About Docky’s Mercantile
Welcome to Docky’s Mercantile — your one-stop shop for a perfect day at the lake. We’re a summer seasonal store right in the heart of Lakeside, Ohio, stocked with everything you need to make the most of Lake Erie living: live bait, fine art, sand and water toys, sunscreen, lake floats, sun hats, snacks, drinks, Frios Pops, and so much more.
Our Story
Docky’s is a Hamilton family venture — Sarah, Ryan, and their kids Isabel, Charles, Beatrice, and Catherine — opened in the summer of 2025. For Sarah, Lakeside isn’t just a place to do business; it’s home. A lifelong Lakesider, she and the kids have spent some part of every summer of their lives here on the shores of Lake Erie. The Hamilton family knows this community, and they love it deeply.
This isn’t our first time in Lakeside retail, either. Back in 2003, we opened Kids on Third Street and Home on Third Street — two beloved shops that taught us everything about serving this special community. Life got busy and those chapters closed, but the dream of returning never did. When a spot opened up in the West Pavilion, we didn’t hesitate. Docky’s was born.
Why is it called "Docky's"?
“Docky” was the nickname of Joseph Benson Buckey — Sarah’s great-grandfather, born in 1877 in Ava, Ohio. After serving as a Methodist minister and later as a WWI chaplain, he purchased a lot at 630 Cedar Avenue in Lakeside around 1917 and ordered a kit house straight from the Sears & Roebuck catalog. It arrived at the Lakeside train station and was carried down the street by horse and cart. That cottage still stands today, known as Amen Corner — named for the putting green in the front yard. Docky’s spirit lives on.