West Marine opening flagship Puerto Rico store

West Marine will celebrate the grand opening of its San Juan, Puerto Rico, location — its largest on the island — Feb. 18-20. The flagship store will host an array of activities on opening day, Feb. 18, including a “parking lot” boat show, food trucks and refreshments, live music, and West Marine’s popular Cruising for a Cause charity night event.

The store is located at 135 Ave. Arterial B in San Juan, right in front of the Caliseo de Puerto Rico and near the Hato Rey train station stop.

Throughout the day on Feb. 18, patrons can enjoy food, refreshments and live music, all while browsing the “parking lot” boat show on display right outside the store.

After the Flagship’s official ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5:15 p.m., the evening will commence with West Marine’s “Cruising for a Cause” charity night event, which supports local non-profits organizations. Some of the charities participating in the evening’s festivities include: Pesca,  Playa y Ambiente; Caribbean Fishing Academy; SUPAC; Make a Wish Puerto Rico; OPAS; Gogo Foundation; and Red Caribena de Varamiento, among others.

“The new store will be huge!” says West Marine’s San Juan store manager Rafa Rodriguez. “We’ll have more of everything, for both the locals and visitors to our area. We’ll be the one-stop shop for their life on the water.”

Rodriguez is a longtime West Marine associate and enjoys competing in fishing tournaments in his free time. He owns a 24-foot walk around to tool around the islands with his family. In addition to Rodriguez, the West Marine San Juan crew consists of 21 Associates who have a combined 275-plus years of cruising, fishing, sailing and paddling experience.

“We have a great pool of talent to choose from in this area,” Rodriguez says. “Our associates are as passionate about life on the water as our customers. They’re here to help with any type of questions, from where to go to find fish that are biting, to how to make repairs.”