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Gone fishing: Cliff's Bait & Tackle closing

By DIANNE SMITH
Special to The Gazette
There is a saying that reads "All good things must come to an end," and the lyrics of a popular old-time song read, "To everything there is a season."

And so it is that after serving the community for more than 38 years an end of on era now comes as Cliff and Helen Gollon have decided to call it "quits" as they announce the closing of Cliff's Bait & Tackle in Plover effective Monday, Aug. 2.

Cliff and Helen came to the then small community of Plover more than 38 years ago, choosing what they felt would be a prime location to establish Cliff's Bait & Tackle. Their decision was a smart one as have been many of their business decisions, since the location proved an ideal place for their business which became very prosperous.

For nostalgia buffs, when Cliffs Bait & Tackle first opened, the road in front of the bait shop, now Post Road South, was then Highway 51 South - only two lanes and there was no bypass in the area to route highway traffic around the city. A popular go-cart track operated on the location which now houses Bank One of Plover, The area now occupied by the former Econo Foods Store and other business developments in the area, hosted the 51 Outdoor Theatre - popular for buck night and jamming as many people as possible into a vehicle just to get into the movies cheap.

Also in that area was a little root beer stand, complete with carhop service. To the north, Blue Top Supper Club was a drive-in root beer stand with an attached coffee shop and the area people now dine in was an area where people drove their cars within and awaited the service of a carhop. Plover was a small town when the business was established and it has now grown into a fast-growing village with water, sewer, huge developments and significant population growth.

Hickory Drive, located to the north of Cliff's Bait & Tackle was a short dead-end road surrounded by acres and acres of farming cropland, complete with cows. This some area has now been developed with the former dead-end street now a regular street, which intersects Seventh Avenue. The former cropland has rapidly developed and is now a busy subdivision and housing complex. A small church was a beacon for the community spotlighting the location of Plover as people came into the community on Highway 54 - that beacon is now gone.

Fishing licenses were issued in handwritten format and cost about $3.25. Now the Department of Natural Resources license process is handled strictly by computer.

The changes, which took place also brought about changes in the population Cliff's Bait & Tackle served. When Cliff and Helen opened their shop, they worked the shop themselves with the help of their three daughters. As time went on and their daughters married and left home, grandchildren - all of them from youngest to oldest - later came to help out their grandparents. And just as their children/grandchildren worked in the Bait & Tackle Shop with their parents/grandparents, so have the faces of the customers changed.

Toddlers who once accompanied parents and grandparents on fishing trips, now visit the bait shop as grown adults with children and grandchildren of their own. Cliff and Helen are proud of the fact that they are now serving the fourth generation of fine people in the community.

Cliff's Bait & Tackle began in a small shop with a cigar box rather than a cash register - and notepads and pens rather than an adding machine.

Today that small shop is a well-established business running with two cash registers. As the demand for newer and larger items developed and as tackle providers developed and introduced wider lines of tackle, Cliff's Bait & Tackle also expanded to meet those needs, having expanded their shop three separate times to the size it is today.

Among memories and highlights of the past are the bait shop serving as the "set" for a Point Beer commercial, recognition for various floats entered in local Golden Sands Festival parades and the hundreds of friends they have made over the years. Helen's command of the Polish language brought many an old-timer to the shop for a purchase and a lengthy visit in the native language they so enjoyed. The many customers who have visited the bait shop these past 38 plus years are looked at as good friends, rather than just customers. Personal attention and treating their customers like Cliff and Helen themselves would like to be treated was always their first goal. In this rapidly expanding and growing business world, it is difficult to find the personalized service, attention and concern as had been exhibited at this establishment. One couldn't help but feel like a friend once meeting these fine people and visiting this well-stocked, interesting shop.

With a lifelong love and dedication to fishing and a commitment to those who love fishing in the community, Cliff and Helen made a decision to still serve the community by meeting its fishing needs, while still enjoying retirement years. They have vowed not to leave people in the area with bare hooks. To that end, they will continue to provide live bait and terminal tackle items by way of their well-lit and highly secured self-service room attached to their current business. This self-service room is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and hosts a complete line of live bait and terminal tackle supplies to meet the needs of the average fishing buff.

Cliff and Helen have no plans of selling their residence or moving out of the area. Their future plans include traveling, spending time with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As for what else they will be doing, they will be out and about enjoying fishing on riverbanks and at boat docks and enjoying retirement just as many of their customers are currently doing, as well as travelling and gardening. Their family is looking forward to enjoying the company of Cliff and Helen without the restriction of the bait shop, just as much as Cliff and Helen are looking forward to being able to spend time with their family doing many of the things they have been unable to do.

And now, with all of this said and done, Cliff and Helen Gollon take this opportunity to say a sincere "Thank You" to all of the fine, dedicated customers/friends they have had the pleasure of serving these past 38 plus years and wish everyone, "Good Fishing!"



	Gone fishing: Cliff's Bait & Tackle closing By DIANNE SMITH Special to The Gazette There is a saying that reads "All good things must come to an end," and the lyrics of a popular old-time song read, "To everything there is a season." And so it is that after serving the community for more than 38 years an end of on era now comes as Cliff and Helen Gollon have decided to call it "quits" as they announce the closing of Cliff's Bait & Tackle in Plover effective Monday, Aug. 2. Cliff and Helen came to the then small community of Plover more than 38 years ago, choosing what they felt would be a prime location to establish Cliff's Bait & Tackle. Their decision was a smart one as have been many of their business decisions, since the location proved an ideal place for their business which became very prosperous. For nostalgia buffs, when Cliffs Bait & Tackle first opened, the road in front of the bait shop, now Post Road South, was then Highway 51 South - only two lanes and there was no bypass in the area to route highway traffic around the city. A popular go-cart track operated on the location which now houses Bank One of Plover, The area now occupied by the former Econo Foods Store and other business developments in the area, hosted the 51 Outdoor Theatre - popular for buck night and jamming as many people as possible into a vehicle just to get into the movies cheap. Also in that area was a little root beer stand, complete with carhop service. To the north, Blue Top Supper Club was a drive-in root beer stand with an attached coffee shop and the area people now dine in was an area where people drove their cars within and awaited the service of a carhop. Plover was a small town when the business was established and it has now grown into a fast-growing village with water, sewer, huge developments and significant population growth. Hickory Drive, located to the north of Cliff's Bait & Tackle was a short dead-end road surrounded by acres and acres of farming cropland, complete with cows. This some area has now been developed with the former dead-end street now a regular street, which intersects Seventh Avenue. The former cropland has rapidly developed and is now a busy subdivision and housing complex. A small church was a beacon for the community spotlighting the location of Plover as people came into the community on Highway 54 - that beacon is now gone. Fishing licenses were issued in handwritten format and cost about $3.25. Now the Department of Natural Resources license process is handled strictly by computer. The changes, which took place also brought about changes in the population Cliff's Bait & Tackle served. When Cliff and Helen opened their shop, they worked the shop themselves with the help of their three daughters. As time went on and their daughters married and left home, grandchildren - all of them from youngest to oldest - later came to help out their grandparents. And just as their children/grandchildren worked in the Bait & Tackle Shop with their parents/grandparents, so have the faces of the customers changed. Toddlers who once accompanied parents and grandparents on fishing trips, now visit the bait shop as grown adults with children and grandchildren of their own. Cliff and Helen are proud of the fact that they are now serving the fourth generation of fine people in the community. Cliff's Bait & Tackle began in a small shop with a cigar box rather than a cash register - and notepads and pens rather than an adding machine. Today that small shop is a well-established business running with two cash registers. As the demand for newer and larger items developed and as tackle providers developed and introduced wider lines of tackle, Cliff's Bait & Tackle also expanded to meet those needs, having expanded their shop three separate times to the size it is today. Among memories and highlights of the past are the bait shop serving as the "set" for a Point Beer commercial, recognition for various floats entered in local Golden Sands Festival parades and the hundreds of friends they have made over the years. Helen's command of the Polish language brought many an old-timer to the shop for a purchase and a lengthy visit in the native language they so enjoyed. The many customers who have visited the bait shop these past 38 plus years are looked at as good friends, rather than just customers. Personal attention and treating their customers like Cliff and Helen themselves would like to be treated was always their first goal. In this rapidly expanding and growing business world, it is difficult to find the personalized service, attention and concern as had been exhibited at this establishment. One couldn't help but feel like a friend once meeting these fine people and visiting this well-stocked, interesting shop. With a lifelong love and dedication to fishing and a commitment to those who love fishing in the community, Cliff and Helen made a decision to still serve the community by meeting its fishing needs, while still enjoying retirement years. They have vowed not to leave people in the area with bare hooks. To that end, they will continue to provide live bait and terminal tackle items by way of their well-lit and highly secured self-service room attached to their current business. This self-service room is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and hosts a complete line of live bait and terminal tackle supplies to meet the needs of the average fishing buff. Cliff and Helen have no plans of selling their residence or moving out of the area. Their future plans include traveling, spending time with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As for what else they will be doing, they will be out and about enjoying fishing on riverbanks and at boat docks and enjoying retirement just as many of their customers are currently doing, as well as travelling and gardening. Their family is looking forward to enjoying the company of Cliff and Helen without the restriction of the bait shop, just as much as Cliff and Helen are looking forward to being able to spend time with their family doing many of the things they have been unable to do. And now, with all of this said and done, Cliff and Helen Gollon take this opportunity to say a sincere "Thank You" to all of the fine, dedicated customers/friends they have had the pleasure of serving these past 38 plus years and wish everyone, "Good Fishing!"