If I Had a Boat

Small businesses were already at a disadvantage before the pandemic. Unfortunately, I contributed to the problem by shopping online from corporate giants. I bought a kayak from BassPro just a few months ago. As expected, it was back-ordered. Fortunately, on a recent trip to Huntsville, we happen to drive by Cabelas who had that same kayak on display. When I saw it up close, I realized it wasn’t at all what I wanted. It was way too big and cumbersome. Last summer, my husband bought a kayak from a manufacturer in Georgia, so we gave them a call. They didn’t have any kayaks available either. but they told us about a small dealer in Manchester, Tennessee who might.

A few days later, after spending a day on the shore of the lake, reading, taking pictures, and watching Mickey fish from his kayak, we made our way to Sportsman’s Corner. It was past closing time but we thought we could just peek in the windows and see what was there. When we pulled up we found the store’s owner, Wendell, unpacking a recent delivery of kayaks. He invited us to take a look around…and while you’re here, Wendell motioned to Mickey and said, “could you grab the end of this kayak and help me carry it inside?”

I made the comment that it looked like business was good. As we wandered through the store, Wendell kept working and sharing about his recent stroke of luck. He said earlier in the year he thought he was going to have to close the store. And then the pandemic hit, which appeared to be the final blow. But then something shifted. People started calling, inquiring about kayaks. Then they started buying and buying. He said he had already sold four times the number of kayaks he did last year. Wendell saw the writing on the wall and purchased more kayaks to meet the sudden demand. It hasn’t slowed down yet, and neither has Wendell.

Thankfully, I was able to cancel my order from BassPro and give my cash to Wendell, who is a single dad raising three kids. When we were there that first night, Wendell’s son and a few buddies were in the store helping unpack kayaks. His son has just received his high school diploma that day. I fell in love with this family, whose small business is experiencing a boom in sales right now. I hope it continues and that his business is here for years to come. I know I will be back for a life jacket to replace the borrowed one I am wearing now. Mickey accidentally dropped his fishing pole yesterday and it now lives at the bottom of the lake so we will be needing a new one of those as well.

Now…for a pony.