Freeport store gets funds for lighthouse

When Freeport Marine Supply opened its doors in 1939, Franklin Roosevelt was president and "The Wizard of Oz" was debuting on the big screen.

While that seems like ancient history, the third-generation, family-owned store -- one of the oldest like it in New York State -- is far from it.

In fact, the 72-year-old company -- known for the variety of products it stocks -- has received a community development grant to help fund the construction of a sign-carrying lighthouse on the roof of its building, which local officials say further demonstrates its long-standing investment and commitment to the waterfront community.

A true beacon"The lighthouse is very significant," says Norman Wells, executive director of the Freeport Community Development Agency, which provided about $15,000 of the $91,000 project cost. "It's sort of a monument to the community."

The 28-foot decorative lighthouse will actually emit a beam of light and will include signage with the Freeport Marine Supply name and an LED display with a high- and low-tide daily reading for the area, says company vice president Justin Ross, 28, grandson of the late founder, Arthur Ross.

"It's going to be a landmark for people to look at and very informational for the community," notes president Irwin Ross, 68, Justin's father, who expects it to be completed before Memorial Day.

Even before the lighthouse project, though, the store itself was somewhat of a landmark in its own right.

Freeport Marine Supply has occupied the same building since 1955, when Irwin's father, Arthur, moved it 50 feet west from its original location at 51 W. Merrick Rd. to accommodate a road widening, says Irwin.

Arthur started the business after spending several years working for a Manhattan electrical supply store that started selling marine supplies and he began seeing more customers from Long Island, recalls Irwin.

The store started out in 1,200 square feet of leased space before its move to its present location at 47 W. Merrick Rd., he notes. A few years after the move, the 15,000-square-foot facility was expanded by another 4,000 square feet for storage and warehouse space. Over the years the family also has made site improvements including having a seaside mural painted around its perimeter walls and replacing the sidewalks, Justin said.

An extensive inventory

The ample storage space allows the company to keep some 30,000 items in stock, a selling point that the Ross family credits as part of the reason it has managed to survive all these years while bigger competitors like Boaters World have shuttered their doors.

"What makes us special is how much inventory we have in stock," says Justin, noting they carry many hard-to-find items from pump gaskets to control parts. "You don't see any empty shelves here."

They're able to provide parts to most customers on the spot without having to special order, says Justin.

"They carry a lot of equipment that the big marine chain stores don't have," says Chris Squeri, executive director of the New York Marine Trades Association in Amityville. "When you're looking for something, they usually got it."

That's part of the reason they draw customers from all over the Island, as well as the country and world.

"We get people from Montauk to Brooklyn," says Justin, who also sells via eBay and recently branched out into Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare. "We ship to Australia, Barbados, Russia."

Still, most of its customers are walk-ins like Leo Olsen of Garden City, who docks his boat at the Freeport Yacht Club and has been a customer for 50 years.

"I've dealt with the three generations," says Olsen. "No matter how difficult it is to get a part, they will always go the extra mile for you."

WHO

Irwin and Justin Ross, co-owners

BUSINESS

Boating/marine supplies

WHERE

Freeport

REVENUE

$3-million plus

EMPLOYEES

15

TRIVIA

Vice President Justin Ross, 28, says some of the store's inventory dates back to the 1950s, adding that he recently sold a pair of navigation lights that were older than he is.