Our Story
- from a fishing trip on Lake Furesø to 6 stores!
The story of Jan & Bo begins on a zander fishing trip on Lake Furesø. Bo had been hired at Frank Arnesen Sport but had a small tackle shop idea in mind and a desire for Jan to help him realize the dream. After sleeping on it, Jan was on board with the idea, and we bought a small shop in Nordre Frihavnsgade in Østerbro from Erik Frøkjær.
In September 1984, we opened our first store. We quickly became known for our expertise in sea fishing. We soon gained many customers because we became good at sourcing many items that customers couldn't get elsewhere. Bo traveled to the USA and visited some of the large stores that, back in the 80s, were far ahead in tackle development compared to both Danish stores and wholesalers.
Roskilde - a city with a lot of water
In 1988, we opened a store in Roskilde. Roskilde is a city with a very high number of anglers relative to its population. So, when we got the chance, we opened a small shop in a basement. In Roskilde, there was a real need for a good tackle shop, so the space quickly became too cramped, and we had to move to new premises again. Today, we are located in a beautiful store (perhaps the only tackle shop with chandeliers!) at Køgevej 3. It's also in Roskilde that we have our workshop, where we handle repairs. At the same time, we service reels - something many people have fortunately started doing in recent years, because it ensures the reels are maintained and thus last much longer. We also have a spare parts warehouse, so we can help unlucky customers or people with older reels. We also repair lots of rods, waders and much more - today we also do repairs for a number of our colleagues, both in Denmark and Sweden. So if you have some gear that's causing a bit of trouble, or if you need an extra spool for a reel that's 30 years old, give us a call, maybe we can help.
Næstved - South Zealand's pearl
Eventually, many people from South Zealand asked when we would open a shop near them. And since we love both the people and the fishing spots in South Zealand, we took the opportunity when a suitable location became available in Næstved in 1993. Fortunately, the story repeated itself. The premises became too small because anglers appreciated a dynamic shop in their local area. So we moved to Ringstedvej, where the shop is located today. For a long period, Jan considered moving to Næstved himself, because he thrived so much there, but fate had it that a new business was on the way, so he had to hold his horses.
Helsingør - The most versatile fishing spot in Denmark
Where in Sjælland should someone who loves sea fishing have a shop - Helsingør, of course. If you were to name a place where you can catch different fish all year round, the answer is Helsingør. Perhaps Denmark's best cod fishing just a few kilometers from the harbor, a headland that yields 10 kg sea trout every year, millions of garfish in May, flatfish all summer, mackerel in August, herring from August to September, and eels in abundance. Yes - Helsingør is a dream spot for an angler and for a couple of tackle shop owners. So we opened our doors in the middle of Helsingør in 1997. This business quickly became the center of much of the fishing in the town. We arrange at least 50 fishing trips a year from the shop, and many of the charter boat skippers stop by. If you want advice on fishing in the area or just want some good tips on sea fishing, coastal fishing or big game fishing, then stop by the guys in Helsingør - they really know their stuff. They know exactly where the fish are right now, and what it takes to catch them.
Odense - Funen is fine
The owner of a fine shop in the center of Odense was retiring, and we were able to take over a shop in a prime location. Thus, Funen suddenly became a part of Jan & Bo, something we have never regretted. We renovated the entire shop and hired a couple of skilled people with local knowledge to run the business. Today, it is one of our finest shops, with three incredibly skilled people as the driving force. They initiate things at such a pace that even we old hands find it hard to keep up. Of course, we feared that we would be regarded as "the Copenhageners", but we have been incredibly well received and hope to live up to the trust. We have some of the very best fly fishermen within the Jan & Bo organization in Odense - and when we combine that with all our sea and trolling experience, we actually think that Jan & Bo in Odense is a fantastic place for anglers to visit.
Hillerød - Again a town with lots of water
Much like what happened in Odense, an opportunity suddenly arose when the owners of the Hunting and Fishing Magazine in Hillerød wished to retire. We had always believed that Hillerød was a good trading town with many lakes surrounding it and not far from the sea, so the decision was easy. We took over the shop and hired a couple of skilled local people, and added more fishing gear to the shop, without removing too much hunting equipment. Here, we once again have a shop in a prime location, and therefore many people pass through the shop who don't necessarily fish, but who can use some of the many outdoor offers we also have. There are also many hunters in the area, and they appreciate that there is still a well-stocked hunting shop close to them.
More time for fishing
In 2010, Jan decided he wanted more time for fishing - very impressive for a man who fishes at least 200 days a year :-) So Jan bought the first shop on Østerbro out of Jan & Bo's business and now runs it independently under the name Jan's Lystfiskershop. Best of luck to Jan from everyone at Jan & Bo - we look forward to seeing you more often by the fishing waters. Bo Vogelius thus runs the shops in Roskilde, Helsingør, Næstved, Hillerød and Odense in the same way and with the same excellent staff.
The first 25 years have been great - We look forward to the next 25 years
As of October 1st, 2010, we have chosen to go our separate ways business-wise. We still fish and talk a lot together, but from now on, Jan will run his own independent business from the shop in Ndr. Frihavnsgade under the name - Jan's Lystfiskershop, while Bo will run the 5 other shops in Roskilde, Hillerød, Helsingør, Næstved, and Odense under the name Jan & Bo's Lystfiskershop. The practical consequence of this is that the product ranges in the Copenhagen shop will not be the same as in Jan & Bo's other shops, and goods bought in Copenhagen can no longer be exchanged in Jan & Bo's other shops and vice versa. At the same time, gift cards are valid either for the Copenhagen shop (those bought there) or for Jan & Bo's 5 other shops. Furthermore, it will not be possible to sign up for trips arranged by the Copenhagen shop at the 5 Jan & Bo's Lystfiskershop stores, and correspondingly for trips arranged by our other shops, sign-ups cannot be done at the Copenhagen shop. Otherwise, we don't believe there will be any significant practical changes, neither for us nor for our customers.
The number of businesses has been reduced
In 2016, the business in Næstved was transferred to Michael Christensen. Michael had been part of the store for several years, even when it moved to Østergade 16. The business is now called Alle-Tiders. In 2017, we unfortunately had to close our business in Hillerød. In May 2018, the business in Odense was also taken over by new, but well-known, owners. Thomas, the former store manager, Jeppe and Michael took over the business, which is now called Fiskeri & Natur. By the end of 2019, we unfortunately had to close our business in Helsingør. The property has been bought for demolition and residential building construction is planned at the address.