A new Birch Bay business is driving recreational opportunities for locals and tourists alike – one golf cart and kayak rental at a time.
Birch Bay Carts and Rentals celebrated its grand opening at 7608 Birch Bay Drive just in time for Memorial Day Weekend on May 23. The shop specializes in rentals of golf carts, kayaks and paddleboards, but it’s also making other outdoor products, like coolers and hammocks, more accessible to the Birch Bay community.
Birch Bay residents Nick Tew and Justina Lemcke wanted to open the storefront to share their family’s love for cruising around the bay together. Tew said he couldn’t find many golf cart communities similar to Birch Bay in Washington state and wanted to share the unique experience with others.
“It’s providing both locals and visitors ways to experience how awesome Birch Bay is, like we do,” he said. “We’re excited to be able to provide that.”
The couple, who both work remote corporate jobs, initially planned to rent the golf carts from their home, but saw an opportunity to expand to other outdoor rentals when a storefront became available on Birch Bay’s thoroughfare.
Tew said he hoped the golf cart rentals will increase revenue at other Birch Bay businesses by better connecting tourists with the community center. To incentivize this, Birch Bay Carts and Rentals has started “Birch Bay Bingo” for customers to visit local spots and those who finish receive a shirt.
Currently, there are six golf carts available for rental, but Tew said he hopes to grow that number before summer break starts. The golf carts are electric and powered by lithium batteries, which Tew said creates less work for renters, is quieter and better for the environment.
Tew encourages people to make reservations online, especially for busy summer weekends. Golf cart renters are required to do a safety briefing online and receive additional instruction before receiving the cart. Each renter will also be given a map of the streets where golf carts are permitted.
Birch Bay Carts and Rentals rates start at $40 for a 20-minute test run, $125 for a sunset cruise and $135 for a full day, with discounts given for each subsequent day. Kayak and paddleboard rentals are $35 for one hour, $65 for three hours or $90 for a full day.
Birch Bay Carts and Rentals is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day. The store can be contacted at 360/805-7433 or birchbaycarts@gmail.com.
“We don’t know where the business could go, but there are a lot of directions we could take it to serve the people here,” Tew said. “That’s really exciting to the both of us.”
