Boat dealer near Lake Chemung to raze showroom, expand
GENOA TWP. − A longtime family-owned boat dealership is in position to raze an old showroom and rebuild bigger after experiencing growth over the years.
The Mitter family established Wonderland Marine West across from Lake Chemung in Genoa Township near Howell in 1984.
Since then, they have grown to 10 buildings on the original site and expanded with two additional locations. They opened a sales outlet in a former Waterford party store in 2015 and purchased the old Klave's Marina on Portage Lake in Dexter Township near Pinckney a couple years ago.
"We're going to build a first class showroom to go with our first class service department" at the Genoa Township location, Paul Mitter said.
Their current showroom at 5796 Grand River Avenue in the township is about 8,000 square feet with 9-foot ceilings and was built in the 1970s. The new showroom and sales offices will be about 11,990 square feet with 16-foot ceilings and modernized architecture.
The goal is to tear down the current showroom this fall and complete the new one by early next year. They expect to invest about $1.5 million in the project.
During construction, sales associates will likely work out of a temporary office trailer and boats will be kept in storage buildings on the property, with business carrying on as normally as possible.
Ellie Mitter, Paul Mitter's daughter who works for the business, said the new showroom will provide room to showcase more boats, including larger and taller boats.
While the current showroom can fit about 20 or so boats, the new one will likely fit around 35 to 40 boats.
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"With the new building, it won't feel as crammed trying to get boats in there to show people," Ellie Mitter said.
She said a taller ceiling will allow them to showcase boats with towers.
"You're talking boats with towers, between pontoons and jet boats, boats that are $150,000 to $200,000, and we're out showing them in a pole building that's a dusty environment versus something that is clean and pristine," Paul Mitter said.
He said their sales volume has increased, and there was a spike in boat sales after the pandemic hit.
"The pandemic was actually really good for us from a sales perspective," he said. "People couldn't travel, so they were still looking for entertainment, fun, to buy a boat and get out on the water and enjoy. We've had a lot of people buy boats during the pandemic that said, since I'm working from home, this boat is my new office, because I can do my work from my laptop, so I can be out in the middle of the lake on my laptop."
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He said Yamaha jet boats are the most popular. They also sell wave runners and pontoon boats of different sizes. They sell new and used boats and provide repair services and boat storage. They also sell boating accessories such as life jackets, water skis, wake boards and tubes.
"We've seen tremendous growth in our area over five or six years," he said. "So many businesses are tied to the "Big Three" automakers," and many Livingston County residents work for them. "When they do well, we do well. A lot of that money, bonuses, stays here."
Three generations strong
Three generations of the Mitter family have run Wonderland Marine West.
Gary Mitter, Paul Mitter's father, started the business. Paul Mitter's entire family, including his wife Carrie and their four children, AJ, Jordan, Maggie and Ellie, all work for the business.
Gary Mitter and his brother originally opened Wonderland Marine in the Wonderland Mall in Livonia before he bought his brother out and established Wonderland Marine West in Genoa Township.
"Growing up, this was our second home," Ellie Mitter, 19, his youngest, said. "I saw dad growing the business and I wanted to be a part of it. We didn't just get put into these positions. We had to actually work for our positions."
Contact Livingston Daily reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Boat dealer near Lake Chemung to raze showroom, expand
