The times, they are a-changin'.
I have always had a fond spot for Porkey's and Captain Pip's Marina in Marathon, one of the last bastions of old time Keyzness.
Both were owned for a considerable time by the same owners who has now divested both spots to new owners.
Lets' hope they keep that same vibe that made these places such a treat.
Here is an article from
KeysInfo.Net with more info on the change in ownership:
"Maddoxes sell Captain Pip's Marina and Hideaway to Crawford
By RYAN McCARTHY
rmccarthy@keynoter.com April 30, 2014
J ust fewer than four months after selling their Porky's Bayside
Restaurant, longtime owners Johnny Maddox and Barbara Maddox are turning
over the reins to the other half of their Old Town Marathon business.
 |
| Ernie Crawford stands in one of the rental boats in the marina's basin. Photo by Ryan McCarthy |
Stuart
resident Ernie Crawford is scheduled to close today and take over
Thursday as the owner of Captain Pip's Marina and Hideaway around mile
marker 47.5 bayside. The Maddoxes owned the restaurant and adjacent
fishing, rental boat and lodging businesses for roughly 17 years.
"I saw a magazine article that Captain Pip's was for sale and I called and here I am," Crawford said.
Crawford
said Captain Pip's is his first foray into the marina or hotel
business, but he's a veteran business owner at just 45 years old.
Crawford
said he owned 25 Arrow Mart convenience stores and 16 Subway sandwich
shops in upstate New York before selling them all seven years ago. He
said he later bought a golf course in Perry, N.Y., and owned it for
three years before moving to Stuart.
Crawford said he plans to upgrade engines on all 15 rental boats and upgrade the property's 15 rental units.
"I'm
going to be painting all the buildings to make it more of a tropical
setting and doing some remodeling inside," he said. "We're also bringing
in kayak and paddleboard rentals and we're restructuring our room
rates."
Rooms would be available without a boat rental, or with a
rental at 50 percent off. "That's going to put our room rates much more
competitive," Crawford said.
Crawford said Ellie Cote, Captain
Pip's manager for 13 years, is staying with the company and that the
business would remain open while repairs take place.
The only part of the operation Crawford did not purchase was the charter boat portion, which Johnny Maddox is retaining.
"I'm
going to keep Captain Pip's charters, which is now going to be Johnny
Maddox Charters. We'll be in conjunction with Ernie because the Capt.
Pip's package, the whole genre of it all, revolves around fishing and
lodging," he said.
Maddox said he and Barbara take pride in what they accomplished at Porky's and Captain Pip's.
"We're
proud to say we were able to take it from what it was known in town
back in the '90s as, Capt. Pip's rent-a-junk, up to a premier fishing
and lodging, boat-rental business," he said. "We know [Crawford is]
going to take it and make it even bigger and better than what we've
done."
In January, the Maddoxes sold Porky's to longtime employees
Sean Johnson and Magdalena Jedrzejewska. Terms of that deal and the
latest one were disclosed".
Put the experience and expertise of The Conchquistador to work for you!
For more information on the outstanding real estate opportunities that exist in the Keys, call me at 305.439.7730 or email me at DropAnchor@TheRealEstateConch.com.
What
can I say? I just LOVE the Keys! From the incredible waterways to the
funkiness of Key West and Fantasy Fest, the Keys are one of this
Country’s true treasures. Some of my fondest and earliest precious
memories involve dining at the Coral Grill, fishing off the catwalk on
the Cardsound Bridge, running in the inaugural 7 mile bridge run, my
high school graduation party at the Cheeca Lodge and lobstering off
Indian Key (and yes we only kept the legal ones...lol).
