Marine supply retail giant West Marine opened a flagship store in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle after a Grand Opening celebration on December 7 and 8. The move also includes the closing of the previous West Marine store in the Shilshole Bay area.
“With this store, we’ve come home and are here to stay,” store manager Lynn Gambrell told Northwest Yachting. “No more moving around.” The new location is 24,000 square feet, nearly twice the size of the previous store. In addition to the expanded retail space, the new store includes an in-house, full-service rigging station and is a hub for West Marine Pro, the marine industry-focused wholesale arm of the company.
Across from the rigging station on the second floor, visitors will notice a colorful wall display of spools of line. Gambrell explained that the wall is an homage to West Marine founder Randolph Repass who, as the legend goes, started West Marine by selling nylon rope out of his garage in 1968. The current CEO of West Marine is Ken Seipel who took the helm on December 5, 2018.
For boaters, and those shopping for boaters, the new West Marine is certainly worth a visit. It’s located across the street from the Seattle Maritime Academy at 1400 NW 45th Street. It’s open from 0800 hours to 1900 hours every day except Sunday, when it closes at 1800 hours.
