One day, Mercuri, an avid hunter and fisherman, stopped in at Crawdaddy’s outdoor store near the corner of U.S. 40 and Ohio 235 just north of Huber Heights to buy some bait.
“I asked Roger (Meyerhoeffer) how things were going and he told me he was going to get out of the business. I told him I might be able to help him with that.”
Mercuri took over for Meyerhoeffer about a year ago. Meyerhoeffer had run the store (also known as Scotty’s Party Dock) for years before he decided to retire last year.
“It’s been fun,” said Mercuri, 32, a 1995 Tecumseh High School graduate. “I’m doing exactly what I wanted to do. I miss being outside, but I like coming to work each day, looking forward to talking with people about things I like to talk about.”
He has a background in carpentry, served three years in the U.S. Army, graduated from a culinary school and worked as a chef. But all the while, his love of the outdoors kept that dream alive to one day open a bait and tackle store.
He worked for a short time at the Huber Heights Gander Mountain store, but was putting together a proposal to open a shop in Michigan.
“That’s when the opportunity to buy Crawdaddy’s opened up and the rest is history,” Mercuri said.
Using his carpentry skills, Mercuri has rearranged the shop and built a new counter. His next step will be to repaint the building and put up new signs.
He has no intention of changing the name of the store.
“It’s a great name,” he said. “And people all around the area know where Crawdaddy’s is.”
The store carries a full line of rods, reels, bait and tackle. Most of the anglers who stop in for bait are fishing the Great Miami River, Kiser Lake or Indian Lake.
“I fish Kiser Lake a lot for crappies and bluegills and I have seen more people on the lake this year. When the saugeye fishing starts, I head for Indian Lake.
“And we sell quite a bit of catfish bait to people fishing in ponds and pay lakes. Right now, catfish are big (popular) and they are getting some nice ones out of the Great Miami,” he added.
Although he does not sell guns, he does handle some bow hunting equipment.
“I like to bow hunt, but, really, I am more of a bird hunter,” he said. “I like fishing, but when waterfowl hunting starts I put down the rod.
“One of the things I would like to do is expand our hunting supplies. We need to stock more hunting items. We did a good archery business last year, so right now that’s a priority,” he said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2409 or jmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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