Old Towne Canoe

Sluggish recreational market slows Johnson Outdoors

Net income for the fiscal third quarter was $8.1 million, or 83 cents per share, during the third fiscal quarter, down 22 percent compared with $10.4 million, or $1.09 per share, in the prior year quarter. Sales slipped 1 percent to $122.5 million, compared with $124 million the year before.

Helen Johnson-Leipold , chairman and CEO of Johnson Outdoors (Nasdaq: JOUT), blamed economic and weather conditions for hurting the pace of recovery in outdoor recreational markets during the third quarter. "The late onset of the paddlesports and camping season coincided with a downtick in consumer spending as economic anxieties flared," she said.

Old Town Canoe holding 'Summer Sizzler' sale — Maine Outdoors ...

A couple decades ago, I met a woman from Kansas who was making her first trip to Maine. When I told her where I was from, she asked me what I thought was an odd question: “Is that near Old Town?”

Brewer was, in fact, near Old Town. But why was she asking?

“Because I’ve always heard about Old Town Canoe , and wanted to go there some day,” she replied.

According to Lloyd Hall, the retail manager at Old Town Canoe, those kinds of conversations are actually pretty common. And he’s got the map to prove it.

“We get people who will drive for days to be here. People come here just to visit. It’s on their bucket list,” Hall said. “We’ve got a visitor map here in the store with all 50 states and probably 60 or 70 countries represented of people who have just come to see the place.”

This weekend, Old Town Canoe will give visitors from away — as well as those from nearby — another reason to visit their factory: It’s time for the “Summer Sizzler.”

Hall explained that this year, the company’s popular spring boat sale, during which paddlers flock to Old Town and save tons of cash on “blem,” or slightly imperfect, and overstocked boats, was not held at the factory. Instead, dealers across the state held a weekend-long sale in lieu of the traditional event.

“[We] let [dealers] really get the first shot at spring consumers, but we still have a need to work through the blems here at the factory, so we’ve merged the June sale and the September sale into a big summer event,” Hall said.

Thus, the Summer Sizzler: A perfect way for visitors (and paddling Mainers) to get their hands on a new boat or accessories at reduced prices.

The sale will run from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday. And there will be plenty of products up for grabs.

“There should be just about 1,000 boats available. Canoes, kayaks — from starter boats to high-end composites,” Hall said. “We’re even having a silent auction on some composite boats, which is a great opportunity to get a heck of a deal on a high-end boat.”

First-time visitors can find the Old Town Canoe factory on Gilman Falls Avenue (Route 43). Just take Interstate 95 to Exit 197 and head toward downtown Old Town. Stop when you see dozens of cars parked alongside the road.

Hall said the on-site sales that Old Town Canoe previously has staged always have proved popular.

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