Alameda and Antioch Next to Get Marine Superstores

West Marine, the nation’s largest retailer of recreational and commercial boating supplies and apparel, has announced the Grand Opening of two new Bay Area Stores.

Both stores will open Saturday and Sunday, April 6th and 7th. The new Alameda store is located at 732 Buena Vista Ave. The new Antioch store is located at 4645 Century Blvd. Doors will open at 9 a.m. both days.

Those attending the celebration will be eligible to win exciting Grand Opening prizes from the store’s vast selection of boating, fishing and watersports equipment. Special Grand Opening sale prices will also be offered on many products throughout the store. For details, call the Alameda West Marine at (510) 521-4865.

In announcing the Grand Opening, West Marine’s President of Retail Stores, Rich Everett, remarked, “We’re pleased to be expanding our presence in California. Our experience has shown that boaters in this area are knowledgeable, active and very enthusiastic about boating. Whether they use their boats for fishing, watersports, cruising or racing, their level of commitment to boating demands an equally high level of commitment from our company. Our new store will offer these boaters the best selection of quality boating products and equipment at competitive prices every day. It’s our way of helping boaters find the solutions to all of their boating needs.”

With more than 240 stores nationwide, West Marine was created 34 years ago when founder Randy Repass started selling rope to fellow boaters from his garage. An electrical engineer with one of Silicon Valley’s early high tech firms, Repass says he was frustrated by the experience of shopping in local chandleries for the parts he needed to outfit his modest daysailer. “Boat supply stores in those days were usually dark, disorganized places staffed by a couple of salty, but indifferent, clerks who preferred swapping sea stories with one another to helping customers find what they came in to buy.”

His dissatisfaction led Repass to open his first West Coast Ropes store in Palo Alto, CA. An emphasis on putting the needs of his customers first eventually enabled the business to expand to additional locations throughout the San Francisco Bay area. As the company broadened its product offerings, the name was changed to West Marine Products to reflect its growing inventory. “We were, and continue to be, a company of boaters helping fellow boaters,” says Repass.