At the Lake Distributing is all about celebrating a love of the water but, by sourcing from local brands and supporting other businesses, the company’s love for The Kawarthas runs even deeper than its lakes.
At the Lake Distributing is a water recreation wholesale distribution company headquartered in the Township of Selwyn, one of eight townships in Peterborough County. In 2007, after returning to Peterborough, husband-and-wife duo Jason and Niki Pulchinski were inspired to start their business because of their deep love for the water. Lakes have always been a part of their story, as the couple met while water skiing and continue to cottage in Apsley.
“It was all about the lifestyle we were embracing,” says Niki. “We had both grown up with cottages and lived our life on the water.”
Five years ago, the couple purchased the building at 1525 Chemong Road just outside Peterborough and acquired the patio retailer that had been operating out of the building, which they rebranded to Shop The Lake. Supporting and developing the vibrant local retail economy even further, in 2024, the Pulchinskis expanded Shop The Lake’s outdoor showroom and divided their retail space to welcome Nancy Wiskel and her women’s clothing business DJC Modern Apparel into the building.
Today, At The Lake Distributing continues to be a one-stop shop for wholesale docks, watersports, water toys, inflatables, paddles, and more. They are the exclusive Canadian dealers for The Dock Disc, an eco-friendly zebra mussel repellent, and recently began distributing the latest version of the GoBoat, a popular and portable motorized watercraft.
At The Lake Distributing works with products from a number of local suppliers, including watercraft from Paluski Boats in Lakefield, anchors from Scott Concrete in Lakefield, and fishing supplies from Lucky Strike Bait Works in Peterborough. Other Canadian suppliers include Aqua-Tek in Mississauga, Aqua-Mate in North Bay, and The Lighthouse Docks in Quebec.
While At The Lake distributes across Canada, they have developed strong relationships with many loyal retailers in The Kawarthas, including Cottage Toys in Lakefield, Interco Fabrications in Keene, Chemong Home Hardware Building Centre in Selwyn, Tucker’s Marine in Apsley, Buckhorn Home Hardware in Buckhorn, and Anstruther Lake Marina in Apsley, and more.
Behind the scenes, the Pulchinskis work with a number of local businesses to support the growth and operations of both At The Lake and Shop The Lake. Among others, they include Holmes Riseley LLP, LLF Lawyers LLP, Park Place Financial Group, ISL Insurance, Buckhorn Tire & Automotive, Diatom Consulting, Meyer’s Landscaping, and Dixon’s Property Maintenance.
Though At The Lake does not distribute outside of Canada and does not have to deal directly with U.S. tariffs, they have been navigating a 25 per cent counter-tariff that Canada has placed on all U.S. aluminum products coming into the country, which has affected the sales of some products that At The Lake imports from the U.S.
“We’d love to source everything in Canada, but that’s just not possible,” says Niki. “The reality is we’ve built these relationships for almost 20 years and they are products we can’t get anywhere else. We have the relationship, and the credit, and all the infrastructure set up with them, so it’s not as easy as just replacing it with Canadian-made. It’s a slow-moving ship that will take decades to come to fruition.”
For more information about At The Lake, visit www.atldistributing.ca. Shop The Lake is open at 1525 Chemong Road from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. To learn more, visit shopthelake.ca.
The Local Advantage in Peterborough County is a branded editorial feature series about locally owned independent businesses in Peterborough County, created in partnership with Peterborough County’s Economic Development & Tourism Division.
As part of its response to the impact of U.S. tariffs, Peterborough County is showcasing the many unique businesses located in the county, both by sharing their stories of success and how they support both residents and other businesses in their communities.
Whether by shopping at local businesses, dining at local restaurants, staying at local accommodation, or enjoying local experiences, residents and visitors can enhance the economic resilience of Peterborough County during these challenging times and help establish a sustainable foundation for the future.
For more information about economic development and tourism in Peterborough County, visit www.ptbocounty.ca/ecdev and The Kawarthas Tourism at thekawarthas.ca.
