More Markdowns!
We just recently marked down many of our toys and inflatables from 35% to 80% off! There are also a number of whimsical decorative figurines that have been further reduced. I know it has been really hot out so people are still using their pools to catch a moment of relief, but we are beginning to think about stocking the shelves for next year. That gives you an opportunity to take advantage of some extra discounts on items that still have plenty of use this season. If you haven’t seen our “Singing Gondolier” then you are in for a real treat! Might as well get the most for your dollar. Stop in as soon as you can to catch some of these great deals.
My recent vacation…
My youngest son and I just returned from Belize and Guatemala. I saw some old friends, some old sights, and renewed my faith that every place is special, with some more special that others. I first went to Belize in 1976 and back then, it was pretty ‘wild west-like’. And Guatemala was even wilder. Now, the tourists have invaded (I am a traveler, not a tourist), but by knowing where to go and what you want to look for, you can find it without all the tourist trappings. I climbed a mountain in southern Belize (sort of) and went snorkeling in northern Belize at Hol Chan Marine Reserve. I did great until some guy from Oklahoma swam past and clipped my goggles with his flipper. Go Longhorns! I swallowed a few hundred gallons of very salty Caribbean water and then got some help to keep going. We also did some fishing and cleaned the entire Caribbean out of Snapper. Well…there might be a few left for the next guy. But there is something special about catching, cleaning them on shore, then carrying them about fifty feet to a restaurant that cooked them up right there for me.
And Guatemala? If you have ever wanted to visit Maya ruins, there is no place like Tikal. And getting there is half the fun (work). We booked seats on a small plane out of Belize to Flores, Guatemala. We were the only passengers. And our ride from the airport to Tikal was over roads loaded with major potholes. Some were so deep they didn’t have bottoms! The driver never hit one over the fifty or so miles we traveled. Let’s see a NASCAR driver top that one.
If you are thinking of traveling to Belize or the northern region of Guatemala, give me a call. I would be happy to give you some places to visit. More importantly, I can give you names of good people that are honorable and trustworthy. It’s not just a vacation. It’s an adventure. –Max
Eastgate Pools and Spas Fun Facts
- Our first Inground Pool was installed in 1981
- We have installed over 3,200 Inground pools
- Our Aboveground Pool sales are over 10,000
- Our Spa sales are over 6,000
- We have been at our current location on Old State Route 74 since 1991, which was an old Furrows building
- The first store was located on Rust Lane, where a Midas is currently located
- We have 5 employees who have worked here for 20+ years
- Maxx West wrote a book titled Tayasal, which can be found on Amazon
- Some of our employees have served in the armed forces
Just some fun facts that I thought were interesting, look for more Eastgate fun facts later in the year!!
- Tim
What’s A Pool Without The Toys?
Okay—so you have a pool. But what about the goodies that go inside? You know—TOYS! Eastgate Pools has a complete line of pool toys, floats, lounge chairs, and mats. But these are the ‘common’ things. How about pool golf? Got it! Underwater skateboard. Yep—we have that too. In fact, we have a really nice selection of uncommon things that go perfectly with pool fun. How about a remote-control Water Soaker or an inflatable pool slide? Maybe you are an aerial acrobat. So how about a small plane that does loop-d-loops—underwater!
These are just a few of the fun items that can keep the kids happy and entertained—and you too. –Max
Guard Cat??
Never let it be said that our Watch-cat, Dos the Cat, is lazy. Here she is ‘guarding’ our inventory of pool motors. Keep up the good work Dos and there will be a little something extra in your check. Or your food bowl
Hello Sports Fans!
All the O$U fans OK? If you want to see somebody in a sweater vest again, maybe we can get Max to wear one in the next commercial!!
Bengal fans, at least we can say we were undefeated if they don’t settle the labor issue!!!
And better yet, we won’t have to listen to Mike Brown or Marvin Lewis stumble thru news consferences.
Reds fans are you as frustrated at watching this team as me? Why does Chris Heisey continue to sit? Does Dusty have a crush on Fred Lewis and Johnny Gomes? Anybody else sick of seeing Homer Bailey and Edinson Volquez pitch? Good thing we play in a weak division or we would be 12 games out!!
Bearcat Fans, any chance Butch Jones gets his boys to play better? Brian Kelly sure didn’t leave him much when he left, but I think we are in for a good year. When is the last time 2 players were on a watch list for National Player of the Year??
Xavier fans, not sure what I could talk about with you guys. Do you even have any fall sports teams?
Love to hear from the sports fans, so drop a note!!
Tim
Cutting The Grass
I hate to cut the grass and I know that I am not alone in this feeling. It’s always hot and I seem to spill gas on some article of clothing no matter how careful I am. Don’t get me started on weed eating as it takes as long as mowing the grass. The only positive I ever get out of cutting my grass is when I’m done I know that I am going to be able to jump in my pool and cool off. My recipe for a perfect day of mowing the grass always ends with me jumping in my pool and enjoying cooling waters.
Thomas
Festival Time Of Year
It once again has come to that special time of year in the Cincinnati when all us together put aside our differences and come around these local venues to taste the different foods, explore eclectic crafts, and of course collect those mugs that really don’t fit in our cabinets very well. To me it is more about the joyous celebration of the nice weather that is close at hand but to others it is a chance to spend time with their families and play some old-fashioned carnival rides. It doesn’t matter why we go there as long as we get out and have a good time in the beautiful weather.
Thomas
My Yard Needs A Blow Dryer!
I live in the country and like many of you, there are parts of my yard I just can’t mow. I’ve dealt with wet yards on many occasions but have never seen anything like this year! Heck, I’ve gotten my mower stuck and I even dropped it in my pond once. (Had to have a tow truck to get it out. Pretty stupid but stuff happens.) But in all my years I have never looked down to see fish OUTSIDE of my farm pond but I did this morning. After our latest deluge the water was flying over my spillway and into a small drainage ditch. There were at least three small fish in this ditch and undoubtedly many more had washed down the ditch towards a gully. And if fish can think, I suspect they were wondering how they got into that predicament and how the heck could they get back into the pond? Which leads me to swimming pools. If you are waiting for your installation, know that we are doing all we can. Mother Nature has a strange sense of humor but it WILL dry out and it WILL get hot. But until it dries out a little, we’re a lot like those fish that find themselves outside the pond. –Max
Pop A Shot
We have one of the simplest yet fun games made here at the store. It’s amazing to see children walk in the door and make a b line for the pop a shot. I don’t know what it is about shooting mini basketballs into a smaller hoop but it is addictive. We obviously don’t sit here at work and play it because we are all far to professional but I invite everyone and their families to come in and try it out and see how this simple game can bring a smile to your face.
Just Ducky Business
A couple of years ago I wrote a blog asking for suggestions from the readers on how to keep ducks out of swimming pools. Each year we would have several calls from customers facing that problem. The ideas we gave were at best hit and miss.
Last year we even gave up and accepted the inevitable. In early Spring one associate discovered a nest with ten eggs – with momma watching guard nearby. Every day you would find one of us outside making sure Momma and her babies were doing all right. With perfect timing, on Mother’s Day, we arrived to find Momma and her seven little ducklings taking a morning swim in the inground display. We even had to help the ducklings out of the pool. They had no trouble jumping in but were too little to jump back out. Momma did not seem to care about her offsprings’ dilemma.
I guess the moral of my story might be, not finding the perfect solution sometimes leads to an interesting adventure.
Anniversary Sale And Winners!
Wow—what a weekend. Wall-to-wall people here at Eastgate Pools & Spas kept us hopping! Thank you to everyone that came out to help us celebrate our 31 years in business.
Now onto the fun: We had many winners in our door prize give-aways and contest winners. Somewhere along the way it was decided that it would be fun to have people guess how many hot dogs, metts, and brats that I would eat on Sunday May 1st. Noticed that the optimal word is would eat, and not could eat. I could have eaten far more than I did if time would have allowed, but I still managed to woof down 5 total. This was a far total from some people that thought it would be in the dozens. And one person actually guessed I would eat 53! Come on now…!!! We had a half dozen people pick the correct total so we drew a winner from those six and it was Melissa Nead from Georgetown. Congratulations Melissa. Your $100 store gift card is on the way to you.
We also did hourly door prizes for the entire Anniversary sale and many of you won floats, pool games, lounge chairs, and other goodies. Special congratulations to our Grand Prize winner. This is a $500 shopping spree here at Eastgate Pools & Spas…. and the winner is….. (Drum roll please)… Joan Martin from Independence Kentucky.
Thanks again to everybody that came out and dodged raindrops on two of the three days. Wow—rain in Greater Cincinnati. Now that’s something new isn’t it? –Max
It’s Been A Year Already!
Last year around this time my wife and I were expecting our first kid and boy does time fly by!! On April 21st he will be 1 year old. We are enjoying every minute of it and can’t wait for all the joys of parenthood to continue. He got his looks and personality after his mom (thank god)!! As of this writing he has got crawling backward down, but still not going forward, but we think it will come soon. He loves to say Momma and loves Elmo and basketball. Of course daddy likes that a lot!! Before you know it I will be telling you he graduated High School!! Only if we could get time to stand still so I could enjoy being a parent even more!! – Tim
Here It Comes Again
Its less than 2 months until the Reds season begins and I couldn’t be happier. The Reds are defending NL Central champs and the Cincinnati area could use some wins. The football season ended the wrong way but at least the Steelers didn’t win when it really counted. The Reds are the oldest team in baseball and have the reigning NL MVP for the first time in years. They have a fantastic young pitching staff and it will only get better. So, the next time you feel down about the football season cheer up and remember it won’t be long until the boys of summer are back on the field.
Thomas
The City Pool
As a young child growing up in a blue-collar middle class steel mill town we had very few extravagant things we could do. When the malls came in it was a huge deal and also showed what was to become of a great city filled with hard working men and women who loved their family, football, and country in that order. Ashland now stands as shopping Mecca for many in the Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia tri state area but some small reminders of what it was 20 years ago still remain. My friends who still live there have wonderful families and it makes me happy to know they are doing well. On crisp fall Friday nights many families still head down to Historic Putnam Stadium and show up 7,500 strong to root on the Tomcats. My fondest memory of those years were the many days spent at the local city pool about ¼ mile from my house. The pool was larger than life at about 300 feet long and ranging in depth from 6 inches to 10 feet. It was wonderful place to spend a summer day with more than enough activities to keep you busy all day. Its sad to say the have since filled in the pool and no longer operate any of the other city pools that existed when I was a child. Things have changed in Ashland but I still look back on it as wonderful place to grow up.
Thomas
