IRS auctioning Ely canoe outfitter equipment

The Internal Revenue Service is auctioning canoes, camping supplies and other gear following a shutdown of Ely’s Wilderness Outfitters earlier this summer .
In June the IRS seized the store’s belongings in the wake of federal liens tied to tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes. The state of Minnesota also has two liens against the business and its owners, and American Bank of the North has filed suit over a mortgage default.
Though the IRS said it could not confirm the auction items were from Wilderness Outfitters, photos of signs and other items being sold match those that once decorated the storefront.
Owner Gary Gotchnik said in June he had hoped to reopen the 96-year-old business that his family has operated since 1995.
An initial sale with a minimum bid of $19,680 will feature various camping and fishing supplies, canoes, kayaks, boats and motors; a second sale with canoes and aluminum boats starts at $2,400.
The auction starts at 10 a.m. Aug. 23 at R&R Transfer, 420 N. 15th Ave. E., Building 10, in Ely. The items up for auction can be inspect from noon to 3 p.m. Aug. 22, and more information can be found at www.irsauctions.gov .