WEST POINT — It’s been a year since the doors opened at GLL Outdoors in West Point and things are looking good.

Currently the business is managed by Michael Lott.

“We saw a good opportunity to add some recreation on the river,” he said of their opening. “We sale and rent kayaks and fishing gear. That kind of stuff.”

Business has been good, Lott said, and with the spring and summer months just around the corner, they look to stay that way.

“We made good money last year,” he said. “We hope to pick it up more this summer and continue on through the winter and fall.”

While the store offers a lot to outdoorsmen, including products for sell and rentals, things do slow down during the fall and winter months. Not completely but enough to be noticeable.

“Ass the summer progresses and it gets a little warmer on the water,” he said, “we have rentals, a shuttle service to take people up to the dam and they float the river.”

Lott noted they sold 150-200 kayaks last year.

At the moment, Lott and others are waiting on the cold weather to break before business picks up.

He noted, however, that some people are out on the water every day.

“They’re out there on the water every day, it doesn’t matter how cold it gets,” Lott said.

One of the high points of the job for Lott are the “big fish” stories he hears.

“An angler put up a boat here and caught an 8-pound smallmouth,” he said, but when asked if he actually saw the fish he could only reply with a “no.”

Going forward, the plan is to add new services, including partnering with Great Wolf Lodge Georgia to get people on the water.

“We’re just trying to spread the business out and make it grow,” Lott said.

GLL has another store in LaGrange, it’s home store in fact, and has been in business for the past four years.

Lott has been with the company since May or last year.

“I love it,” he said. “I have a great time, make good money and you can’t beat the view [noting the commanding view of the Chattahoochee River from inside the store.”

Other outdoors related items for sale at the store include the Big Green Egg grill and Yeti coolers.

Lott noted that the “Roadie” Yeti cooler is the most popular item in the store, due to its size.

The most popular service are the kayak rentals. Customers can rent a kayak plus shuttle for half a day for only $25. For ten dollars more they can rent for a full day.

As for any long-term goals, Lott noted that plans are already underway to possibly move to a bigger location once the City of West Point finishes an upcoming development project.

Anyone interested in visiting the store or looking to rent equipment can visit at 730 1st Avenue, West Point. They can also call at 706-645-3584.

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