The shop is vast, very bright with a heigh ceiling, with a modern art galery ambience. The coffee corner welcomes all the visitors who want to watch a fly fishing video during lunch break while eating their sandwiches (coffee is very kindly offered !). All the displays have been designed for the shop and have casters so that the shop can be transformed in club in a blink of an eye for a fly tying evening, a fly fishing event, a movie projection… and if the counter reminds you a bar, it’s because it’s often used like that.
Eventually, you could come to see all this. But what we retain from the California Fly Shop, it’s the staff. They are truely welcoming, cool and very professionnal at the same time (that’s how you do it in California). The shop is not directly in San Francisco so they offer you to come grab you at the Caltrain station (San Carlos) to bring you to the shop ! they are all very good professionnals, talented flyfishermens and flyfisherwomen, great flytiers (Shawn, you rock buddy). And to be sure that they are always top level, they have to go on a fishing trip at least once per year (paid by the shop).
Do not miss it ! It’s close to the airport so do it like we did, jump there just after landing.