Andover Hunt and Fish doubles in size, inventory

By Laurie Gordon
ANDOVER — It was a Thursday afternoon, and Andover Hunt and Fish was buzzing with business. Anglers were in to buy bait and some hunters were browsing for bullets.

At the center of it all was Garrett Kazar, the 21-year-old owner, answering questions, helping customers and simultaneously fielding a phone call or two.

It wasn't always so busy. In the beginning, when the then 17-year-old Kazar bought the store it was slow, he said.

“The first two weeks weren't so great,” Kazar said. He wasn't going to settle for that, so he revamped the store and when the customers came, they noticed his charisma and attention to the customers and detail.

They came back and word spread, so much so that the store recently doubled in size and inventory.

Most 17-year-olds aren't too sure what they want to do for a career, not Kazar.

“Ever since I could first walk my dad has been taking me hunting and fishing throughout the northeast,” he said, “Perhaps my most memorable hunt was when I was six-years old and I tagged along on a muzzleloader hunt at the Delaware Water Gap with my dad and Uncle Joe. From that day on I’ve been hooked on being in the woods and experiencing the great outdoors.”

Kazar has fished nearly every day of spring trout, summer bass, fall trout and ice fishing since he was about 10 years old. Around that time he also got his hunting license and has since hunted small game and deer locally, woodcock and grouse in Maine, and elk in Idaho.

“I know how fortunate I am to have had all these opportunities and my goal in owning this store is to impart my knowledge on our customers and help however I can," he said.

Kazar grew up in Green and attended Pope John High School.

With a huge passion for fishing and hunting, he said, “I was thrilled to have been presented with the opportunity to turn those passions into a career,” He worked part time at YOJ Sports, the store he now owns, and in addition, had four other part-time jobs doing everything from selling meat to working at local farms to save money.

He purchased the store in 2012. and his father, Edward, helped him fill it with inventory. An uncle worked there to help get the business going and, “My parents were just awesome helping out and still are,” Kazar said. In the midst of it all, he found time to take business and marketing courses at Sussex County Community College to help him with the venture.

Once the business gained its reputation, customers started flocking to Andover Hunt and Fish.

What's Kazar's secret?
His passion for hunting and fishing and his entrepreneurial spirit are unstoppable, plus his attention to customer service raises the bar. Kazar bends over backwards to accommodate his customers and makes sure his staff does the same.

“I pride myself on customer service. It's the most important thing,” he said. To this end, he'll open early if needed and even leave bait outside for customers to pick up for a super early run.

One of the customers in the store on that busy Thursday afternoon was Marty Tanis, of Oakland. He was in for some shad dots and said, “This place is amazing. I'll definitely be back.”

But that might not be the next time he sees Kazar. They had plans to possibly meet up at a particular stream in the near future before Tanis left.