Captain’s Cove honored as ‘Hidden Gem’ for role promoting local tourism
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Michelle Cryer of Clarendon is barely visible in a high lift, as she paints a giant mural on the wall of Captain’s Cove. The mural depicts Lake Ontario and the Oak Orchard Lighthouse.
George Lacey is shown on the roomy deck of his new store overlooking his slips and the Oak Orchard River at The Bridges.
WATERPORT – George Lacey has always considered Captain’s Cove a hidden gem.
And now everyone else will know it, too.
Captain’s Cove was recently chosen by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce as a “Hidden Gem” with an influential role in promoting local tourism. Captain’s Cove will be recognized with other winners at the awards dinner Oct. 17 at White Birch Golf Course in Lyndonville.
Lacey, 62, has been in business since he was 17, said the Niagara Falls native. In 1980, he started Lacey Heavy Equipment Repair in Lockport.
In 2015, he had the opportunity to buy Captain’s Cove on the Oak Orchard River at The Bridges, and he made the decision to sell the successful business in Lockport and put all his efforts into making Captain’s Cove “what it used to be.”
“I still see potential here,” Lacey said, referring to the Point Breeze area. “People come here from all over the country. Our fishing is second to none, not even Alaska.”
He has overcome several hurdles in achieving his goal for Captain’s Cove. Three weeks after he purchased it, his wife died by suicide. In 2017 the business flooded during a year of historic high water. Lacey responded to the flood by buying new floating docks, raising the parking lot and marina five feet and putting in new utilities.
He tore the original fishing store down and moved into a rental house on the hill above. In 2019, he was flooded again.
He recently put up a new, modern building for his new store, with improved parking on the upper level. He started in 2022, and it is almost complete, Lacey said. All the wood in the new building came from the trees up on the hill. He said Mike Elam of Albion planted those trees when his family owned the property in the 1950s.
He just got his beer license for the new store, and has groceries, any fishing tackle a person would need, live bait and hunting licenses.
The property also includes a 14-unit motel and 32 slips. They rent pontoons, fishing boats, kayaks and canoes. He has refrigerators available for fisherman to store their catch.
George Lacey sits by the counter in his newly constructed building on the Oak Orchard River.
The entire west wall of the new building facing the river is getting a new look. Mural artist Michelle Cryer of Clarendon is painting the wall, showing the lake and the Oak Orchard Lighthouse.
Samantha Tillman manages the business, and Lacey said she is a top-notch business person, just like her dad Mark.
He credits his employees for the Chamber’s recognition.
“All my people are the best,” he said. “They only call me when something needs to be fixed. It’s the people who work here who want it to grow and made it what it is. It’s a fun place.”
He said they try to do as much as they can to promote the county, and he praised Lynne Menz and Dawn Borchert for their efforts in promoting the area as a tourists’ destination.
Captain’s Cove opens in the spring on April 1 and this year is staying open two weeks longer than usual, until the end of November.
