Marty Parichand is the owner of a new store in Franklin, New Hampshire called Outdoor New England. The store sells high quality whitewater kayaking gear to adventurers from around the East.

Outdoor New England is located in a beautifully renovated old building on Main Street in Franklin and is one of only two high end whitewater kayaking shops in all of New England. The store has a rustic chic character, as a rainbow of upscale kayaks, gear, and paddles contrast with old mill brick walls and a host of heritage items on display.

“The risk diminishes as more shops come [to Franklin] because every new business helps grow the movement of the group.”

When we interviewed Parichand he shared with us that he thinks the key to the revitalization of Franklin is creating a new whitewater kayak park on the Winnipesaukee River.

Parichand believes that if the city can get the proposed Mill City Park up and running, it will benefit the entire community by bringing in new revenue through tourism. In order to team up with the City of Franklin for planning and funding, Parichand has created the Mill City Park nonprofit organization, which is separate from Outdoor New England. The predicted revenue of the Mill City Park could be as much as $6.8 million of direct spending to the region.

“When you start a concept it doesn’t come instantly”

With urban renewal projects, sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. In this case, whether to start with the revitalization of the downtown, or with creation of the whitewater kayak park. Parichand believes that if the water park is constructed downtown, Franklin could receive a surge of businesses, and entrepreneurs would be more interested to set up shop in the city.