Cedar Works spas started in the late ’70s and specialized in building decks and wooden hot tubs. “We have photo albums that go back to truly cedar worked spas,” laughs Susan O’Con. She and her husband Jeff purchased Cedar Works Spas in 2004.
“We bought our spa here back in the early ’90s,” O’Con says. “So we were very familiar with the store and had a good relationship here. But it was a big decision because both of us had been at our jobs for a long time and we really enjoyed what we did.”
O’Con says the timing was right for them to start their own business, however, and one of the reasons they made the plunge was their faith in the products they were going to sell.
“We very much believe in the hot tub and sauna industry,” O’Con says. “We really believe that they are helpful.”
Neither of them had ever owned a business, much less a hot tub business, so they had a lot to learn. However, the business fit each of their particular skills. Jeff is good with the technical and mechanical side of the business, and Susan is a paperwork and people person.
The O’Cons made two big decisions when they purchased the store: One was to exclusively carry Marquis Spas. “They had been in the store for over 20 years,” O’Con says. “They have really great sales and product courses, so we took advantage of those.”
The next big thing on their list was updating and improving the retail space. “This building has been here since 1980, so it needed a fresh facelift,” O’Con says, “and maybe a female touch. All of those hours and sweat paid off because within probably the first two years the store had doubled its income and we became a prominent competitor in our area.”
Of the six employees in their small shop, only one is not related, and another is soon to marry into the family. Employing family can sometimes be stressful, but for Cedar Works Spas, it has brought them closer.
“We worked really hard for everybody involved,” O’Con says. “The last few years have been difficult, so we’ve pulled together to keep everything stable and we have been able to do it.”
After 30 years of attending local home shows, the store has made a name for itself and has a prime location on the show floor.
“We work hard at putting a nice display together,” she says. O’Con says a good display should inspire them and show customers how great their backyard could look, which she says requires more than just displaying a bunch of spas. They arrange and rearrange their booth until it has the right flow, then accessorize the booth to create realistic backyard scenes. They also add some personal, local touches.
“We have a local artist who has done outdoor art for us,” O’Con says. “We also have a local iron artist who has made iron pieces that are in our displays and they are beautiful. A lot of times people want to buy our displays.”
All the hard work catches the attention of shoppers and also the home show organizers.
“The people who run the home shows are looking for vendors who make their home show look good,” O’Con says. “So it has really opened a lot of opportunities for us.” They are often asked to do interviews for the home shows and for products to be used in the home-show advertising.
While the O’Cons want their business to continue to grow, they want to keep the family atmosphere they have established. “Neither one of us feels that our real success is going be measured by the sheer size of our company,” O’Con says. “So we both want to continue focusing on our company, making it the best that it can be in efficiency and in organization.”