By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Despite winter’s hesitance to relinquish its grasp on the region, McCluskey’s RV Center is thinking all things spring, starting with the annual Spring Camper Show, scheduled for March 21-22 at the Forum.
Family-owned and -operated for over 60 years, the business is now run by Gary McCluskey, who’s eager to make everyone’s vacation dreams come true.
“We’ll have over 40 units on display at the event. We and our customers have waited all winter to see what’s new for 2015 — there’s a lot. We’ve been doing this show for over 14 years,” said McCluskey.
McCluskey said his company has been selling campers for five of the past six decades.
“Campers are our life. It’s the only thing we do,” he said.
This year’s event will feature a wide selection in a variety of sizes.
“We have some beautiful Georgetown Class A motor homes. We have a large selection of what we call ‘family units’ — they sleep eight to 12 people and are designed for families, with lots of sleeping and storage space. We have the largest selection of fifth-wheel campers we’ve ever had,” McCluskey said.
One of the highlights of this year’s show is the new fifth-wheel unit by Hemisphere.
“It appears to be a ‘couples’ unit,’ with a living room, theater seating and kitchen, with a slide-out perfect for kids. It’s great for grandparents who don’t want a true family unit,” said McCluskey.
He said the two different types of units serve different needs, with the family units offering multiple sleeping options, with the couples’ unit featuring recliners/chairs, more floor space and less sleeping.
“The Hemisphere, with a push of a button, turns into a family unit,” he said.
“New this year — we’ve taken on Shockwave by Forest River, which is known as a ‘toy hauler.’ A lot of New England dealers are selling a line (of toy haulers) from Indiana. These campers are from California, where they have the experience and the know-how to build a toy hauler,” said McCluskey, explaining that a toy hauler is designed with space to carry motorcycles and other apparatus one would enjoy on a vacation.
“This is a camper with a 12-foot area to haul recreational ‘toys,’ like motorcycles and ATVs. What sets them apart is that they’re built in California, where you might go from 100-degree weather in the desert to 20 degrees in the mountains. They’re equipped with a generator, solar panels and a fuel station,” he said.
McCluskey said sales are the easy part of being in the camper business.
“It’s easy to sell campers. The hard part is to satisfy the customer for many, many years. We have a full-service maintenance department; we maintain anything we sell,” said McCluskey.
McCluskey emphasized the importance of checking out this year’s show.
“It’s two days only. We sell all year at our 29 Houlton Rd. location in Presque Isle, but if you’re looking for the best deal, this is the weekend to find it. We’re offering the lowest interest rates and longest financing we’ll have this year,” he said.
He said this season looks to be a good one, with more buying power thanks to lower interest rates.
“Operating costs are also down, thanks to the fuel costs being the lowest they’ve been in years,” said McCluskey. “This is the most excited I’ve been about the coming season that I’ve been in years.”
McClukey believes the lower gas prices will have an impact.
“It (lower fuel costs) puts more disposable income in one’s pocket,” he said.
“The average person has saved enough in gas and fuel to make their first payment on a camper,” noted McCluskey.
Units range from 23 to 40 feet long.
“Our ultralights are built lighter weight and start at 23 feet and go all the way up to 43-foot fifth-wheels, with many in-between. We have 10 franchises, including some smaller dealers. This enables us to pick top models from each manufacturer,” he said.
“We go to each and pick the top models. We get all the top units from the major manufacturers. We only deal with major manufacturers,” said McCluskey. “Campers are our life.”
McCluskey credited his success on staying focused on one product, campers.
“In small communities, you see dealers selling multiple things. I don’t know how you give 100 percent selling all these different products,” said McCluskey. “Selling is easy, it’s keeping the customer happy for the next 10 years — that’s what makes a good RV dealer. We treat customers as we’d expect to be treated.”
“As my dad used to say, ‘You sell a good product at a fair price and treat customers as you’d want to be taken care of — those are the ingredients for a successful business,’” said McCluskey.
Show hours are Saturday, March 21, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, March 22, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Business hours at the Houlton Road facility are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 762-1721. McCluskey said he’s been busy creating a new website, which should be available soon.
