Mitchell Reel Collectors International

Charles Garcia Corporation® (1947-1979) - Founded in 1919 as Charles Garcia & Company, it was originally located on Park Place then later moved to Park Avenue in New York City. They were the sole distributors of Mitchell products in the United States from 1947 through 1978. The company’s name changed to The Garcia Corporation and later moved to Teaneck New Jersey in 1969 where it remained until 1978. In Canada, Garcia Outdoor Sports Ltd. of Mississauga, Ontario, handled the Mitchell distribution. In 1946 Jules Gumprich was a partner with Charles Garcia in the import/export business under the company name Impecco located in France. He sent his brother living in NY City, Otto Gumprich, and a sample of a new spinning reel recently introduced in Paris by Mitchell. Otto was in charge of the Charles Garcia & Co. in the United States who at that time distributed silkworm gut used for surgical sutures. Thomas T. Lenk, an employee under Otto, noticed this reel and asked for the opportunity to market it in the NY area. Tom ordered just a dozen reels from Jules and sold them exclusively to the Mills Tackle shop in NY City. Brisk sales at Mills Tackle prompted Tom to order additional reels in high volume. With substantially increased sales, he was able to expand his marketing to trade shows in the NY metropolitan area. By 1949, the importation of these reels grew to be so successful the primary direction of the Charles Garcia & Co was to import and distribute Mitchell products exclusively. They accomplished this by forming the U.S. Company Impecco Ltd of Park Avenue, New York City, which later relocated to Teaneck, New Jersey in 1969. Impecco Ltd was appointed exclusive agent and handled the importing process while Garcia handled the sales, marketing, advertising, distribution and customer service of the products. In time, Otto Gumprich retired and Tom Lenk rose within the company to the position of President and CEO. The Garcia Corporation in the United States and Canada was a family managed business under the leadership of four related families - namely, The Lenks, The DeSimones, The Mesiscas and The Pisapios. The Garcia Corporation became a publicly owned company in 1970. In 1956, the Swedish Abu Ambassadeur and Abu-Matic line of products were introduced under the Garcia name. As the company grew, with quality brands such as Conolon, Kingfisher and Royal Bonnyl, many fledgling American and European products were introduced and marketed through the Impecco/Garcia family organisation. In 1974 Garcia was a dominant force in the fishing tackle market and purchased Mitchell of France. Up until 1978, Impecco Ltd was the exclusive agent of Mitchell and Abu fishing reels for The Garcia Corporation importing fishing tackle, firearms, ski, camping and tennis equipment from Europe for North American distribution. Many of the European companies are now world recognised sporting goods name brands of today. The Garcia Corporation dominated and revolutionised fishing tackle worldwide and was a successful operation with annual revenues over $100 million. They basically gave North Americans the opportunity to experience new and innovative fishing and outdoor products for 30 years. By 1978, due to financial concerns, The Garcia Corporation would restructure the distribution of Mitchell and Abu. By 1980 these two brands would become independent and go their separate ways. Mitchell of France appointed various importers until 1984, and from 1978 to 1984, Garcia Outdoor Sports Ltd continued to sell reels independently throughout Canada. In 1984 Mitchell Sports of France took over distribution of all Mitchell reels world-wide thereby closing the doors to the Garcia-Mitchell relationship. In 1991 Johnson Worldwide Associates purchased Mitchell Sports of France. In 1980 Abu Sweden became the owner of the Garcia name and logo, changed their name to Abu-Garcia Inc. and relocated the US operation to Fairfield, New Jersey.