Jack Dennis wants one thing to be clear: He’s not going anywhere.

He is, however, giving up one big part of his life – the retail stores that bear his name. Dennis announced he has retired from the retail end of his business. He will continue to offer guided fly-fishing tours on the Snake River, as he has since 1967, and still will produce fly-fishing DVDs and work as a public speaker.

“There are a lot of factors that went into this decision,” Dennis said. “But the stress of all of this business has taken its toll.”

Dennis, 62, cited a conflict of interests among his business partners and his health as the main reasons to get out of the retail end of the business.

“Every time you add partners to a group, everyone is going to have an opinion of how it’s going to go,” Dennis said. “There were a multitude of situations that don’t need to be discussed. But I have no plans to leave the valley. If anything, I’m going to get more involved than ever before.”

Dennis also was diagnosed with hypertension this summer, and doctors told him he’d have to reduce the stress in his life.

He said since getting out of retail and taking medication, his blood pressure has already been lowered significantly.

Now, Dennis has focused his energy on his other loves – producing high-quality movies and guiding tours.

Dennis continues to add to his already lengthy DVD collection. He will be introducing Blu-ray and high-definition DVDs by January for the outdoor retail outfitter Cabela’s. He also has been working in a new video editing studio in his home that features equipment for high-definition production.

“It’s exciting times,” he said.

Dennis’ immediate future will include four road-show events in Dallas, Atlanta, Boise and Denver and a full slate of Cabela’s store appearances this year.

Dennis, though, will no longer have his hands in the retail stores on Town Square and at Teton Village.

“We’ve been taking care of customers for 42 years,” he said. “We enjoy working in the [Grand Teton National] Park and showing the art of fly fishing from our perspective.

“Retail just isn’t as fun as it used to be.”