Jun. 2—BEMIDJI — As a town with hundreds of lakes within a 20-mile radius, Bemidjians and tourists wouldn't be getting the full "Up-North" experience if they didn't observe them firsthand.
Luckily, the owner of the town's newest watercraft rental business, Aaron Guthrie, founded
Latitude 218 Outfitters
as a way of sharing his love of the Northwoods with the community.
In the words of Guthrie, anything that floats, he has in-store. From sailboards to pontoons, Latitude 218 is a one-stop connection to get out on the water.
Located inside the old Northwoods Bait and Tackle shop north of town right off of Bemidji Avenue, Guthrie soft-launched his business about a month ago. After smooth sailing through Memorial Day weekend, on Wednesday, May 31, Bemidji Chamber Ambassadors gathered in support of Guthrie and Latitude 218 Outfitters for a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark its official opening.
"My biggest goal is to provide great service that's affordable for people and build relationships with my clientele so they come back to rent in the future," Guthrie said. "We want to offer this community as much as we can. I don't believe that Bemidji has reached its full capacity of tourism yet, so anything we can do to add to the community as far as tourism is concerned is great. This is just another way to highlight Bemidji."
As a former owner of Northwoods Bait and Tackle, Guthrie sold his share of the business back in February. But when current bait shop owner Aaron Schmitz moved to a new building off of U.S. Highway 71, Guthrie — before he had any idea what kind of business he wanted to run — couldn't let go of the old building that easily.
"I knew I had to stay because I liked this location so much. I knew if Aaron (Schmitz) wasn't going to keep minnows in here, I was going to keep the building and think of something to put in here," Guthrie said. "I wanted to preserve the location that I have a lot of love for, I feel it's a dynamic spot for anything to do with water and beautiful Lake Bemidji."
With great traffic and visibility, he knew the old bait shop — located right across the road from Lake Bemidji — would be the perfect place for Latitude 218 Outfitters. Guthrie saw the need for a watercraft rental business on the lake, especially with the
future of BSU's Outdoors Program Center at Diamond Point Park unknown.
"I see it as a sustainable market and there was space to present needed resources to our community and those who visit," he added. "I wanted to build a solid foundation and attraction for the community, but also increase options for people that vacation, visit, work or travel through the Bemidji area."