GROVE CITY, Ohio (WCMH) — A central Ohio canoe livery that closed in 2024 after more than half a century is reopening under new ownership.

Trapper Johns at 7141 London-Groveport Road in Grove City will reopen this spring to once again send Ohioans canoeing and kayaking down Big Darby Creek, the livery shared on social media. The announcement comes after the Kaufman family, who operated Trapper Johns for more than 50 years, shuttered the livery last May and listed it for sale.

“We’re working hard to get everything ready to welcome you back for another season of paddling adventures and fun memories with friends and family,” Trapper Johns’ social media and website states. “See you on the water.”

Trapper Johns’ London-Groveport Road property sold on Oct. 1 for $440,000, according to Franklin County Auditor’s Office records. The sale included the site’s Creekside Café, which served a selection of signature lattes and baked goods, and also closed last year while new ownership was negotiated.

While the livery’s exact reopening date has yet to be announced, Trapper Johns’ traditional season kicks off Memorial Day weekend and runs through Labor Day. Under a 1993 agreement, Trapper Johns was the only commercial livery allowed to operate on Big Darby Creek, which The Nature Conservancy boasts as “one of the most biologically diverse streams of its size in the Midwest.”