Photography by Steve Rosset
Premium Pool & Spa outgrew its old location a few years ago, and owner Jeremy Graham searched a long time for the perfect replacement.
“The store is directly across from the mall, which of course is a big traffic draw,” Graham says. “There are two main thoroughfares through Vernon, and it’s also on that street. And we’re now two doors down from our biggest competitor.”
Jeremy GrahamEven though the location was perfect, nearly nothing else about this transaction was. Graham dealt with a difficult seller who was eventually foreclosed on; zoning issues; suing (and winning against) his first general contractor before construction even began; engineers who were so slow to make changes that Graham eventually just abandoned part of his original plan; and a renovation that ended up costing double the estimate.
In the end, Graham says it was worth it. “You have to persevere in going after what you know your business needs and never losing sight of that,” he says.
It moved into the new space December 1. “It’s not like December is an awesome month to begin with, but we were up 186 percent [over last December],” Graham says. It made gains in January and February as well.
The good location makes a big difference, but Graham says it’s not the only reason for the increases: A salesperson who just celebrated his anniversary is doing well; business in the area is more solid; and “Now people can see 25 hot tubs not 14, so the chance of us having something on display that suits their needs is that much greater, and thus we should improve our sales by that much more,” Graham says.
BRANDS CARRIED
Hot Tubs
Jacuzzi Spas
Premium Leisure
Swim Spas
Premium Leisure
Chemicals
Nature2 [Zodiac]
Sani Marc
Spa Marvel
Spazazz
Accessories
Jacuzzi Spas
Leisure Concepts
PREMIUM POOL AND SPA
OWNER
Jeremy Graham
LOCATIONS
Kelowna and Vernon, British Columbia
