Rivers & Glen Trading Co. Announce Grand Opening October 24 in Savannah
(SAVANNAH, GA) Rivers & Glen Trading Co. announces the grand opening ceremony on Friday, October 24, of their second location at 24 Drayton St. in Savannah, Ga. The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place in front of the new store at 5:15 p.m. in true Rivers & Glen style with the ribbon being made out of fly fishing line. Hors d’oeuvres will follow, catered by The Olde Pink House.
Ben Austin, a representative of the Orvis Corporation, will host a fly fishing casting demonstration at noon in conjunction with the grand opening celebrations planned.
The owner of Rivers & Glen Trading Co., Walker Hopkins said, “I am extremely excited to expand our branch to Savannah. I love the coastal Georgia region, and the marshes and rivers around this area align perfectly with our brand.”
In August 2010, Hopkins bought Rivers & Glen Trading Co. from Vince and Gayle Ardrey. Before owning the Augusta store, Hopkins was an avid shopper at Rivers & Glen and worked there. Previously, Hopkins had worked as a real estate agent.
One of Hopkins goals for his leadership at Rivers & Glen was to revive the art of fly fishing in Georgia. Sportsmen can fly fish in the Savannah River, Saluda River and private ponds. The Rivers & Glen store in Savannah will be offering different fly fishing lessons, tying workshops and other educational opportunities on proper techniques.
“People tend to think the only thing you can do with a fly rod is go trout fishing. They don’t realize how many species can be caught by fly fishing, such as bream, crappie, bass, stripers, red fish and tarpon,” Hopkins said, “If you can fish somewhere with a spinning rod, you can use a fly rod and have twice as much fun, really feeling the satisfaction of artfully perfecting your cast.”
Hopkins grew up in Thomson, Ga. He was the oldest of his brothers and raised by his stay-at-home mom, Liz, and his stepfather, Bill, who was a cattle farmer. His father, Vic Grout, was a banker. Hopkins studied at University of Georgia and Augusta State University. In high school and college, Hopkins worked at his stepfather’s farm, feeding cattle and growing wheat and hay crops.
“Growing up in a small town and working on the farm, it became natural for me to be in the woods and outdoors all the time. It makes sense that I would wind up owning a store that offers outdoor clothing, fly fishing gear and sporting supplies to explore with,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins lives in Thomson, GA with his wife, Melissa Hodges Hopkins, daughter, Mary Lyles Hopkins and son Boone Hodges Grout Hopkins. When he isn’t managing his two stores, Hopkins enjoys golf, fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities.
During the opening of his second location, Hopkins plans on giving away prizes such as a leather and canvas Filson Bag. For more information about the grand opening celebration and the Savannah branch of Rivers & Glen, call 912.349.2352 or visit riversandglen.com .
ABOUT RIVERS & GLEN TRADING COMPANY
Rivers & Glen Trading Co. is a sporting retailer based in Augusta, which has now expanded into Savannah, Ga. The locally owned and operated stores carry popular brands of apparel, luggage, fly fishing and hunting equipment including Orvis, Patagonia, Filson, Barbour, Simms, Mountain Khaki and Fishpond. Striving to be the region’s fly fisherman’s dream store, Rivers & Glen stores carry every Orvis and Sage rod available on the market. Both locations are open Monday through Saturday. The Savannah store is located at 24 Drayton St. The original Rivers & Glen Trading Co. store is located in the middle level of Surrey Center in Augusta Ga. For more information, call 706-738-4536 or visit http://riversandglen.com/ .