Riding the wave: With travel restrictions, more family time, working from home, the business of pools and backyard oasis building is booming in Sumter

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In the pandemic, pool sales are booming, and it is easy to figure out the reasons why.

During the last year, people have not traveled internationally to resorts because of restrictions, and many didn't take their regular beach vacation last summer. Camps were shut down in 2020, and both children and parents have been home with virtual school and virtual work.

The "everybody is at home, so let's get a pool" philosophy and craze has been playing out nationwide and locally, and three Sumter-based pool builders and vendors spoke this week with The Sumter Item on whether they think the wave will continue.

Billy Colquitt, owner of All About Pools and Spas on South Pike, and Eric Prince, owner of Water Works Pools and Spas on Alice Drive, have both been in the business for about 20 years and said 2020 was their busiest year ever. Keith Charpentier, long-time owner of Charpy's Pools and Spas with two Sumter locations, said the only time that compares to the last year for him was in the mid- to late 1990s.

All three businesses work year-round, do above-ground and in-ground pools, hot tubs, renovations, service, have a retail presence and have a backlog of work currently.

The above-ground pool - which is about 20% of the cost of an in-ground pool - was one of the hottest-selling items in the initial months of the pandemic. So much so, it's hard to find them now.

An influx of local customers contributed to that, but also there were supply chain issues as manufacturers temporarily shut down operations or had employees out because of COVID-19.

"That market completely went away last year," Colquitt said. "The accessibility was gone. People were coming by the droves through the doors to buy them. The last one I ordered was on June 6, and it got delivered Dec. 10. That's how far backlogged they were. But when I ordered it in June, they told me it was an eight-week lead time. Well, eight weeks turned into five months."

Supply chain issues still exist for above-ground pools, and hot tubs - which sell at a similar price point - are also in short supply.

Stimulus checks have contributed to pool/spa demand to some extent, but Colquitt added when people work from home, they save gas money and money on food, and that creates more disposable income and changes a family's budget to potentially allow for a big-ticket purchase.

He thinks the demand bubble for pools will burst at some point, but he doesn't know exactly when.

Colquitt added he thinks there will be somewhat of a permanent change in the percentage of people working from home even after the pandemic is history, and that could help long-term demand for the industry. His business also sells other outdoor accessories.

Prince, of Water Works Pools and Spas, is planning optimistically that high demand will continue. Both Water Works and Charpy's have added employees in the last year.

Water Works sells and installs a full host of outdoor items, including specialized in-ground pools, outdoor kitchens and fire pits, among other items. It has a Florence store as well and builds at least 100 in-ground pools per year.

According to Prince and company project manager Abel Vasquez, current demand has included some people who didn't even have an in-ground pool on their radar before the pandemic.

"This pandemic has caused families to reassess their perspectives and values," Vasquez said, "and they have come to the conclusion that in the grand scheme of things, family is important. So, we need to spend as much time as possible with family because of the uncertainties."

Charpentier, of Charpy's Pools and Spas, was semi-retired, he said, before the pandemic but returned to work full time in the middle of last year when business got busy.

His perspective is that the pool industry is tied closely to the housing market, and he does not expect the boom will last indefinitely.

From a business standpoint, Charpentier added that the pandemic has been a "very unusual time."

"I call it a silver lining in some respects," he said. "What COVID-19 did to some industries was bad, then some other industries were able to take advantage of it. And I never thought it would be us. I was thinking the worst."

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ON THE WEB

All About Pools and Spas:

allaboutpoolsandspas.com

Charpy's Pools and Spas:

facebook.com/charpys

Water Works Pools and Spas:

waterworkscompany.com