When Dan Collins learned that Canaan’s Pleasant Valley store was set to close its doors and go out of business, he became filled with nostalgia. Collins, who has lived his entire life on Goose Pond Road in Canaan, had patronized the store since was a boy. He harbored fond memories of the playing Pac-Man at the store’s former arcade, of buying penny candy at the front counter.

He also remembered when the establishment housed a large selection of fishing equipment.

Collins, who already had a successful business as a painting contractor, decided to look into buying Pleasant Valley. He consulted his fiancee, Beckylynn Coates, who has worked as a bookkeeper for three decades. For a year, they researched the possibility of keeping alive the corner store that had served the community since 1915. In October 2016, they announced to their family that they had decided to take over the store.

“We gave ourselves a lot of time to talk ourselves out of it,” says Collins. “We knew it wasn’t a business where you could relax. Running a store is a lot of work. You can put in 110 hours a week. We also had to consider our other jobs.”

After taking reins, they immediately set their goals. First and foremost was to lower prices on all items in order to be more competitive and friendlier to their patrons’ pocketbooks. Then Collins went to work remodeling to make the store brighter. Coates added her decorative touch, bringing in toys, gifts, knickknacks and other sundries, all created by local crafters.

“We wanted to combine convenience with the look of an old-fashioned country store,” Coates says. “We wanted it to be a place where our customers would feel comfortable and welcome. We also want to be more involved in the community that has been so good to us.”

Finally, they went to work on the outdoors department.

The store had always offered a selection of lures, hooks and other angling paraphernalia. But Collins wanted to expand the selection to make it more appealing to outdoors enthusiasts who might not want to drive all the way into West Lebanon to pick up Power Bait at Wal-Mart.

He also knows that fishing is probably the most popular sport in the Upper Valley.

“There are 16 lakes and ponds within a 10-mile radius of the store,” he explains. “Throw in the brooks and rivers, and you’ve got fishing central.”

Though Collins does fish from time to time, he does not consider himself to be a serious angler. So to help stock the fishing department with merchandise, he brought in a local fishing guide named Bill Prior. Prior quickly went to work, opting for a seasonal approach.

Any local angler knows that the fishing season has different periods that require particular types of equipment. Spring means fly fishing for browns, brookies and rainbows. Summer is ripe for bass and panfish as well as deep trolling for trout. Just about every species bites in autumn, and winter is the time to hit the ice.

No matter what the time of year, Collins wants anglers to be able to find everything they needed in one local venue. Collins has also added another item to make it easier for anglers.

He engaged Prior to develop a map of the area that shows the best species to pursue at each fishing hole. The map will eventually be turned into a vinyl application that will cover one entire wall of the fishing section. This will help anglers not familiar with the area to decide where they want to wet a line, as well as educating local enthusiasts about places they have never fished before.

And there’s more to come.

“We still haven’t displayed everything we have in stock,” Collins told me, “but eventually it will all be on the shelves.”

The store carries a limited selection of hunting equipment including ammunition, knives, gloves, hats, thermal socks and foot warmers for those cold days in the tree stand. Pleasant Valley is also a deer registration station. Collins added a scale so deer can be weighed before they are recorded.

Anglers and hunters can renew their licenses at the store. Snowmobilers and ATV riders may register their recreational vehicles. And propane refills are available for that lakeside barbecue grill.

Collins and Coates have already followed through with their objective to be more involved in community outreach. They participated in New Hampshire youth weekend for young hunters, offering a grand prize for the biggest deer and consolation gift cards for everyone else who participated. They are going to co-sponsor the upcoming Lion’s Club Kids Fishing Derby this spring at Canaan Street Lake.

Coleman Stokes can be reached at stokescoles@gmail.com