Buffalo Rising Online

May 29th 2006, 6:22pm By queenseyes

It's just one of those waterfront days I guess. One of those days that you find yourself walking into West Marine on Niagara Street to browse through merchandise that you have no need for since you don't own a boat. Or maybe you do own a boat. If so, then this nautical hardware store is a huge score. Just walking down its aisles makes you want to go out and buy a watercraft. I brought along RoBear (photo), a longtime Lake Erie boater who offered to give me a quick tour of the place.

West Marine is located in the same lot as Harry's Harbour Place Grille. It is bedecked with anything you can think of in the nautical accessory family... from fishing rods to wet suits. While we were cruising the aisles we ran into the store's manager, Jeff Gondek, who was nice enough to answer a few of our questions. He told us that West Marine opened its Buffalo location in 1987. He went on to tell us that the store's hottest sellers are anything having to do with marine electronics. He added that safety equipment has been a huge seller as well. "Ever since the US Coastguard's auxiliary team started checking for safety gear in the parking lot we have seen an increase in those types of sales", he explained. "Hey, it's better to get the warning on land... you don't want to get caught out on the water without a preserver."

We asked Jeff how the boating season has been... we were interested whether gas prices had made an impact on the local industry.

"This year has been gangbusters for us. We thought there would be a dip, but we've seen the exact opposite. People are clamoring to get out onto the water. What we have found out is that they are doing more anchoring and drifting down the river. At $3.99 a gallon (for boats), who can blame 'em? We're even seeing more people sleeping out on their boats in the Harbor Place Marina. There are electric hook-ups, fresh water, bathrooms and even shower facilities. You wouldn't believe the number of transient-business that the marina gets from boaters coming from places like Chicago and Detroit."

Hmmm, that's pretty cool. I hadn't thought of that. Jeff's last answer led us to our next big question, "What do you think about Bass ProOe and would the sporting superstore effect your business one way or another?" He answered, "No, Bass Pro and West Marine co-exist all over the country. They sell items for sportsmenOe we sell accessories for the boater. We do dabble in some sporting equipment, take our fishing rods for example... the $20 rod and reel package is a huge seller for us, but it's not our specialty. Surprisingly, a huge seller for us is "Git"-Rot epoxy (huh?)... Believe it or not, people come here to buy marine resins and paints for their home repairs. What could be better to seal wood on a porch than a product that is made to seal the hull of a boat?"

Jeff was full of all sorts of information today. He's been with the company for seven years and has come to know the business like the back of his hand. West Marine is a fun place to check out (even if you are boat-less)... the place stocks ladders, bumpers, ropes, coolers, life-preservers, clothing and a whole lot more.

West Marine is located at 2192 Niagara Street in Buffalo. 716-875-0500