River Ratz reopens on Saturday under new management
River Ratz’s is back and the new owners are planning to keep Floyd County cool for the summer with it’s grand reopening this Saturday.
River Ratz was bought by two couples, Cole and Allen; and Tyler and Katy Short. Cole and Tyler are longtime friends and realtors who love to kayak. Their passion and their love for cruising on the water will help them take over the business, Cole said.
“Tyler and I both enjoy the water so much,” he said. “So it’s easy to get behind because it’s not really like work for us.”
River Ratz initially opened under Rick Dempsey in 2016, and Cole said he and Tyler were customers there as well. However, in a May Facebook post, Dempsey announced the business would be permanently closing, and he added “hopefully it will be purchased and opened up under new ownership.” Cole said he and Tyler were looking to start a business together, and as former customers of River Ratz, they knew this was it.
“I think since it’s been temporarily closed, a lot of people have been bummed out to be honest with you,” Cole said. “Since we’ve gained control of the Facebook page, we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about seeing us reopen.”
The new River Ratz team plans on running the business the same way until they get a hold on the business and adjust their direction as they receive customer feed back.
Additionally, Cole said the co-owners are excited to open back up and run the store in a full operation.
“I think it’s a really cool opportunity and we’re really blessed to spend time at the river. We get to serve and get to know people who like minded people who enjoy the water like us.” he added.
For those looking to beat the heat this year, River Ratz is located at 1170 Turner Chapel Road and opens back up this Saturday, June 18, at 10 a.m. They’ll have kayak and tube rentals available through the weekend.