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By NATHAN HOWELL | Special to the Reporter

PELHAM — Pelham-based kayaking and outdoor sporting goods store, The Yak Shak, will soon begin offering franchising for their business after a successful year.

The store originally opened in November, 2019, and since then business has been increasing primarily due to people seeking outdoor activities that are safe in regards to the current pandemic.

“We always knew we wanted to franchise our concept, but after being approached by interested investors, we knew we needed to get the process started,” co-owner Allen Norris said.

Kayaking is one of many outdoor activities that has become increasingly popular during the past year due to more people enjoying the outdoors because of COVID-19, leading to the success of the Yak Shak.

The need for good quality equipment has grown in conjunction with this, and the company hopes that their success will lend to creating a safe, family-friendly activity.

“By having more locations across the country, we hope to make it easier for people to find great kayaks locally,” Norris said.

When the store first opened its doors on Nov. 23, 2019, prior to the pandemic, Norris wanted to help increase access to high quality kayaks for residents in the area and surrounding cities, as Alabama is rich in miles of river and kayaking is a great way for people to get healthy outdoor recreation.

The company announced on Jan. 12 that they had signed the legal documents to begin offering franchise store licenses that will allow for the opportunity of others to open stores in other locations this year and beyond.