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Marina owners find work and life is better on lake time

The Holloway family has updated and reopened Long Island Marina in Kingston. In the short time they've been in the Kingston area, they say the community has embraced them and their business.

 

The waters of Kingston offer folks a chance to enjoy lake life. On any given weekend in the summer, you're sure to find people out boating, kayaking and fishing.

Marla Holloway and her husband are also out enjoying the lake although they're not playing on it, they're working on it.

The Holloways are owners of Long Island Marina.

"Me and my husband bought this place about two years ago. It had fallen into disrepair," said Marla. "It had been a marina for a long time and we came across the property and it seemed like a good idea at the time."

The couple went to work renovating the property and started adding new and updated features.

"We have 41 brand new covered slips, they all have electricity and water to them," said Marla. "We have a little store that offers ice cream, which is really big seller. Sodas, beer and ice."

Marla admits her background didn't include a lot of lake time. The University of Tennessee graduate spent many years as a lawyer.

"I had some good times and had some bad times, but I gotta say, at this point in my life, being on the water is where I want to be," she said.

This Vol fan wanted to make sure they could welcome members of the Vol Navy as they boat towards Neyland Stadium.

"We have a fuel dock. We offer regular fuel as well as diesel fuel," she said. "We're on the Vol Navy track; the big boats that go up the river to see the football games, they go by right out there so we thought it was a good idea to put diesel fuel in."

Marla says trading in legal documents for boat slips agrees with her. She is grateful to the Kingston area for welcoming her and her husband and supporting them in their business.

"My favorite part is the people. Not just the people who come up and are our customers. Everybody here has been so kind to us, they've been so opening, because we're not from Kingston," said Marla. "What we have found is that everybody wants us to succeed and they want to do what's right to help us. It's like one big family in the community."

You can learn more about Long Island Marina by visiting their Facebook page.

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