MoMENtum Dads

MoMENtum Dads: Nick Davis

By Anna Snyder

Have you ever thought about turning your passion into a business? What if that little side project in your garage could bring in additional revenue for your family? Nick Davis, a single father to his 14-year-old daughter Chloe, turned his passion for fly fishing and fly tying into a vibrant, thriving fly shop. Headquartered at a brick and mortar retail location near the corner of Bonita Beach Road and U.S. 41 in Bonita Springs, 239 Flies began as an online business centered on regular production of high-quality fly ties and fly tying video tutorials. In 2018, Nick and his partner parlayed their online business following into a physical storefront. The shop has become a community fixture around which local fly fishing enthusiasts have rallied.

Neapolitan Family talked to Nick about his business and how he balances life as an entrepreneur, father, fisherman, and firefighter. Nick’s passion for his business and his daughter is obvious – and inspiring.

Tell us about yourself and your family. How has your family life changed since the quarantine and onset of COVID-19?

I’m just your typical 33-year-old dude with a 14-year-old daughter. Chloe and I are extremely close; she’s been my sidekick for 14 years, and we’ve gone through all of life’s highs and lows together.

This quarantine has certainly brought new challenges with my work schedule at the fire department. Chloe typically spends time with my parents while I’m at the fire department. It’s a mini chocolate- and carb-filled vacation three out of every nine days. She’s truly living her best life. The days I don’t work at the fire department, I put her to work at the shop.

How did 239 Flies start? A long time ago, I would bring my fly tying stuff to work to tie a few flies for fishing trips – I enjoy being productive during quiet moments at the fire station. My good friend and coworker, James Ross, would mercilessly ridicule me for tying flies, claiming the activity was better suited for an 80-year-old than a 20-something. “You’re the oldest soul in human history!”

One day, James asked me if I had ever considered selling flies. I replied, “No one would buy them -- fly fisherman tie their own flies.” After lambasting me the only way firemen do, James said, “There’s no way every fly fisherman ties their own flies. Let’s make a website and sell these things online.” I replied, “No one is going to buy my flies on the internet!”

James was right, and I was wrong. We started a website, got on social media (which was unprecedented in the fishing industry in 2012), and the rest is history. I was always a little nervous about him not filling out a tax form correctly and having to spend years in a minimum security facility because of it. “Just tie the flies,” he’d say, “leave the rest to me.”

Nick at a fly tying night.

Photo by Chloe Davis

In 2016, the business became more than James and I could handle. We had been operating out of my spare bedroom – we needed more space and more help. So, on Feb. 24, 2018, we offi

cially opened the doors to 239 Flies World Headquarters. I still get teary-eyed thinking about the birth of our business, its growth and development, and how grateful I am for our team.

This business has cost me relationships, and I’m scared that I’ll let fatherhood slip through my fingers as well.

Two years into the brick and mortar business, two things are blatantly obvious. One: South Lee County wanted a fly shop. We’ve met various needs in the fly fishing space – 239 Flies has become a way for people to learn and grow in their fly tying abilities, a means for fishermen and women to access high quality supplies quickly, and a place for people to connect and build community. And two: South Lee County wants a bigger fly shop. We already have plans to expand from 750 square feet to just under 2,200 square feet, but, as the saying goes, “We make plans, and COVID-19 laughs.”

How have you managed business growth since 239 Flies’ inception?

James and I have zero formal business education. We manage our growth by recognizing needs and applying common sense to meet those needs. For instance, we started online in 2012, and even with all of the digital following we’ve built, by our second year in the brick and mortar storefront, our in-store sales surpassed the online store sales. Our fly tying event nights are so packed they’re a fire hazard! We need a bigger store with more products and space. Because James isn’t a fly fisherman, he can take an unemotional look at our business and say, “We need this,” and I know how to go about accomplishing it because I understand fly fishing.

How do you balance fatherhood and owning a business?

Admittedly, this is a heavy subject for me. This business has cost me relationships, and I’m scared that I’ll let fatherhood slip through my fingers as well. I do everything I can to get Chloe involved in the business. I try to show her that you don’t have to have it all figured out. Together we focus on doing everything with passion, persistence, and relentless pursuit of short-term goals. It’s easier to get her involved in business and marketing because she doesn’t like to fish. So, like my business partner James, she can look at an area and analyze it without emotion.

I’ve learned a lot about Chloe and what makes her tick watching her around the shop. Her creativity knows no bounds! She took to photography like a duck to water and quickly became the official photographer of our fly tying nights at the shop.

Nick preparing online orders at the shop.

Photo by Chloe Davis

Something essential to our balancing act as a family is our habit of working out together at CrossFit. We can completely detach from my business, her schoolwork, and just go to the back of the pain cave together. As a father of a beautiful young woman, not much makes me prouder than seeing Chloe pick 100 pounds up off the floor and get it over head. She’s got grown woman strength, inside and out. I love you, kiddo!

How have you adjusted business operations in the past twomonths as a result of COVID-19?

We closed our doors voluntarily mid-March and moved to online sales only. Because we have such a robust online presence in comparison with other fly shops, this made sense for us and allows us to continue business operations seamlessly. As a general rule, fly fishing operates in the year 1995. We’ve been busy because we’re digitally progressive in comparison with our peers. April was our strongest sales month to date. I put Chloe to work boxing up orders along with my older brother and our available staff. We made it happen. The lesson in this? Be dynamic about how you put food on your table.

Traditionally, fly fishing and fly shops have embraced exclusivity. At 239 Flies, we strive everyday to be an inclusive fly shop. We don’t care how cool you are. We want to drink beer, talk shop, laugh, and enjoy ourselves and those around us – our mission is to build community. That’s been our message since day one.

We’ve accomplished great things on the technology side of the business – things that had never been done in the fly fishing industry before: fly tying video production, effective social media marketing, streamlined online retail sales, and outstanding in-action product photography. But those things attract eyes, not hearts. Ultimately, we don’t really care about leaving a lasting impact on the fishing industry. We want to make the 239 a fishier place than it was when we found it, and we want to build a community who call 239 Flies their rallying point. That’s going to take a lot more than “just tying the flies.”

What do you love about fly fishing? Fly fishing is much more involved and nuanced than typical spin cast fishing. It requires greater skill, additional patience, more stealth, and increased tactical movements. Best of all, fly fishing represents the glory of the chase.

In some ways, fly fishing is like hunting, but instead of using a gun, you’re using a lie. You’re fooling fish, convincing them to eat what doesn’t appear in nature. It’s a great romance, an epic dance between fish and fisherman; and similar to life, there is no destination – only the journey and the pursuit.

A fly tying night has been tentatively planned for the last Wednesday or Thursday in July at 239 Flies. Check 239flies.com or @239flies for more information.