Small Bear - Message To The Community

[smallbearelec]

Dear Friends and Customers:

After 22 years as Chief Executive Bear of Small Bear Electronics, I am planning to retire and begin another stage of life with my good wife.

I have had a marvelous run: growing from a kitchen table to a 5,000-square foot warehouse, growing in tandem with both the community of DIYers and the numerous independent pedal makers who have become a major force in the effects market. Judy and I have had some wonderful experiences combining business and pleasure, from meeting domestic and overseas customers and vendors to sightseeing in locales from Alaska to South Africa.

This decision has not been forced by market conditions; business has continued as strong as ever through the pandemic. So, the store will be open as usual over the coming months. I will be selling down the inventory--first-come/first-served--and not replenishing stock. There is likely to be some confusion as we shrink. Thank you for your support all these years, and please bear with us through the transition.

Steve, Judy and the Small Bear Team

[theehman]

Sorry to hear that, Steve, but congrats on your upcoming retirement!  Maybe you could find someone to take over Small Bear to continue?

[antonis]

We thank you for everything, Steve.!! 

Wish you happiness for all the days of your life..!!

[EBK]

I'm sure I'll be panic buying from you as you wind down shop.   

But, enjoy your retirement!  You've earned it.

[GibsonGM]

Thanks for being there, Steve, and always running a quality shop! We're going to miss you, but hope you enjoy whatever follows for you!   

[ElectricDruid]

Maybe you could find someone to take over Small Bear to continue?

This would be my thought too. I know it's not easy to sell a business, but honestly - Small Bear has the visibility, an excellent brand, everything in place and running already, etc etc.. It's about as good as it comes if you want a "going concern"!

Either way, best of luck for the future, Steve. It's been a pleasure doing business with you and your excellent staff (hi Tina!).

[lapsteelman]

All the best in retirement Steve!

I'm old enough to remember the days when it was hard just finding a DPDT footswitch... your store made it easy to find all the quality parts you needed in one spot. Thank you.

Best of luck in the future.

[bluebunny]

The service you've provided to so many over the years will be hugely missed, Steve, but you more than deserve to enjoy a bit of downtime, and no-one here would begrudge you that.  Best wishes for a wonderful and lengthy retirement! 

[Rob Strand]

You did a good job of it Steve.   I wish you all the best in your retirement.

[Jdansti]

Best wishes in retirement!  You've made the community of stompbox builders a better place!

[strungout]

Well, good retirement! Small Bear will be missed!

[Aviator18]

I wish you the best in your retirement, Steve.

[glops]

Thanks for your presence, Steve. Small Bear has always been my favorite shop hands down. Sad to see it come to an end and wish you the best of luck in the future. The DIY community will go on but won't be the same.

[bean]

I don't think we could overstate how much Steve and his crew has helped the DIY community. Best of luck to you! I'm going to miss exploring smallbear for all the things I didn't know I needed.

[CheapPedalCollector]

Good luck Steve, gonna really miss the shop if someone doesn't take it over. You've been a source for many of my needs to repair older pedals and it's going to be hard to find some of it now. I do hope someone takes over and continues to stock most of the stuff.

[blackieNYC]

Steve! We'll miss you terribly, but congratulations on a well-earned retirement. Thank you for all your help. Pedal building has been a life changing discovery for me, and I wouldn't have gotten off the ground without you and your crew. 

[imJonWain]

enjoy retirement!  Your shop and projects are where I got started! You'll be missed!

[Mark Hammer]

Somewhere in the archives, there is probably a thread where Steve tells the rest of us he has a line on some part at a really good price, and asks how many of us would be interested in going in on a mass purchase.  That's how the bear began.

[idy]

Ah, those BB "blemished" enclosures. Even a man living in a cave could afford beautiful boxes for his fuzz. So many happy people. So many fuzzy riffs.

And when we needed a thing that was "just right" we could call the Bear.

[digi2t]

Happy retirement Steve, and all the best. Smallbear will be missed, for sure.