Wellen Park March 02, 2022 BY NANCI THEORET
For Jamie Albano, owner of Venice Outdoor Sports, a trip to Wellen Park proved serendipitous. He was scouting the area for a second retail location and soon discovered the community was looking for an outfitter to offer electric bikes, kayaks, and paddleboard rentals on the adjoining 80-acre Grand Lake.
“Venice is growing every day and with more people moving here, they want more things to do,” he says. “Wellen Park represents a young, energetic and inclusive lifestyle with restaurants, sports and recreation. It’s exactly where we want to be.”
Expected to open during the fourth quarter of 2022 with the completion of Downtown Wellen’s first phase, Kind Vibes Outfitter will offer a variety of paddleboard and kayak options, as well as manual and electric bicycles. It’s located in an eye-catching building of wood, large storefront glass windows and corrugated metal shipping containers accented by Wellen Park’s signature red — strawberry joy brand color — and is just steps from the lake and dock.
Kind Vibes’ hourly on-site rentals will include paddleboards, single and tandem paddle- and pedal-powered kayaks, plus e-bikes, and trikes. Albano is also exploring other equipment options. Contrary to popular belief, he says electric bikes provide quite the cardio workout — it all depends on how much effort the user puts into it.
“Your legs are moving faster on an e-bike. A lot of triathletes use electric bikes,” he says. “They get 60 miles on one charge so you can be out there for hours. They’re easy to use. We can teach people in just five minutes.”
Kind Vibes Outfitters’ rentals can also be taken off site to a favorite paddling or riding trail — from Midnight Pass in Sarasota to Boca Grande and anywhere in between. Wellen Park residents will enjoy white-glove service with equipment delivered right to their door or preferred launch location. “I’m a native Floridian in the land of hospitality,” he says. “We’re a full-service company. I want to make it easy for people to get outside and be active.”
Albano also expects to offer paddleboard yoga, guided sunset tours with certified Florida naturalists and events like e-bike, kayak and paddleboard tournaments — whatever the community supports.
Albano started Venice Outdoors in 2020 with a retail store on Tamiami Trail South and guided paddling tours of the area’s scenic blue ways. The company also offers e-bike tours.
“We’re having a lot of fun with our customers,” he says. “The pandemic shifted people’s perception of self-care and spending time outdoors with family.”
Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate
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