York River Yacht Haven will hold the grand opening of its new Marine Store this Friday through Sunday. A “Spring Fling” promotion will be held in conjunction with that event.

Liz Mernick, national retail manager for parent Suntex Marinas, said the promotion will be held from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. each day at the marina, located off Terrapin Cove Road, Gloucester Point. Raffles, product specials and giveaways will be featured, Mernick said, and four or five vendors of many of the products sold at the marina will be on site Saturday.

The new store is a response to the needs of local boaters and anglers, she said. It’s open both to marina users and other community members.

Mernick said the marine store carries a wide range of marine products such as oil, head deodorizer, environmentally friendly cleaning products, charts, fishing tackle, marine apparel, kayaks, canoes and inflatable craft.

Plans are to expand the clothing lines, Mernick said, and add beer sales. The apparel is now anchored by Columbia clothing and Sperry shoes, she said.

A smaller scale marine store was operated at the same location when the marina was under its former ownership; Suntex, based in Dallas, Texas, acquired the marina last fall.

A separate announcement will be made soon about a new restaurant at York River Yacht Haven, said general manager Martin Lucas. The restaurant will replace River’s Inn. Mario Buffa, who owns several restaurants in York County, will be the new owner of the restaurant, Lucas said.

 York River Yacht Haven has 325 covered and open slips, boatyard, marine/boat repair facility, a swimming pool and restaurant. The marina is located on a 14-acre site.

Suntex owns 20 marinas in the United States and Caribbean, with most having a marine store, Mernick said. It owns a number of marinas in Texas, several others along the East Coast, and one on a lake in Iowa. The closest Suntex marina to this area is in Portsmouth.