If you’ve heard chatter that Orvis is closing its doors for good, you’re not alone. Whenever a well-known outdoor brand starts making changes, the rumors almost write themselves. At the moment, though, there’s no sign Orvis is shutting down. Instead, the company is restructuring and making some tough calls—like layoffs, shutting some stores, and waving goodbye to its iconic print catalog.
If you’re a fly-fishing fan or just someone who liked flipping through Orvis catalogs, these headlines might feel like a big deal. Let’s unpack what’s really going on, and why a company that’s been around since 1856 still says it’s in it for the long haul.
Orvis: Still Family-Owned—and Open for Business
Orvis isn’t a random retail chain owned by a huge corporate group; it’s been family-owned since it started. Most recently, CEO Simon Perkins has been pretty vocal about the company’s efforts to stay that way—even as the market shifts under their feet.
After a few rocky years, Orvis leaders made it clear in fall 2024 that they aren’t selling, merging, or calling it quits. Instead, they’re focusing on making the business smaller, faster, and smarter. They claim that’s the best path for a specialty brand to stick around.
Laying Off Employees: Why Orvis Is Shrinking Its Team
This next part isn’t fun. Orvis announced in late 2024 it would lay off about 112 people, which was roughly 8% of its staff at the time. No company wants to put out that kind of press release, but Orvis said the move was needed so they could react faster and trim expenses.
The layoffs came mostly from corporate departments and support roles—things like marketing, HR, and some supply chain jobs. Orvis management pointed to higher labor costs, changing shopping habits, and an unstable retail environment. With the way people shop shifting so much lately, their leaders said it was essential to get leaner to compete.
It’s always tough to see layoffs, especially from a company that has built its image around loyal staff and a quirky company culture. Orvis says it’s focused on supporting those employees as they transition out.
Retail Footprint: Some Store Closures, But Most Remain
Check social media or some outdoorsy forums, and you’ll find lists of Orvis store closures, often without much context. What’s actually happening is a bit more measured.
Several Orvis retail locations, including its Seattle store, shut down in early 2025. But not every shop is closing. Far from it—Orvis says it still runs about 70 retail stores and ten outlet locations in the United States, plus a U.K. presence. While you might find your local Orvis shop shuttered or see more “for lease” signs, the company’s still selling waders, rods, and dog beds in-person across the country.
Most of the closures targeted underperforming spots or stores in areas where foot traffic just didn’t return post-pandemic. If you like an in-person browse, your favorite store is probably safe—at least for now.
End of an Era: Goodbye, Print Catalog
Orvis was one of the earliest mail-order retailers in America and has printed those thick, color catalogs for decades. Some people even collect them, or keep them for cabin decor. But in 2025, the company confirmed it will stop sending catalogs to customers’ mailboxes.
Why end something so traditional? Catalogs are expensive to print and mail, and shoppers don’t rely on them like they used to. Orvis claims the catalog printed by the hundreds of thousands every cycle just wasn’t matching how people shop anymore. Instead, the company is going all-in on emails, targeted online ads, and a more interactive online catalog experience.
Orvis is betting that most people looking for a new fly rod, dog bed, or waxed jacket already have their phone in hand anyway. The print catalog, for many, will just become a memory.
Economic Pressures and Trade Pressures
Let’s get into why all these changes are happening at once. At its core, the company says the outdoor retail landscape is just a lot tougher now.
There’s the usual suspects—high labor costs, unpredictable shipping rates, and difficulties getting inventory on time. Then throw in something new for 2025: higher tariffs on a big swath of imported goods. Those tariffs make key products like technical clothing and equipment pricier, both to supply and to buy.
Orvis said directly that some layoffs, store closures, and catalog changes came quicker or hit harder than expected, thanks to those tariffs. Retailers like Orvis have to balance staying affordable for customers with covering rising costs on the backend. You don’t need an MBA to know that’s a tricky spot to be.
Moving the Headquarters: A Fresh Start in Manchester, Vermont
One more big shift: Orvis is moving its longtime headquarters out of Sunderland, Vermont. They’re not heading across the country, just relocating a bit south to Manchester.
Why bother? The new space is smaller and designed for a hybrid workweek. After a few years of remote and flexible work, many headquarters jobs just don’t need the footprint—or the overhead—of a traditional office anymore. Manchester is still in the heart of Vermont’s outdoor scene, with easy access to trails and rivers, plus better infrastructure for a distributed workforce.
Basically, Orvis is betting that a smaller, more adaptable HQ helps them stay nimble—just like their retail operations.
Aim: Staying Small, Strong, and On Brand
With all the layoffs and cutbacks, it’s fair to wonder what’s really left of the Orvis of old. The answer, according to the company, is a focus on their core: outdoor apparel, fly-fishing gear, and pet products.
Orvis says it still believes in what made the company special in the first place—high-quality gear, a family brand, and a conservation vibe. They want to keep helping anglers pick the right rod or dog people find the ideal bed. But they also know they can’t “out-big” Amazon or Walmart, so being boutique and digitally savvy is their play.
Orvis leadership has said publicly they’re not interested in flashy expansions or chasing the latest retail fad. If fishing and field gear is your thing, they still want to be your go-to.
What Does All This Mean for Orvis’s Future?
If you’re a die-hard fan, a recent store closure or catalog change might make it feel like the brand’s on borrowed time. But that’s not what’s actually happening. This is more like a company that’s adapting to survive—trimming down so it can keep doing what it does best for a smaller but loyal group of customers.
You can see a similar move in other outdoor brands or specialty retailers. Everyone’s trying to find the right mix of physical stores, online convenience, and personal service—without getting crushed by costs or spread too thin.
If you like reading about business pivots, you might find more info and context at places like SeraBusiness, where stories about retail evolution are pretty common.
The Bottom Line: Orvis Is Still Around, Just Changing Shape
If you want the straight answer, here it is: Orvis is not going out of business in 2025. They’re still up and running, just with fewer employees and retail shops, no more paper catalog, and a shifted focus toward digital sales.
They’re keeping most of their U.S. stores open, staying active in the U.K., and selling online as always. The family’s still in charge, and Orvis insists that adapting to the new retail climate will help them keep the brand alive for a long time to come.
Things might look a bit different next time you scroll through their website or visit a store. But for now, Orvis is betting that being smaller, quicker, and more focused is better than pretending nothing’s changed. That’s the reality for a lot of legacy brands these days—and Orvis hopes it’s enough to keep the rods and dog beds moving for years to come.