Business & Tech

New Marina Store on the Hudson: the DeMarchis Family's Response to Sandy





The DeMarchis family has been on the Ossining waterfront for more than half a century.

Despite losing land to eminent domain; despite the decline of the wooden boat-building industry, despite the devastations of storms, they’ve grown.

From six slips pegged with shad poles, they’ve now got spaces for 150 boats. And they’ve done it all themselves.

After Hurricane Sandy flooded the store in what had been the boat-building factory at Westerly Marina, they held a family council, Joe DeMarchis said. Two floods in two years (Irene): was it time to shut up shop?

Instead they decided to spearhead the revitalization of the neighborhood.
They’ve moved the store around the corner onto Quimby Street. They’ll be landscaping the front—reminiscent of the look when Rand-McNally was down there capturing the world on maps.

“We want to dress up the area, bring people back to the waterfront,” DeMarchis said.

Folks are just getting their boats prepped for summer—it’s been a long cool spring.It’s a community, on the docks; sailboats and powerboats big and small. The marina for many is their summer home.

For folks who can’t get down to the river often enough, Westerly Marina now has “Riverview.” It’s a camera set high in the blue W on the end of the brick warehouse. You can check out conditions on the Hudson River from anywhere in the world or watch the wildlife, the seasons and the sunsets.


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