $17-22 price range.
Gamakatsu hook packages for the $2-3 range, very nice.
Fin S products, Storm shads, and Tsunami shads for prices that rival some of the online sellers of these products.
Bombers and plastic lures selling at no more than the manufacturer's suggested retail price. Imagine that!
Some basic reels at decent prices, and they are lining up some of the premium reel manufacturers.
Stay tuned and keep asking your VS and Zeebass rep when they're going to put Giglio's as an authorized distributor. Customer inquiries at these places always help, and will quicken the process for Giglio's to start carrying these reels.
Business Edge:
I asked Tom this question, what was his business edge?
He thought about it a second, and said: We are all about stripers, and the surf. If the surf guy needs or wants it, we will try to have it in stock, or we can get it quickly.
Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...,0.027466&z=15
For any small businesses out there that want to be included in our "Small Business of the Month" promos, contact us at www.stripersandanglers.com for details.
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Wall of Fame! 70's and 80's pics of big bass.
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Starting to build the inventory of custom plugs, Gibbs and Lex now displayed.
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Plastic-palooza! Ya know you're gonna fish those rocks and lose a few, when you lose plastic and rubber it doesn't hurt as much as custom wood.
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50# club! 
Buck Dankiw 1965
George Miller 1967
Ed Calli 1967
George Decker 1967
Frank Petillo 1974
Bill McFadden 1974
Gilroy Reidinger 1974
Al Pavich 1975
Bill Chirnish 1975
Rick Abele 1978
Mike Holwitz
Brian Wilson
Mike Holwitz (Mikey hit it twice)
Gilroy Reidinger (Gilroy hit it twice)
Richard Bord
Ron Sickler
Bill West 1983
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Fin S for $3.25
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Customer service at it's best
I want to share a story about this guy, Tom Giglio, who I met today for the first time. On the way home after leaving his shop, a fanatic surfcaster friend called me with a fishing report. I mentioned I was doing the promo on Giglio's. Here's the story he told me:
"I have nothing but nice things to say about those guys. I remember the old man (Ernie) from 20 years ago when I used to go in the old shop. They are the nicest people, and they take the word "service" to the N'th degree.
I had a friend go in there to get some braid put on his reel by Tom. My friend had some mono backing on the reel, and Tom, following his instructions, attached the braid to the mono, and sent him on his way.
My friend had a few wind knots with his braid and some other issues, and ended up losing some plugs while he was casting.
All this was his fault, it wasn't Tom's fault, my friend is the one who put the mono backing on, and he probably had too much of it, resulting in less room for the braid.
After we fished one day, we went back to the shop, and my friend mentioned it to Tom. Even though it was my friend's fault, Tom accepted responsibility, apologized, and stripped off the old braid, re-spooled with new, removing some of the old backing, and set him up good as new.
In addition, Tom threw in a few lures to my friend to make up for the plugs he lost.
He didn't have to do that. As I said, it was my friend's fault. But Tom is the kind of guy who is all about customer service, and I really want him to succeed, because they deserve it. We NEED a shop that shows customers they value their business."
I got some more feedback from another guy I know:
"Yeah, i know Giglio's opened again, it's a great place to go and hang out. I have a friend who doesn't like to go home when he's done fishing, he likes to hang out. He goes to that place all the time, and they never throw him out, or make him feel he's in the way, like some other tackle shops do. He told me he feels at home there"
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So there ya have it guys, seems like Giglio's is back with a fresh new face, but with the old principles of customer service still intact.
Check them out when you're in the area, they won't throw ya out of the place, unless ya come in wearin Creepers! 
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Dark, that is an incredible post about that shop. I think you have outdone yourself this time!
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Great writeup ds, I will have to stop by the next time I am in that area.
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You did an excellent job on that story, Darkskies. Giglio's was the place to go for real information on what they were catching, way back when. I hope they do well, they deserve it.
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Hey guys stop by there and get your Giglio's pen, while they last.
I was in there the other day and took some pics of old shop photos they had in there. I'll post them when I get a chance.
Giglio's is rapidly becoming a place where a lot of hardcore fishermen stop by, step in there early one morning and you'll see what I'm talkin about.
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Stopped in today just to look around, I knew they had opened back up. I ended up picking up a pair of korker sandals, and at a good price. Stayed in there for a little while and talked with Tom and another customer that was waiting on things he ordered. Tom was great to talk with, not pushy, and very friendly. Even gave some true feedback on products that you would think were of good quality based on price. I will visit their shop again.
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Dark, that was an excellent write-up. I'm definitely going to pass by Giglio's. I need to load-up on some plastics, and Plugs. I wish them a lot of success.
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I stopped in the other day and talked to Ernie for a bit. Ya can't beat their prices, and the service is outstanding. Right now they have a deal on Korkers for $55.95.
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I stopped in there this morning on my way home and got some Ava jigs. They have great prices.
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go to Giglio's for all your St Croix needs
Just a head's up that Giglio's is now letting guys "try before they buy" . Go in there and talk to them about either a St Croix Legend or Mojo. They will let you try it for free in the surf. Can't beat a deal like that. Ask for Tom.
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I took Rip in there this morning, introduced him to Ernie Giglio.
What a piece of history that place is, and Ernie is full of sound advice. There was an angler in there who was talking about the New St Croix Mojo and how he hated the action on that rod with braid. Ernie, full of honesty and candid advice, asked him what braid he was using. When the guy gave his answer, Ernie said:
"Well that's your problem right there, ya can't use ____Braid on that rod! Bring it in and we'll straighten it out for ya"
They don't make businessmen like that anymore. Stop in Giglio's and take a step back in time...you'll be glad ya did.
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