Fishing for value, discover the lure of Smart Preloved Tackle!

A new business is tackling a gap in Stone’s fishing scene – Smart Preloved Tackle has opened on Stone Business Park.

We spoke to owner Jon Stephenson about his leap from online to retail premises:

“With the support and backing of my family, it’s been a great feeling to re-open a fishing tackle business.

We owned a fishing tackle business from the 1980s to the early 2000s until I took a career change. Twenty-one years later, we have reopened retail premises as the business has grown well online.

Fishing is not only a business; it’s a family passion and hobby in which we have all been involved with for decades. We have unrivalled experience and knowledge from antique to vintage and modern – across coarse, carp, fly, match and sea fishing.”

Located at Unit 16 at Stone Enterprise Centre – off Emerald Way – Jon spoke to A Little Bit of Stone about why he chose the location:

“The location is perfect for reaching people across the county. We are within easy access of the M6, A51 and A34 with a site that offers excellent parking.

Stone is somewhere I’ve worked previously, and it’s a unique place where customers can head off into Stone for shopping, eateries and local attractions like Trentham Gardens.”

Jon went on to explain what Smart Preloved Tackle offers:

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“We buy, sell and exchange new and used fishing tackle, particularly preloved, carp coarse match game sea antique and vintage.

There are no fishing tackle shops in Stone or near to it. We are unique in that we offer preloved tackle as well as fishing bait (excluding maggots). We have a vast range of stock that changes daily and take onboard customer feedback. It’s been great hearing from local Stone community members and beyond, who have been very positive and supportive.

Local fishing clubs have already approached us to support them and vice versa.

Smart Preloved Tackle is targeting new and current anglers, particularly trying to encourage new young anglers, we have strong links in the fishing community and are able to offer a wide range of products and advice.”

Smart Preloved Tackle is open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday each week from 10am to 5pm. You can follow the business on Facebook and Instagram – Smartprelovedtackle

Wrapping up our interview Jon told us:

“We’ve all fished since we could walk, from the canals and rivers of Scotland to the Florida Keys; we have a vast knowledge of tackle and fishing. It’s not just a business; it’s a passion and a hobby we’ve loved and submerged ourselves in for decades.

We love fishing and meeting new faces and talking tackle. So pop in even for a browse, we even have a comfort area where you can relax and read some old-school vintage books from Izaak Walton to Mr Crabtree”