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Posts: 1576
Location: Brighton CO. | Looks like Paul Bunyan's in Minocqua is closed for good and Guides Choice in Eagle River has new owner as of this spring and will have a new on line store soon. |
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Posts: 1330
Location: E. Tenn | Stopped at Guide's Choice on my last trip up, and chatted briefly with the new owner. He seems to be in it for the long haul, and had already spruced the place up a lot. I already have a list made up for my upcoming trip.. |
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Posts: 144
Location: Roscoe IL | Guides choice can only go up from a customer experience. 1 time was enough for me to be in there |
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Posts: 1576
Location: Brighton CO. | I used to buy a few things off the tower of pink (they had a bunch of custom painted lures in pink) thru the old web site and a few DVD's witch were poor quality. One time I tried to get my money back thru the mail and I ended up showing up at the store to get it. Yes I got a new DVD and some bad vibes so walked out without looking around and buying something. It's bad for your stock if Chuck stops buying lures from you. We had many good times with a whole bunch of family at Paul Bunyan's back in the day last century, they closed after labor day and for the most part we don't get up North in till the later in the Fall.
I guess after Covid they had a hard time getting help to run the place, takes a lot of employee's to run the place right. I guess it was there since 1961, I hear there is one down in Wisconsin Dells. |
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| Yes, a lot of businesses in Minocqua area struggle to find enough seasonal help. Pretty much the story all over the north woods. Lots of old folks but not a lot of larger families like in years past. Not sure where it is at but a number of larger Minocqua employers like Trig's super market were discussing putting in a dormitory type building for seasonal employees.
Go to the Rhinelander Menards early in the morning and you will see that most of the stocking crew is already collecting Social Security. Menards was one of the first to see the demographic hand writing on the wall and actively recruiting older workers for part time jobs in this area. |
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Posts: 32934
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | North of 8 - 9/3/2025 3:02 PM
Yes, a lot of businesses in Minocqua area struggle to find enough seasonal help. Pretty much the story all over the north woods. Lots of old folks but not a lot of larger families like in years past. Not sure where it is at but a number of larger Minocqua employers like Trig's super market were discussing putting in a dormitory type building for seasonal employees.
Go to the Rhinelander Menards early in the morning and you will see that most of the stocking crew is already collecting Social Security. Menards was one of the first to see the demographic hand writing on the wall and actively recruiting older workers for part time jobs in this area.
Yep, Sue works there. |
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Posts: 29
| Hopefully dewey catchem gets a new owner to. Jeff can take a long walk off a short pier. It's incredibly nice having guides choice be an option again after the other little musky shop in town closed down. That place was so #*^@ univiting the few times I made the mistake of stopping there. Rick would either just be an ass or follow you around to make sure none of his dusty treasures went missing. |
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Posts: 226
Location: Downers Grove, IL | I hit the new Guides Choice shop a few weeks back. New owner was pleasant and very helpful. There's a visit of the shop on Smith Outdoors' YouTube channel and it sounds like they'll be really working to lean in on musky baits, which is nice. Paul Bunyan's has been shuttered for years. Sad to see, but definitely next to impossible to staff a place that size (like most places these days up North). The struggle to find workers is real, and across the board up north...hospitality, trades, retail...Especially with tourist season wrapping up, I've seen several places that used to be open daily, even in the off-season, altering their schedules to close 2, 3, 4 days a week. |
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| If you have not been there, Scotty's Bait shop in Three Lakes is a nice shop, friendly people. Scotty was in my musky league this summer, very supportive of musky guys. Shop has wide selection of baits, St. Croix and Elk River rods. He also sells a lot of quality cheeses and starting carrying a variety of sourdough bakery products produced locally. |
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Posts: 1576
Location: Brighton CO. | Speaking of Three Lakes a few weeks ago I googled "Three Lakes and news station pop up and they had a good story of the old "Barefoot Charlies" in Land O Lakes" quite cool for us old guy's who are old enough to go in there when it was up and running. It burnt down in I think 1985. |
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Posts: 226
Location: Downers Grove, IL | Thanks for pointing me in the direction of Barefoot Charlie's story, Chuckski. I've seen the Barefoot Charlie "logo" on a couple things around town in Lando, but never was aware of the history. Very cool! |
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