Boating Accessories Firm Moves Inland; Opens In Valley

The country’s largest boating accessories retailer is opening a store in the Spokane Valley.

West Marine Products, a publicly held firm, will open a 6,000-square-foot store Friday at 5306 E. Sprague.

It’s the national chain’s first store in the Inland Northwest.

“This is a little bit of a jump for us,” said David Roberts, manager of the Spokane store. Most of West Marine’s 170 stores are located in coastal areas: San Diego, Chesapeake Bay and Seattle.

“We do have stores in the Great Lakes, but putting a store here, without an inland sea, is new for the Northwest,” he said.

West Marine saw the potential for an inland store near water recreation areas, Roberts said. Officials also cited the growth potential in the Spokane Valley.

Inside, the store is a virtual water lover’s world. Shoppers can find water skis, lifejackets, clothing, bilge pumps and fire extinguishers.

West Marine poured thousands of dollars into renovating the store, which was formerly the site of the state liquor board office. “We gutted it,” said Roberts. The store received fresh paint, lights, carpeting, tile floors, doors, offices and celing.

West Marine will share the building with Radio Shack.

In addition to the regular boating fare, the store sells hi-tech boating electronics such as GPS - Global Positioning System - which allows water-bound folks to pinpoint their exact location on the Earth.

Roberts is hiring about 20 employees for the new store. About 10 will be part time, and all of them, with the exception of Roberts, will be from Spokane. Roberts transferred from West Marine’s Bellevue, Wash., store.

Currently, West Marine has 170 stores in 23 states, with annual sales of $323 million. The company was started in 1968 in Palo Alto, Calif.

, DataTimes