Photo by Tiffany Tan/VTDiggerThe Vermont-based outdoor gear and apparel company Orvis will close 31 stores and five outlet locations by early 2026. “We will be concentrating on a more focused retail store portfolio, as well as brick-and-mortar opportunities through our valued dealer network,” he said. Founded in 1856 in Manchester, Orvis claims to have been the oldest mail-order retailer in the United States and sells fishing equipment, bird hunting gear and outdoor apparel. In his statement Thursday, Perkins said the retail downsizing represented an attempt to focus on the business’s core strengths: fly fishing and bird hunting. The company declined to provide details on which stores will close or on Orvis’s existing retail footprint.