BRINNON — The Jefferson County commissioners have approved a lease agreement with Hood Canal Adventures, which will set up shop in an office space in the Brinnon Community Center.
Hood Canal Adventures is the sole kayak renting and tour company in Brinnon. Owner Christina Maloney has operated the company without a storefront for the past 12 years, she said.
Maloney’s plan is to make the storefront a place for anyone who wants to enjoy the outdoors in Brinnon.
“The kayak rentals will still be at Yelvik’s Beach; that will still be our little launch location,” Maloney said.
“What we really want to do is provide an a outdoor adventurist hub for anyone coming through town.”
Maloney hopes to open the storefront sometime in mid-April.
“We are extremely excited to be expanding here,” she said. “We’re really happy to have the approval of the board and the County and all of our partners.”
The commissioners approved the lease March 2. They approved a separate proposal on Dec. 9 that made the two possible spaces on the bottom floor of the Brinnon Community Center available to be rented.
Maloney had asked Central Services Director Mark McCauley to rent one or both of the spaces, McCauley said at the December meeting.
The space on the north end of the community center once served as the office for the former Bayshore Hotel. The space on the south end used to be a clinic space, commission documents said.
Maloney will rent the south end space for $561 per month, plus 12.84 percent leasehold excise tax. The rent will be split with half going to the county and half going to Olympic Community Action Programs (OlyCAP), which manages the operation of the Brinnon Community Center, commission documents said.
Some of the information that the store will be able to provide is where hiking trails and campsites are, directions to landmarks and information on outdoor activities, in addition to selling outdoors equipment, Maloney said.
Maloney still plans to lead the water kayaking educational tours, as a prior marine biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and also expand to having educational forest hikes, taught by other wildlife specialists.
More information regarding Hood Canal Adventures can be found at https://kayakbrinnon.com/blog/.
________
Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5, or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
