A family run kayak and watersports store has opened its third branch in Enniskillen in response to rising water tourism numbers there.
Atlantic Kayaks and Leisure was first started by husband and wife duo Mark and Claire Connolly as an online shop on the north coast during the pandemic.
The family’s interest in surfing, sailing and paddlesports led to them opening physical stores in Castlerock and Coleraine, and now their latest venture on the Sligo Road in the Co Fermanagh town.
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Speaking to MyFermanagh, Mark said Fermanagh was a natural next step for the business, which now employs 12 people across its three stores.
“We have been growing quite a bit and have benefited a lot from a real uplift in water activities since the beginning of the pandemic,” Mark said.
“It has allowed us to grow quite quickly and so we opened the two stores on the north coast, somewhere and are from.
“So Enniskillen was a natural progression, there had been little usage of the water around here until relatively recently, but it has grown so much in the last few years.
“We definitely saw a big opening in the market and we’re delighted to be here.”
The Sligo Road store opened its doors last Saturday and has been welcoming watersports enthusiasts since.
“We opened the doors there and have plenty of people in since then, which was a relief” Mark added.
“We’re not sure how it’s going to go but we are quietly confident that there is plenty of demand here.
“We only started the business in 2020 in the middle of a pandemic and we’ve come a long way since then already.
“Our family has always been into surfing, sailing and paddlesports and that type of thing and it’s something we’ve always been interested in, and we are just delighted that it’s now a full time business.”
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