GI Joes is BACK!

[swoop]

Hope they learned from all the mistakes made over the past 15 years and come back as GI Joe's, not joe's sports wear.

 

[arjunki]

Hope they learned from all the mistakes made over the past 15 years and come back as GI Joe's, not joe's sports wear.

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Amen to that!

 

[jrw]

I just went in and talked to one of the people at the new location off NW 185th and West Union and was able to confirm that they are back and will be moving to a new location at some point in the near future. Plan is to go back to the way they were doing business about 15 years ago. I will keep people updated as I get more info.

 

[arjunki]

I just went in and talked to one of the people at the new location off NW 185th and West Union and was able to confirm that they are back and will be moving to a new location at some point in the near future. Plan is to go back to the way they were doing business about 15 years ago. I will keep people updated as I get more info.

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Sweet! I loved the old "GI Joes"

 

[glockfan]

I dont know how those places stay in business. They are incredibly overpriced on everything and there is like 10 of them around here. Joes had the same problem, everything was way overpriced.

I shop very occasionally at the Dick's that took over Joes in the Delta Oaks shopping center in Eugene. Mostly everything in there is overpriced but the gun safes were priced reasonably. The best thing is there clearance deals thoughs. I found a double-lined jacket that was regularly $35 marked down to $20 and on the clearance rack for 25% off. It's very comfortable and warm and was only $15!

 

[phathom]

Really? I'm in that area, right in that cross street at least 3-4 times a week and haven't seen anything about it. Is it right there in the intersection, by the Albertsons and stuff, or are they going to build a new building around there for it. I know there sure is the real estate for it there.

 

[Decidion]

It's in the strip mall there between Albertson's and the Tae Kwon Do business. It's just a tiny place (compared to what they used to have).

I was in there about a month ago and got a great deal on some MountainHouse food.

When I talked to the guy they said they were starting over and trying this time to stick with the Mom&Pop type store culture. The super corporate culture didn't work out too well....

In the past what I heard (and this may be wrong) is that when G.I. Joe dad passed away and left the store to his sons, they couldn't get along and so the store split...one son going east and the other west. The West coast stores then renamed themselves as "Joe's Sports". Maybe this is where the problems began.

 

[jrw]

My understanding is that the original owner sold the stores to a employee who was one I believe the president in about 1997 or 1998. The new owner built the stores up to make them attractive to another company like Dick's so that they could sell out. In about 2006 the owner sold the company to I believe a company out of California and this is when the store changed its name on the buildings to Joe's. The new owners over extended themselves and could not keep the doors open. Wright or wrong this is how I understand it to have worked out.

One of the people trying to bring it back is one of the original owners son's along with former corporate and store employees. From what I am told the goal is to have the same type of store that was open 15 years ago.

 

[EMP9596]

My understanding is that the original owner sold the stores to a employee who was one I believe the president in about 1997 or 1998. One of the people trying to bring it back is one of the original owners son's along with former corporate and store employees. From what I am told the goal is to have the same type of store that was open 15 years ago.

I grew up and went to school with David (Corkey) and Janna Orkney..
Here is a little info after touching bases with Janna.

As a kid if it was GI surplus gear I had it

http://www.growingupwithgijoes.com/

 

[TAT2D]

He likes to tell me about things like barrels of Garands in the store for dirt cheap back in the day when they had lots of military surplus in the store.

Anyone remember the fence around the parking lot at the Delta Park store (N Portland) -- chain strung between up-ended dummy/practice bombs? I always thought that was neat.

MrB

 

[Dr.Z]

Anyone remember the fence around the parking lot at the Delta Park store (N Portland) -- chain strung between up-ended dummy/practice bombs? I always thought that was neat.

MrB

I totally forgot about those till you just reminded me! That's great!!

 

[EMP9596]

Anyone remember the fence around the parking lot at the Delta Park store (N Portland) -- chain strung between up-ended dummy/practice bombs? I always thought that was neat.MrB

Those were actually Paravanes that were used by the Navy initially developed to destroy naval mines, the paravane would be strung out and streamed alongside the towing ship, normally from the bow. The wings of the paravane would tend to force the body away from the towing ship, placing a lateral tension on the towing wire. If the tow cable snagged the cable anchoring a mine then the anchoring cable would be cut, allowing the mine to float to the surface where it could be destroyed by gunfire. It the anchor cable would not part, the mine and the paravane would be brought together and the mine would explode harmlessly against the paravane. The cable could then be retrieved and a replacement paravane fitted.

Explosive paravanes were developed by Burney as an anti-submarine weapon, as the "high speed sweep". It was a paravane, containing 80 pounds (36 kg) of TNT towed by an armoured electric cable. The warhead was fired automatically as soon as the submarine touched the paravane or towing cable, or by hand from the ship's bridge. It could be quickly deployed into the water, could be towed up to 25 knots, and recovery if unsuccessful was reasonably simple.

Typical Paravane shown here:
View attachment 209381

 

[goneshooting]

its still one of my earliest memories i remember my dad taking me there don't remember much about the store but still remember the image of Paravanes

i sure hope they return to their roots and be a manly man store and not try be another a wussy man store like they were trying to evolve into we got plenty of those you know the over priced hippie, granola selling, turn your camp trip into a 4 star camping trip, no gun no ammo type of store

I will not ever buy from a sporting goods store that does not at least sell ammo

 

[TAT2D]

Anyone remember the fence around the parking lot at the Delta Park store (N Portland) -- chain strung between up-ended dummy/practice bombs? I always thought that was neat.

Those were actually Paravanes that were used by the Navy initially developed to destroy naval mines,

Very cool. I was five-ish then. They were *bombs* to me.

MrB

 

[Member 5605]

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/06/owner_of_gi_joes_name_blocks_p.html

Anyone else catch that? The owner of the name: "G.I. Joes" some Canadian group has blocked the comeback.

 

[Cougfan2]

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/06/owner_of_gi_joes_name_blocks_p.html

Anyone else catch that? The owner of the name: "G.I. Joes" some Canadian group has blocked the comeback.

Yeah, it's a shame, but if I were UFA I would have done the same thing. If you own something, you own something whether you use it or not. Would have been nice to have GI Joe's back though.

 

[ZachS]

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/06/owner_of_gi_joes_name_blocks_p.html

Anyone else catch that? The owner of the name: "G.I. Joes" some Canadian group has blocked the comeback.

Or in other words, the folks who started up the new store relied on a hail-mary legal theory to justify their use of a trademark owned by another company. Not smart business.

 

[tionico]

So, the creeps that bought out Sportsman's Warehouse are so greedy they won't let the original GI Joes folks remake their old company, eh? Fine.. that's the last straw for me on the current Wholesale Sports.... never did like them much after the buyout....

As to the folks trying to bring back GI Joes to its original standards, don't throw in the towel just yet. Concede that the Canucks own the name, and come up wiht a new one.... I'd suggest G I Moe's. Its different enough the greedy folk from Alberta can't say a thing, yet close enough most everyone will "get it". I well remember the original GI Joes, and after the takeover in the corporate buyout, I couldn't stand the place. Radical change. Bring back the original family flavour, everyone a valued guest, great stuff at decent prices, and they'll make a good go of it.
Anyone going to the "new" store in Bethany, please, carry this suggestion to them, free of charge.. it would warm the cockles of my heart to see this idea taken, used, and become the key to opening the door to the success of a true family-run venture.

When corporations get into the business of owning companies, they lose the reason a business exists.... consider Starbucks... when they became a corporation whose product was the bottom line for the shareholders, everything suffered. They're waking up, to some extent, but their coffee still is wretched....
Part of the problem is the structure of corporate and tax laws in this country... when a family founds and builds up a successful business and its time to pass it along to successive generations, tax laws make this impossible... it MUST be liquidated and split up, not passed on as an entity. Thus, forming a corporation provides a means of passing it on to the next generations. THIS is fine.... it is the abuse of the corporate structure, as seen in the Wholesale Sports parent company's actions here, that is rotten. There are many large and successful family business in this nation that are facing liquidation rather than being continued on by the sons and grandsons of the men who founded and built them. This is a travesty.......

call it GI Moe's and carry on, fob off the greedy Canucks. I do have to admit, though, it was a wise business decision to pay money for those trademarks last year, when they seemed to be worthless with no future. Rotten move now, though, to use that "ownership" as a club to squash potential competition before it even gets its doors open. The fact they are wanting to protect that name, and use their ownership of it to kill this venture, speaks that they fear such competition.... I hope the old GI Joes comes back and succeeds... and Wholesale Sports continues to fade away....... its funny, but the one here in Lacey has a parking lot mostly empty any time I drive by... but Cabelas is always full, the store jammed..... how long will Wholesale survive as a money hole? I chuckle every time I see their empty car park.......

 

[Cougfan2]

Or in other words, the folks who started up the new store relied on a hail-mary legal theory to justify their use of a trademark owned by another company. Not smart business.

I would be kind of like someone taking a gun out of my gun safe that I hadn't shot in years and saying, "but you weren't using it" as a defense for stealing it.

 

[ZachS]

I would be kind of like someone taking a gun out of my gun safe that I hadn't shot in years and saying, "but you weren't using it" as a defense for stealing it.

Nope, it would be like if your dad ran a gun business into the ground, I purchased one of his guns from a creditor, you subsequently started a similar business, and then felt you were entitled to my gun.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's very unfortunate that these rightful heirs of the G.I. Joe's name won't be able to use it - but Wholesale Sports hasn't done anything unusual or corrupt. Just business as usual in corporate America.