Celeb Shot: John Nemjo
Meet the owner of Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company (and shark attack survivor!), plus a Saratoga singles night, duck décor and more!
As a magazine editor, my email is absolutely inundated with press releases, article pitches and product launches, from both local and national businesses and PR firms. A majority of it is junk, and it can be hard to weed the good stuff out from said junk. That, fortunately, was not the case when I received an email from John Nemjo, owner of Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company, about a month ago. The eye-catching subject line? “Sharks Attack!”
After reading John’s dramatic retelling of events that went down in Cedar Key, Florida this past August (read on for his first-hand account), I knew I just had to meet the eccentric story-teller, if not to hear more about his not-quite-life-threatening run-in with a vicious predator than to learn about his downtown Saratoga storefront that has undergone immense growth over the last few years—plus his far-less-lucrative second career (again, read on). We met for beers at Pint Sized this past Wednesday, and before we could even sit down, he had already launched into his shark tale. “I was brutally attacked…”
We’ll get to the shark attack story, but first tell me about you.
I grew up in New Jersey and went to Florida Southern College to play baseball. That didn’t quite work out, but I got a couple of degrees—math and biology. I eventually got a job studying mosquitoes in Florida and from there got a master’s degree in dragonfly ecology at Rutgers. I went back to Florida thinking I’d find some fine environmental job, but Ronald Reagan took care of that—he got rid of them all. I was unemployed for a length of time and then took a job at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind teaching math to blind kids. That was my most fulfilling job ever, since I went to school every day and I did something good for kids that had a pretty sh***y deck of cards. I was very active politically. I ran for city council president in Jacksonville in 1991. I got 20,000 votes—the most write-in votes ever in Jacksonville. I lost, but I made an impact. I was also the president of the Sierra Club for Northeast Florida for a while.
How’d you wind up in Upstate New York?
I visited the Adirondacks a lot—I had various connections and decided I wanted to live in the Adirondacks. You ever see the Beverly Hillbillies where poor people strike it rich and move to Beverly? Well I was rich down in Florida and I packed up and was poor in New York. I just wanted to live where it wasn’t so crowded. I picked Inlet, New York and opened up a store called Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company in the spring of 1993 with about $6,000. That’s all I had. Any sane person would’ve given up after the first year, but I managed to get further in debt and figured the only way to get out of debt was to go even more in debt so I kept on going.
And how’d you wind up in Saratoga?
We bought a second store in Old Forge that became New York’s largest canoe and kayak dealer. We’ve sold 42,000 kayaks and canoes in the last 30 years, and our hiking/camping/clothing/footwear stores have done similarly well. We opened the store in Saratoga Springs in 2008 and have been growing exponentially since. We took on two more storefronts and now have one of the biggest footprints on Broadway. We got a big boost by COVID because in 2020 and 2021 there wasn’t much else you could do—we couldn’t get kayaks in fast enough. We had a paddle sports store out at Fish Creek for the past nine years, but we wound up losing our lease so we’re still looking for a new location. We toyed with the idea of a place in Lake Placid, but enough is enough. I’m just going to reap the benefits of what I sowed. I don’t need to add any more acreage.
What are your biggest outdoor passions?
I’ve done a lot of paddling, particularly in Florida when I lived down there. I enjoy long rafting trips on large rivers out in the desert. I enjoy the desert, but it’s also nice to get back to some greenery and maybe find a little lake or pond. I’m fascinated by all types of natural environments. I think New York is an amazingly beautiful state that’s misunderstood by most because everybody just thinks of the City, but upstate New York is beautiful.
OK, speaking of paddling, go ahead: Tell the shark attack story.
So we’re in Cedar Key, Florida in late August. It’s an old Florida town that most people do not know exists and let’s just hope it stays that way. It’s a main island and hundreds of little islands and then four or five islands that are good kayak destinations. A friend of mine and my old university professor took a trip out to one of the islands, pulled around the backside and landed on the beach. We looked to the next island, which is about two miles further out and my friend said “I think we can walk to that island today. ”We started walking out and got surrounded by six or eight manatees that were just hanging out around us, popping up here, popping up there. Then a fishing boat comes over and says, “Just want to let you know that we just caught a shark!” Oh, OK, see ya, manatees!
So we started wading back, paddled back to the main land, put the kayaks away and went and had a couple drinks at the tiki bar. Someone’s like, “what happened to your leg?” I’m like, “what do you mean happened to my leg?” And he says, “Woah, it’s bleeding.” I reached down and wiped it away and I’m like, '“Wow, I got bit by a shark.” I didn’t even notice it until hours later. It just nipped me, and I didn’t feel it for some reason. I had it verified by the marine research center there and had to fill out all kinds of paperwork at the National Shark Bite Registry. I was officially a victim.
What’s something most people don’t know about Mountainman?
It’s actually run by women. At least this store. That’s kind of true. Mountainman Saratoga has been woman operated for most of its tenure. I prefer that and, in fact, we’re toying with the idea of changing the name to Mountain (Wo)man Outdoor Supply Company.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I’m a good kisser and my phone number is 51…
I heard you have a side gig.
I’m working on my next career. I’m going to be a street musician—sit out in the front of the store and play the ukulele and collect money for the Humane Society. I did that last year. So far I’ve made $8.73. I’m blessed with good employees and good managers, and I stay out of the way and let them do their jobs. I just like hanging out there. Gives me purpose and a place to be.
What are some of your favorite spots in town?
I do like Henry Street Taproom. Olive Oil’s great, Northshire’s great, Paul at Celtic Treasures—he’s a great guy. Cantina. Pint Sized. When my kids were little they loved The Parting Glass and the Irish band Hair of the Dog. They started singing “Whiskey in a Jar” when they were in preschool and the preschool director brought us in one day—”Can we talk to you? Do you guys have a drinking problem at home?” And I said, “why?” and they said because your kids come to school singing “Whiskey in a Jar.” But it was just because that’s what we’d play on the CD player on the way to school or something.
You’re very active environmentally/politically in the Adirondack Park. What needs to be done to preserve that huge swath of nature?
The Adirondacks has to figure out a way to address the affordable housing problem because businesses are suffering greatly not having employees. Affordable housing is the biggest economic issue in the Adirondacks. Environmentally, they just need to make sure they don’t screw it up. I hired a guy from Disney World to do an analysis of the Adirondacks, and we’re all thinking he’s going to say we need a water slide park in every town. But he didn’t say we need a water park—he said you’ve got mountains, lakes, forest, clean air, clean water. You need to market that because that’s why people come.
You moved to Saratoga a year-and-a-half ago. How has it been being here full time?
I’m really happy to be here. I think Saratoga is the best small city in upstate New York. I wanted to live in the Adirondacks and it sure is nice to be surrounded by nature, but it’s pretty slow in the off season. Saratoga’s a great place to be.
—Natalie
Quote of the Week
“Half of what I make up is true.” —John Nemjo
Save the Date
Saratoga Living is teaming up with Bailey’s Saratoga and Deep Eddy Vodka to host Single in Saratoga, the singles event to end all singles events, on Wednesday, October 12. Get your tickets here.
Seeing Double
Saratoga Instagram was flooded with rainbow pics this past Tuesday, the third rainy Tuesday in a row where a rainbow could be seen from the Spa City. Instagram user @mwink31 captured this double rainbow from his home on Saratoga Lake.
Add to Cart
I may be biased (just look at her name tag!) but I can’t get over how cute Samantha Nass Floral Design Shoppe’s wooden Saratoga ducks are. Check out the Lawrence Street storefront’s flock, for the perfect #ShopLocal gift or piece of home décor.
Lounge Life
Last weekend, Saratoga Living presented the first-ever VIP Lounge at the Saratoga Motorcar Auction with much fanfare—and Bocage Champagne Bar and other local vendors. Check out all the pics from the boozy, two-day extravaganza here.
This Week in Saratoga Living After Hours
On Monday, we rang in the fall season with an autumnal edition of Game Time.
Then, on Tuesday, we recapped our weekend in the Saratoga Living VIP Lounge at the Saratoga Motorcar Auction.