Industry joins together to help child and her family
If you listen to The SpaRetailer Podcast (and if you don’t, you should!) you’ve already heard me talk about a project we’ve been working on at SpaRetailer. Through family connections, I learned of a little girl in Oklahoma who was in desperate need of warm-water therapy. Her genetic disease made suspension in water the only place she wasn’t in pain, and the family was hoping to find a way to provide that. I opened my big mouth and said, “I bet I can find them a hot tub.”
In normal years, this is something I could say with confidence. In May 2021, though? This might be impossible. To my amazement, we not only had a hot tub a week later, but a swim spa and steps; a cover and lifts; electrical and pad committed by companies in the industry. It was nothing short of a miracle.
You can read about Lucy and what went into getting her a swim spa here, and I want to thank everyone who made this a reality: Bob Lauter and Kevin Richards from Master Spas; Mike and Sandi Genova from Leisure Concepts; Ryan Frank and his team at Aqua Haven; Sam Stroud, Jordan Demeter and their team from Spartan Pool & Patio; Daine Griffin from Griffin Electric; Chris Landes from Northwest Crane; and Rachael Seymour, who took pictures for us.
Like most of you this time of year, we are neck deep in long-term planning. What can we improve? What needs to be revamped? What should we eliminate? In our Merchandising article this issue, Linda Cahan talks about finding the ‘red sink’ of your store — the one thing that makes your store look unforgettable. We’re asking retailers to send us your displays and store features you’re most proud of. Personally, if I were going to install a red sink in a retail store, it would probably be a living wall. I’ve been following the installation of this one on Instagram (@VintageRevivals) and can picture it in just the right wet-test room.
Also, congratulations to our 2021 Retail Stars. I hope to see many of you in Dallas or Atlantic City — in person!
Best,
Megan Kendrick, publisher
megan@kendrickcontent.com