50-year downtown Novato business in transition

Sherman R. Frederick

Novato Advance

With the advent of big box stores that sell everything from cold medication to lawn mowers, stores like Buck’s in Downtown Novato have arguably become more essential than ever. It’s one thing to buy an inexpensive weed trimmer designed to work until it breaks, but it’s another to need a quality power tool that can handle big jobs, last a lifetime and be repaired and maintained when needed. 

That’s what Buck Bailey saw when he planted Buck’s in Novato 50 years ago. Buck passed the legacy on to his son, Mark, in the mid-80s. Mark and Lori Bailey have carried on the tradition into 2022. 

But this year, Mark told the Novato Advance that it’s time to move on. 

“I’m 67 and it’s time for me to look for some form of retirement,” he said. 

He’s marketing Buck’s in hopes of finding a buyer who will carry on the tradition of providing what he calls a much needed “specialized business” for Marin. 

Mark is a retired Novato fireman.

“I pretty much grew up here,” he said. While he knows there will be life after Buck’s in retirement, he said he’s been in Novato for 60 years. 

“I have a lot of friends here.  “I’m not going anywhere … that I know off.” 

Buck Bailey opened the store in 1972. It’s one of the longest running stores in Novato. 

Today, Buck’s is designated as a COVID 19 essential business. It provides parts and service for brands including Stihl, Honda, Husqvarna, Echo, Billy Goat, and Bear Cat. 

Mark and Lori have hired Roy Martinez of Exit Strategies Group to find the right buyer for Bucks. It’s offering says that Buck’s “sells to contractors, landscapers, government agencies, tree services, and homeowners. From lawn mowers to chainsaws, this company is one of the most respected outdoor power equipment retail, service, and repair shops in Northern CA. It is known for quality service and personable staff. Most outdoor professionals and homeowners in their community and many in their upscale county rely on them for all of their power tool needs.

“The owner is ready to retire. He would like to sell the business to ensure that Novato and Marin County will continue to have a first-rate dealer that sells, services, and repairs power tools.”