Today we’d like to introduce you to Guy Gauvin.
Guy – please share the story with us.
Kathleen Tefft and I started East Coast Paddle Sports in 2014 as a mobile operation where customers would reserve their kayaks and paddleboards and we would deliver them to the customer’s location. That quickly changed when we were presented with the opportunity to have a waterfront presence in East Greenwich at Finn’s Harborside Restaurant. This is a wildly popular restaurant so we immediately had a strong customer base for rentals. Over the next two seasons we kept adding more equipment to meet the demand.
It was during the 2016 season that we had two sisters come out to paddle with us one day and on their return they spoke about what a great time they had and they thought our business model would work well in a marina that they own and operate in Wakefield called Ram Point Marina and they invited us to visit them to see if we would open a second location. At the time we were so busy running the day to day business with Nicole Gauvin that we really did not give it another thought until we started to wind down the season and had time to even think about opening a second location.
We took a drive down to visit the marina and the location could not be more perfect. It was located in a sheltered cove much like East Greenwich and also had a small retail store where we could start selling paddleboards and accessories. We are now in our second season at the Wakefield shop and in addition to rentals and sales we now offer paddleboard yoga lessons, sunset tours and full moon tours.
Has it been a smooth road?
Like most small businesses we have had the typical struggles that come with growth. We also have daily variables like knowing when the weather might change on us so that we can keep our customers safe on the water. Our single biggest hiccup was on our very first day of business when we had our trailer loaded with eight brand new paddleboards and we hit a pot hole so hard that it caused the trailer hitch to fail and the trailer broke free from the vehicle and then veered off into oncoming traffic. The trailer went into the center median, became airborne and struck a tree and stopped before it went into the oncoming traffic.
We had two blown out tires, several damaged boards a dent in the back of the Jeep and Kathleen was hysterical in the middle of the road. With the help of a few kind bystanders they helped me get the trailer connected to the Jeep and then I dragged it away to a spot where we could make the repairs to the trailer. The next few days were spent rebuilding the boards by removing the tree branches, cutting away the damaged fiberglass and foam and rebuilding them. By the following weekend we were back in business and ready to take on the world.
I would like to say that it has been smooth sailing since but it is those challenging times that makes running a small business so satisfying.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the East Coast Paddle Sports story. Tell us more about the business.
We are Southern New England’s premier Stand-Up Paddleboard & Kayak rental and sales company dedicated to increasing the adventure in our customers’ life. We provide stand up paddleboard equipment, accessories, lessons, paddleboard & kayak rentals to all of Rhode Island and the surrounding areas. Discover the hidden jewels of the Ocean State as you explore some of the most beautiful places this state has to offer. In addition to rentals, we offer paddleboard sales, yoga, corporate team building and family outing packages.
We have 2 convenient locations in Rhode Island. Our East Greenwich spot is at 38 Water St, adjacent to Finn’s Harborside Restaurant. And our Wakefield location is at 2 William Schmid Drive, at Ram Point Marina.
We strive to make each outing not just a rental but a memory that stays with you. We take the time with each customer to not only teach them the basics of paddling but to let them know where the best places to go to see fish, turtles, birds and other wildlife. If we know in advance that it is someone’s birthday or a bridal party we make the event even more special with decorations.
We truly love what we do.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
We will continue to add new tours, different paddle craft and perhaps more locations.
Pricing:
- Monday thru Thursday are half price rentals paddleboards are $7.50 p/h and kayaks are $6 p/h
- Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Holidays paddleboards $15 p/h and kayaks are $12 p/h
- Sunset Tours $55
- Paddleboard Yoga $30
Contact Info:
- Address: 2 William Schmid Drive Wakefield, RI 02879
38 Water Street East Greenwich, RI 02818 - Website: ecpaddlesports.com
- Phone: 401-360-2282
- Email: ecpaddlesports@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastcoastpaddlesports/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eastcoastpaddlesports/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ecpaddlesports
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/east-coast-paddle-sports-east-greenwich
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