05/15/2026
This one is super bittersweet... 😭
With growth comes the making of hard decisions that aren't always easy. After four summers at Gills Creek Marina & Lodge, we decided that with the opening of our permanent Sip & Shop with Margie's Coffee Spot moving in to our Halesford Center location over the summer as well as the success of Lakeside Local, LLC, it was time to bring it all back home to our flagship. Every bit of time and energy matters when you're a business owner and while being a part of the Marina for that many years was SO special, it was also a MAJOR milestone in my journey of owning JBohnBishop Mercantile. Being the boutique retailer for one of the biggest marinas on Smith Mountain Lake was SUCH an honor.
And that's why I'm teary even writing this. I'll always look back on those early days and remember not just the Marina itself, but the folks behind it. Jerry & Ann Godsey are two of the most special people I've ever had the pleasure of being around, getting to know and doing business with.
A lot of you don't know, but Jerry was actually my landlord at my very first brick & mortar known to y'all as "the showroom." I had only been in the space for not even a month when Jerry stopped by one day, pulled up a seat at my desk and asked me how I'd like to open my second location (already) inside of the Marina. He had just the perfect spot... an adorable tiki hut that he invited me to alter anyway I liked to match my brand. Special thanks to my friend Lacey Hamilton for putting in ALLLL those long hours of work with me to make it scream J BOHN!
Planning inventory for the Marina was always so much fun as I could buy things I would never have at the flagship store. God sent Jerry & Ann to me as such a blessing... allowing me to expand quickly, opening doors to an entirely new group of people that are still my customers today.
OH, the memories! The many, many LATE, LATE nights where I'd be there until 2 or 3am, never getting freaked out by the boats out on the water. In fact, I found it calming knowing there were other people in the world awake with me... only they probably weren't eating their store inventory away... one Hammond's Chicken & Waffles candy bar at a time! Or the times when Keith would meet me there before restocking and we'd enjoy a waterfront dinner from either Blackwater Cafe or Napoli Cowboy, sometimes inside looking out the sprawling windows overlooking the lake, or on the picnic tables out by the fire pit. Either way, Chipper was always THE HAPPIEST boy when it was marina time. There was so much room for him to run around and always time to sneak away and go for a swim! The Float-Ins were also super fun, getting to boat over to your marina storefront, and hang with friends who also had the same idea!
This honestly feels like one of those "I just graduated high school moments." You're happy for your accomplishments but you're going to miss all the good times. Four years of it. And if you were anything like me, graduating high school was super hard. I hold on to things that have a lot of meaning to me and find it hard to let go of what was. (ONE OF THE REASONS I HAD TO SEEK THERAPY & WAS DIAGNOSED OCD.) And let me tell ya, if I weren't medicated... I would be obsessing and obsessing over this. But without a shadow of a doubt, the good Lord has had his hand in all of this so I know that letting one door close because others have opened... is 100% in his plan and is the best option for me to be the best version of myself for my community, my family and well... ME.
Those were the good ole days! I can't thank y'all enough for all the memories and the support of the Mercantile at the Marina. Enjoy some sweet nostalgia in these photos...
Thanks again, Jerry & Ann, for believing in me and letting me grow under your care and then for the support you've shown for letting me spread my wings further. Love y'all so much!
xo,
J Bohn
