Local equestrians who came to depend on Moraga’s Dover Saddlery for their helmets and blankets and other essential tack may have been surprised to learn of the store’s sudden closure, announced today on their website.
Rumors of financial problems within the chain have circulated in recent months, borne out by closures of other locations throughout the state and elsewhere. The Rheem Valley Center location at 444 Center closes today, Thursday.
Dover Saddlery was founded in 1975 by Jim and David Powers, former members of the USET Three-Day Event Team, who stated a desire to offer riders access to the best tack available from around the world. The brothers eventually brought Dover Saddlery’s product line to riders across the United States with a mail order catalog.
The company opened their Moraga store with some fanfare in 2015.
Critics have blamed the company’s aggressive brick-and-mortar growth with driving out many smaller, more established saddleries across the county and patrons have expressed dissatisfaction with pricing and other issues with items offered through the firm’s catalogue.
A request for comment from the store’s corporate spokesman went unanswered as of this writing.
My Montana ranch raised girlfriend thought they were overpriced.
Firestone 11R
We have heard that. Though our Wyoming-bred girlfriends prefer to make their own saddles and lariats and such…
It’s sad to see any business close.
Agreed. And why we’ve renewed our efforts to ensure we’re not among them!
It was a pretty store but I have to wonder how much business they were doing.