Jonathan Cahn runs Confluence Kayak & Ski in Denver. (Carolin Leonard/BusinessDen)
A local kayak and ski retailer has acquired Colorado Kayak Supply's e-commerce site.
Confluence Kayak & Ski acquired CKS Online in June and is in the final stages of integrating and adjusting its inventory.
Confluence owner Jonathan Kahn said he bought the CKS Online website and intellectual property for between $50,000 and $60,000 and also bought inventory at a discount.
“They were basically indicating they were having problems and were looking to sell part of their business,” Kahn said. “It seemed like a good opportunity. They'd been my competitors in one way or another for almost 30 years, and now we're the owners of this great website.”
Colorado Kayak Supply It was founded in Nathrop in 1978 by Jim Stolholquist and later merged with Summit Kayak and moved to Buena Vista. In 2015, the e-commerce site CKS Online was separated from the CKS River Supply brick-and-mortar stores.
Haragia founder Peter Hall has changed ownership several times over the years. I bought CKS online 2019.
Hall founded the Steamboat Springs-based paddleboard supplier in 2011. High interest rates and “dramatic changes in supply and demand” forced him to sell both CKS Online and Hara Gear, Hall said. He sold Hara Gear to Colleen King, who had been with Hara Gear for six years. King said Hara Gear closed its Steamboat Springs location, but its online store remains open.
“Both Hala Gear and CKS Online will continue to exist and carry on the traditions,” Hall said.
Kahn has owned and operated Confluence Kayak & Ski since 1998. The brick-and-mortar store is located at 2301 7th St. across from the Downtown Denver Aquarium.
Khan said that while demand was high during the pandemic, outdoor equipment manufacturers and retailers have been hit hard since then. He said he's been lucky, but that the past few years have caused some businesses to go out of business.
Kahn said the company hasn't formally decided whether to merge the Confluence Kayak & Ski and CKS Online brands, but that the CKS Online website will operate under a new URL and will likely become a central digital storefront (Confluence has its own website).
“We will continue to operate the new URL that CKS Online has been using, coloradokayak.com,” Kahn said, “which is much more sophisticated than our website. … This seems like an opportunity to reach customers outside of our local trade area and really have a national presence.”
