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
Sorry to hear that, Steve, but congrats on your upcoming retirement! Maybe you could find someone to take over Small Bear to continue?
We thank you for everything, Steve.!! :icon_wink:
Wish you happiness for all the days of your life..!! :icon_biggrin:
I'm sure I'll be panic buying from you as you wind down shop. :icon_razz:
But, enjoy your retirement! You've earned it.
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! :)
Quote from: theehman on September 22, 2021, 01:55:44 PM
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!).
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.
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! :)
You did a good job of it Steve. I wish you all the best in your retirement.
Best wishes in retirement! You've made the community of stompbox builders a better place!
Well, good retirement! Small Bear will be missed!
I wish you the best in your retirement, Steve.
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.
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.
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.
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.
enjoy retirement! Your shop and projects are where I got started! You'll be missed!
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.
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.
Happy retirement Steve, and all the best. Smallbear will be missed, for sure.
I wish you all the best in your retirement Steve.
Best of wishes to you Steve and to your well earned retirement. I learned a lot about Germanium transistors from ya!
Wow, that sure does change the landscape, but I'm happy as heck for you, Steve. Count me in as hoping for a sale rather than a winding-down of the business.
Happy to hear you have made it to retirement!
Now, will somebody please BUY HIS SHOP? Because if it happens, it will probably be someone who has already posted on this thread.
Steve & Company,
I cannot thank you enough for not only the quality service given over the years, but also the vigilant efforts to seamlessly accommodate every single order and inquiry I have placed. I have not once been dissatisfied by your services. The fact is, you didn't owe that level of attention to anyone but you do it anyways. You've opened the gateway to the new & experienced and came through with every single instance I've had with you & your company. Not to mention your involvement with the community here as I continue to gain from your past posts. Your business & kind hearted attitude was and will always be an inspiration to me personally. While I'm quite sad to see the news, it's totally understandable. I feel like I'm losing an internet buddy but gained enormous endearment from the quality of your character.
Now I know I need to find a place for all of these SmallBear stickers lol.
With sincere gratitude;
-Kevin
I wish you a fulfilling retirement, in which you may recieve the gift of luxurious time.
We all know very well the milestones of your work, although I never ordered anything living in Europe.
The most awesome thing about ordering from Smallbear is trustworthiness. I can't think of anyone else I would be willing to buy rare parts from. There are already a lot of items out of stock. I just placed an order for some of the things I could think of that I won't be able to buy later. It's like the end of a magical era--no more unicorn tears.
I may be new to posting on this forum, but not new to Small Bear. There are some items I literally don't know where else to find!
As others have said, enjoy retirement of course, but it would be great if you were able to sell the business to someone with the same interest set.
Quote from: Steben on September 23, 2021, 12:36:33 PM
I wish you a fulfilling retirement, in which you may recieve the gift of luxurious time.
We all know very well the milestones of your work, although I never ordered anything living in Europe.
Steve never met a dog he didn't want to squat down in front of, look in the eye, talk to, and pet. With more free time, his retiring will be to the benefit of dogs everywhere. He'll have so much dog hair on his palms, you'll think he's turned into a werewolf!
Happy retirement Steve! I know you were the guy that had everything from the obscure to the unobtainium. no one could ever replace you and your dedication. Hopefully, we can find someone that is half as dedicated, those are some mighty big shoes to fill.
Quote from: Mark Hammer on September 23, 2021, 06:37:53 PM......you'll think he's turned into a werewolf!
A bearwolf.
Best wishes Steve on your retirement - I've never forgotten your kindness all those years ago!
Steve,
Congrats on your retirement and best of luck to you in whatever plans you have.
Thank you for being such an excellent resource, along with your outstanding customer service to those of us in the DIY community! Small Bear Electronics became not only a one stop shop for builders, but the place to find some things no one else had.
Fair winds and following seas!
Quote from: ElectricDruid on September 22, 2021, 04:21:30 PM
Quote from: theehman on September 22, 2021, 01:55:44 PM
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!).
Opportunity isn't just knocking here, it's banging loudly on the door.
End of an era here. I can't imagine the effort you've
put into the cave and sustained over the years.
Have a great time filling up all the time you put into
Smallbear.
Still coming up with parts I can't find at other places.
respect and love on your journey, man, thank you for all the love you showed to the community for so many years, and stand down in peace. hope you find some beauty out there away from the same old shoe-shine. all the best!
PjP
Has anyone ordered and received shipping notification since the announcement?
Congratulation on retirement and thank you for your effort with SmallBearElec! I will miss it!
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on September 30, 2021, 09:26:22 AM
Has anyone ordered and received shipping notification since the announcement?
Yes, ordered and received.
Quote from: John Lyons on September 30, 2021, 11:50:11 AM
Quote from: Govmnt_Lacky on September 30, 2021, 09:26:22 AM
Has anyone ordered and received shipping notification since the announcement?
Yes, ordered and received.
Damn... must be nice. I have had to email them on almost every order I have placed with them. Like... several DAYS after placing it. :icon_rolleyes:
EDIT: I guess they saw my email. Got a shipping notice a minute ago :o
It's hard seeing you go but happy at the same time! Happy new adventures and Thanks for the great service!
I just ordered, and got an email....I live close by so I will see it soon !!
I ordered a few days ago and haven't seen a shipping notice yet, but that's been typical for me. I'm sure I'll get it eventually.
Quote from: vigilante397 on September 30, 2021, 03:10:55 PM
I ordered a few days ago and haven't seen a shipping notice yet, but that's been typical for me. I'm sure I'll get it eventually.
Put in an order on the 24th and got my shipping notification today.
From my experience as of the past year it takes around two or three days for things to be picked & processed. No biggie. The time is justified by the quality service - especially with all that's been going on in the world.
I can imagine it taking a bit longer since everyone is going to them before the doors close. Steve knows what he did :icon_lol:
Quote from: Kevin Mitchell on September 30, 2021, 03:15:29 PM
From my experience as of the past year it takes around two or three days for things to be picked & processed. No biggie. The time is justified by the quality service - especially with all that's been going on in the world.
I can imagine it taking a bit longer since everyone is going to them before the doors close. Steve knows what he did :icon_lol:
I'm not in a hurry, these aren't urgent parts for me. I know I'll get my order. I know they've been slower than usual, especially now with shutting down and everyone making a run on the store.
Quote from: vigilante397 on September 30, 2021, 03:22:47 PM
Quote from: Kevin Mitchell on September 30, 2021, 03:15:29 PM
From my experience as of the past year it takes around two or three days for things to be picked & processed. No biggie. The time is justified by the quality service - especially with all that's been going on in the world.
I can imagine it taking a bit longer since everyone is going to them before the doors close. Steve knows what he did :icon_lol:
I'm not in a hurry, these aren't urgent parts for me. I know I'll get my order. I know they've been slower than usual, especially now with shutting down and everyone making a run on the store.
You're so impatient, Nathan. Give them a chance!
My post was in reply to Govmnt_Lacky really. I found his experience unusual is all.
There was talk over on Muffs about Synthcube picking up some of the slack on some of those special items you could only get from Steve.
Best wishes for your retirement!
I have already placed the first of my last orders, and I will miss you guys so much. I still remember how happy I was the day you guys came back online after your pandemic break.
Thank you for being there when I wanted to build anything with decent Germanium.
8)
My order has shipped.!
Thanks Small Bear, have a great retirement. (From Vermont.)
Shots of Maple syrup all around.
Thanks for everything!
I think smallbear will forever be remembered by his description for the 741, "Sometimes you don't want fidelity" :D
Quote from: Jarno on October 11, 2021, 03:37:41 AM
741, "Sometimes you don't want fidelity"
Needs to be on a T-shirt. ;)
End of an era! Small Bear - enjoy retirement!
Been a good run....
It took a while to get to me, but my last smallbear order got to me the day before the PCBs I ordered the parts for, so timing worked out perfect.
My latest (maybe last :icon_cry:) Smallbear order has shipped. I made them work harder for it by placing three separate panic orders and asking them to merge them. Had a hiccup with a stock error on a couple of the ICs, but hopefully everything else will arrive (I'm trusting the humans over the computers to get this one right. :icon_lol:).
I hope the website stays up in some form after the cave closes officially.
Edit: I'm now preparing my FOURTH Smallbear order since the retirement announcement. I'm still in a panic. :icon_lol:
Edit 2: My triple order arrived, with a NOS cap bonus bag! :icon_biggrin:
(https://i.imgur.com/IRZ4Ieql.jpeg)
The huge ones are 680nF, and I will definitely use them somewhere. :icon_lol:
I was idly wondering also, why not sell the business, I suspect the answer is that Steve probably was irreplaceable in the operation, like he had relationships with all of these manufacturers in the Far East, and all sorts of obscure sources for parts and knowledge about how to get the right stuff. All to say, without any inside knowledge, I could see it being pretty hands on, unlike other businesses where the owner just put up the money and shows up for board meetings, and staff handles the day to day, which makes that business more portable/sellable to some investors. Maybe training someone to handle the business side just might not have been feasible.
Thanks for your contribution to DIY pedals Steve, you were a pivotal resource for the hobby!
Quote from: EBK on October 11, 2021, 06:54:59 PM
Edit 2: My triple order arrived, with a NOS cap bonus bag! :icon_biggrin:
I got one of those in my order last month, lots of useful values and some NOS mojo too. I have panic order #2 on the way now, several items were gone already, but I did okay.
Quote from: Processaurus on November 05, 2021, 01:12:25 AM
I was idly wondering also, why not sell the business, I suspect the answer is that Steve probably was irreplaceable in the operation, like he had relationships with all of these manufacturers in the Far East, and all sorts of obscure sources for parts and knowledge about how to get the right stuff. All to say, without any inside knowledge, I could see it being pretty hands on, unlike other businesses where the owner just put up the money and shows up for board meetings, and staff handles the day to day, which makes that business more portable/sellable to some investors. Maybe training someone to handle the business side just might not have been feasible.
Thanks for your contribution to DIY pedals Steve, you were a pivotal resource for the hobby!
I think that as long as it existed in any form the ties for Steve would never be severed, it would always be a presence. Closing it completely ends that chapter in his business life and gives him the freedom to move onto whatever he wants without feeling the need to be checking over his shoulder, his legacy intact.
Will be greatly missed, a huge contributor/enabler to this activity of ours! Thank you Steve!