Bioquip closing

The owner of BioQuip is retiring without any heirs. Business is up for sale. I first did business with BioQuip in the late 60s.

Lets hope so, the site itself gives no indication of closing at this time. I see prices have raised though, but it's happening everywhere.
Certainly some items I'd want to pick up before Bioquip goes out of circulation. I sure don't want to go through the dregs of the internet
searching for supplies.

I just placed an order for something that in the past cost me $76.00 US, the same order today is now $175.00. No need to wonder why businesses are closing and people are fleeing from the corrupt leadership in California to other states all over the US.

But, I ordered these same items several times in the past year, because BQ is the only supplier worldwide of my ordered item. Trying to stock up before the end. Though, most likely someone will come along to replace BQ, though, any business person with common sense will move this business out of the (edited for slander). So many entomological persons at museums etc for the past half century have permanently moved with their families out of California in recent years to other states. (Edited for negative personal opinion). I look at all the northerners that have moved into my local town and cities trying to escape the same problems in recent decades, and the first thing they do is try to implement the same BS here they claim to be fleeing from. I don't know about the status of BioQuip bugs division. I'll have to get an E-mail off to the manager. I have in the past several times sold them bulk lots of Louisiana bugs.

Here is a photo of Left, Zack Lemann (Visitor Programs Manager, Audubon Insectarium) and (Right) Brent Karner (BioQuipBugs Division Manager) visiting Vernon Antoine Brou Jr. April 9, 2012

First Ianni and now Bioquip... I just feel sad about this. As a kid with a lot of time and no money, trying to put together a collection, these two retailers were the stuff of dreams. I would scan through their catalogues looking at all the stuff I wish I could have. Of course, you get older and start to work, and maybe you have some money but much less time. The pandemic kept me at home more than I had been in the years prior and got me back into the hobby. Ianni and Bioquip were my go-to spots for anything I needed. I admit that I would grumble at times at the cost of shipping at Bioquip, but I always felt lucky that they were just an hours drive away from me and had almost everything I could ever need.  As for Ianni, I just savored the idea of this one man in his small corner of our country had spent his life curating a collection of specimens from around the world that we could share with me.  And so to see these two retailers gone now, it feels like I've lost  a cherished part of my life and of the hobby that I love. If it is something that all of us here on Insectnet have mutually experienced, then I guess its nice that we have this board to mourn that loss together. 

To those of us more experience and older than I, can you please offer some insights into what all these changes mean for the hobby? Is the demand for these retailers waning? Is it moving overseas? Or is this just the nature of an industry under the same economic pressures as anyone else that leads to business closing and (hopefully) new ones replacing them? Although I fear that neither Bioquip nor Mr. Ianni can ever be replaced. 

Thanks for posting that memo Vabrou, I haven't got an email from Bioquip, maybe it's meant for more frequent or bigger spenders.
Anyway, looks like I should get what I normally use now while I can.
Just out of curiosity, I searched last night for 15 watt uv bulbs, besides a bunch of Amazon crap, what I got was mostly overseas
suppliers. It's going to be the same for a lot of other supplies, except maybe for insect pins.

As far as the demise of a business, it's not always one thing, it'll be demand, supply and competition that make or break most people.
There are so many sellers out there, especially of deadstock, I don't see how anyone could make a living doing it, and supplies-
I didn't buy new equipment every year, I've tried retail before, and it's difficult, inventory is a crap shoot as to what will sell.
Who can say if interest is waning , I'll let someone else poke that bear.

Trehopr1, there are much better quality drawers made in Czech Rep. and Poland some in Russia at lower cost including shipping. One must do some research to find out. I only buy drawers from Poland and because I had some drawers from Bioquip I can definitely tell the difference.