Need boats, motors, trailers? Shop Elephant Boys

A partner of a well-known Spokane family retailer has split off to establish a separate venture that focuses on the sales and service of boats, motors and trailers.

Ed Conley, longtime co-owner of the two-store White Elephant Surplus Stores with brothers Pat and Rich Conley, recently left the toy and sporting goods business to create his new marine store called The Elephant Boys – coined from his nickname Elephant Boy.

Conley had managed the Valley White Elephant store, which has sold some of the same boat brands Elephant Boys will now sell and continue as a discount retailer.

Marc Conley, the owner’s son and operational manager of the new venture, said the Valley White Elephant experienced incredible growth in boat sales over the past few years and the family realized their boating customers deserved more attention.

The Elephant Boys will take the boating aspect from the White Elephant stores to better accommodate that customer, the younger Conley says, while complementing the original store that continues to carry sporting goods and toys.

“We don’t carry fishing tackle, rods or reels,” says Conley, adding: “The boating aspect has always been my dad’s passion.”

The new store continues to be a mostly family business, as four of the five full-time employees being family, he added.

The Elephant Boys is located just east of White Elephant’s Valley store in what was its boat-service department. The location also is just north of Conley’s Restaurant, also owned by Ed Conley.

The Elephant Boys is making its debut at the Boat Show, scheduled through Feb. 5 at the Spokane Interstate Fair and Expo Center. It will showcase boats by Triton, Lowe and Aluminum Chambered Boats Inc., as well as Water Lodges of Alabama, the custom-made floating cabin that Conley says is ideal for water properties that might not be conducive to home construction.

He said the store also will sell and service Evinrude, Johnson, Tohatsu and Mercury outboard motors and has a boat service and maintenance department with a certified boat-motor mechanic on staff.

Pat and Rich Conley continue as co-owners of White Elephant, which in addition to the Valley store operate the store 1730 N. Division St. in Spokane. Their father, John Conley Sr., founded the business in 1946.

“If you’re from Spokane, you know about the White Elephant,” says Ed Conley’s daughter Laura Duncan. “Now we want to let them know about Elephant Boys.”