'It's nothing short of a miracle': Long live the Alvey Reel!
GLENN and Bruce Alvey have got the miracle they were hoping for, and so have keen fishermen up and down the eastern seaboard.
Ipswich
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GLENN and Bruce Alvey have got the miracle they were hoping for, and so have keen fishermen up and down the eastern seaboard.
The legendary Alvey reel will continue to be manufactured in Ipswich thanks to a business deal struck between long-time Alvey fan and successful businessman Con Athans, and the Alvey family that has been making quality fishing gear out of Brisbane and Ipswich for 98 years.
The good news has come nine months after the company first announced its plans to wind up, due to a lack of business.
At the time, the Alvey brothers said "nothing short of a miracle" could save the company from closing down for good. Shocked fans of the brand responded by ordering the famously tough fishing reels by the truckload.
"Our sales have doubled (since we announced the closure) but we were starting from a low base," Glenn said on Friday afternoon.
"We are still catching up with all the orders and a lot of people are still waiting for their reels. We have relied on a lot of good will from people."
Glenn said no drastic changes were planned for the Carole Park factory, where staff numbers have been boosted from 12 at the lowest point, to 20.
"We will be trying to reinvigorate the brand more than anything," Glenn said.
"We will keep the manufacturing here - it's more the marketing side of things we plan to change. That's where Con's expertice comes into it.
"We want to take on the rest of Australia and maybe even overseas. It's very exciting."
Alvey Reels was established by Bruce and Glenn's great-grandfather Charles in Brisbane in 1920 and has been at Carole Park since 1978.
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