“When this whole thing started, I said a great way to social distance is to be on the water,” said Doug Peege, the president of Marine Sales and Service. “I didn’t think it would be this crazy.”

Peege said his business has been booming. A lot of other stores that sell outdoor gear and equipment find themselves in a similar boat.

“Kayaks, paddleboards, I think if you go the big box stores, there’s no paddleboards or canoes, the pipeline is empty,” said Peege.

Peege said that with the absence of sports, families aren’t traveling as much, and the COVID-19 precautions have more people seeking fun outdoors.

“The lakes are absolutely packed. Every single weekend it’s like the 4th of July weekend,” said Peege.

Peege estimates that he has seen double the amount of business he’d usually see in a typical summer. He said the popularity of outdoor toys like kayaks, boats, bikes and RVs has seen a big bump in demand.

“I don’t think anybody anticipated this,” he said. “Since the middle of April, we’ve been working six days a week with 10-12 hour days.”

He knows people out there want to get their hands on these desired goods. He advises patience and says businesses are doing their best to try and get the goods back in stock.

“The supply chain really starting to run out. The pipeline is empty, but we are working to get it full again.”