Togens Fly Shop to open in Cottonwood Square

Later this spring, fishing flies will be flying off the racks of the Cottonwood Square location that previously housed the well-loved boutique, Fly Away Home. In welcome news to local anglers, Niwot resident Nick Wilson is opening a brick-and-mortar retail space for Togens Fly Shop, selling a wide range of flies, fly-tying supplies, and other equipment. The fly shop will be the first in Niwot since a fly tying shop in Cottonwood Square owned by Richard and Kay Laatt, known as Rocky Mountain Fly Company, closed decades ago. The Togens brand may already be familiar to Boulder County fly fishing enthusiasts. For the last two years, the company has had a location on Folsom Street in Boulder, which was mainly used for curbside pickup of items available on the company's website. That changed when Wilson bought the business and relocated it.

"There are two other fly shops in Boulder, and I wanted to work where I live," Wilson said. "This shop was available when I was looking, and the stars aligned. I'm really glad to be here, and I've gotten great feedback from the community about having a local fly fishing-oriented business." Wilson is currently wading through the myriad tasks needed to open the location, including fulfilling orders on the company's successful online store, http://www.togensflyshop.com. He's hoping to open the Cottonwood Square location by Memorial Day, which will be the brand's first brick-and-mortar storefront, and he looks forward to working with customers in person.

Wilson explained, "Our slogan is 'where quality meets affordability,' and we sell any material people need to tie their flies. Hooks, beads, feathers, tackles, we'll have all of it, along with rods and reels. If someone is looking for something on their way out the door to go fishing, we should have that too."

Eventually, Wilson would like to go beyond providing flies and other merchandise fishers need, to offer in-person fly-tying education, support the area's angler community, and participate in community events and connections. He's open to holding classes at Niwot Hall or at other locations in town, and is interested in supporting a Niwot High School class focusing on fly fishing.

Opening a shop is connected to one of Wilson's lifelong passions. "I grew up in South Dakota and, while everyone else around me hunted, I fished. I've been fly fishing ever since I moved to Colorado, about 20 years ago."

Wilson has lived in Niwot for nearly a decade. "We lived in South Boulder, and once we started to have kids, we considered Niwot," he said. "We'd been here a couple of times, attended some of the Rock & Rails events, and were thrilled that everything happened so we could live here." His latest venture represents a new stage in a career that's been devoted to endeavors he's passionate about. Until recently, he was the Brewery Manager at Boulder's Twisted Pine Brewing, a role he earned by working his way through brewing roles at the company until he became their master brewer.

Now, instead of casting hops into a boil, he's focusing on casting flies. Wilson is looking forward to seeing what the future holds. "We love Niwot, and I'm glad to be here," he said. "I can't wait to get involved in the festivals and the parades, encouraging people to get out of doors and be active. I'm excited."