Keeping With the Times This established retail group uses changing technology and buying habits to their advantage. photography by ian crysler The Arctic Spas Oakville group is comprised of seven hot tub showrooms throughout the Greater Toronto Area. The newest of their stores is the 5,000 square foot location in Vaughan, which opened in 2008. Melanie Fogolin, sales manager at the Vaughan ...

Palatial Presence With 26 years in the business and six locations, Spa palace has positioned themselves to make an impact for years to come. photography by Tim Reese After having traveled on the road as a rep for a hot tub manufacturer, Michael Wiege, president and co-owner of Colorado-based Spa Palace, decided to settle down and start a his own retail store. “Being in retail ...

Multiple Solutions By having several locations and hot tub brands AquaQuip has been able to direct customer traffic, hire the best employees and stock the right products. Approximately 10 years ago, AquaQuip’s Brian Quint made thedecision to join forces with a competing retailer. He felt that Kathleen and Erik Carlson’s three locations combined with his five would make for a stronger ...

With a Little Help From My Friends A store where relationships matter and commitment is unwavering. photography by Stuart Ruckman Christian Staples, owner of Arctic Spas Utah in Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah, doesn’t have a plan B. His hot tub business is his plan and failure is not an option. “This is what I’m committed to, I don’t know how to do ...

Spotlight on Customers Employee dedication to customers keeps this multi-location store going. Photography by Katie Anderson Currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, Sue Rogers, president and owner of Oregon HotSpring Spas believes that the appearance of their retail locations is only a small part of the equation in making their business successful. Rogers ...

Creative Expansion This family-owned store found a way to cut costs and still grow their business. Photography by Mia Zumsteg “It takes a lot of trial and error to get the right mix,” says Marc Black about the products found in his Long Beach, Calif., store. A family business that is currently owned by Black and his brother Jeff, the store was opened by their father ...

A NEW LOCATION OFFERED A BLANK CANVAS TO TRANSFORM INTO THE IDEAL STORE. THE STORY OF DAN HYATT’S decision to start a hot tub retail store is one that we’ve heard before. He had a horrible experience purchasing a hot tub and decided that someone should do it better – him. That unsatisfactory incident created a retailer who is passionate about what he sells and the customer service ...

Retail merchandising is as much an art as it is a science. Two very different but equally successful spa retailers - Marquis Spas in Clackamas, Oregon and Champagne Spas in San Diego, California - utilize store layout psychology and a well-researched mix of ancillary products to brighten the bottom line. First Impressions are Critical A well-designed storefront welcomes customers with a sense of style and ...

Wanda Hild and her husband, Jason, got into the hot tub business as a pool service company. "Jason basically started with a truck, a pole and a bucket of chlorine in 1983," Wanda Hild says. In 1995 they opened their first retail pool store and in 1999, to answer the requests of their consumers, they started selling hot tubs. "Our primary sales that first year were really at home and garden shows, ...

Apollo Spas didn’t initially sell spas. In fact, the company built boats at their factory in Spokane, Wash. In the mid 80s they started making spas and now, in addition to their factory, they have nine storefronts. This newly acquired Spokane location was most recently a Gateway computer store. General Manager Wayne Cayko described the old décor as fairly industrial, but now he says ...

Mike Madore and his wife loved their new Beachcomber Hot Tub. So when the store where they purchased it changed ownership and brands, Madore decided he could fill the Beachcomber void in his area and opened his own store. Describing himself as "picky," Madore took great care deciding the design of his store, traveling to all Beachcomber locations within 200 kilometers, giving Beachcomber free reign ...