Thank You !!!
Wow—another Anniversary Sale has come and gone. Many thanks to all of those that came out to see us and braved some less than perfect weather! It may sound a little corny, but every year we look forward to seeing many of our old friends that stop in once a year to get all their supplies for the season. Some go back to the early 80’s when we were just getting started. But for most, we will see you again this season. As always, we appreciate your business and your trust, along with your friendship. –Max
Lengths We Go To . . .
We get a lot of calls from people out of state, looking to buy product from us. Sometime they are WAY out of state. We service Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana, as well as Southwest Ohio. Some of our Internet customers inquire about us building a pool for them in New York or California. Simply put, we don’t do it. But if you need an aboveground pool, we can ship it. We just can’t build it. But for most products, we cannot ship because of the likelihood of damages in transit. My recommendation is this: If you are interested in a particular product, email me at max@eastgatepools.com. I can tell you if it is something we can ship and if it is not, I may be able to direct you to a dealer in your area. We are a member of the SPARCO buying group and have members located throughout the eastern United States. If we can’t help, perhaps they can. But no matter what, we do appreciate your considering Eastgate Pools & Spas for that special item. –Max
Eastgate Pools Family
I am new to the sales floor here at Eastgate but am very eager to meet our clients and begin to build active relationships with both customers and co-workers. In 2003, you may have found me walking through the Eastgate aisles, stocking shelves or mopping floors. Now, after years of college and exploring the business world, I am delighted to be returning to Eastgate as a sales representative, water-testing specialist and front desk assistant. Upon returning I have learned that Eastgate is a company that truly embraces the idea of family. There are employees here that have been working with the company for over 30 years. There are also employees that have, like me, taken time to explore the world and returned to Eastgate. So, you are almost always likely to encounter one of the smiling faces you have seen before, every time you walk through the door. Much like our employees we tend to see the same return philosophy from our customers. Customers return to Eastgate because the sensation of shopping from people you know and trust is continually present. The phrase “Family Owned & Operated” defines Eastgate perfectly and you can feel at home whenever you are around a member of the Eastgate Pools and Spas family.
Recent Storms
Sometimes we find ourselves feeling guilty for being lucky. The deadly storms and tornados that passed through our region were tragic and we all experienced different feelings. Here at the store, we followed the path closely and eventually closed our front gate and took shelter. We were lucky here as it missed the Eastgate area. I then personally continued to watch the storm path and it was projected to move through Williamsburg and then on into southern Highland County. These two communities represent where I now live and also where I grew up. My sister still lives there and the weather map looked like an arrow pointed right through those two areas. Then something happened. The storm ‘turned’ and missed both places. I was relieved, but then I learned of the utter devastation and loss of live in other communities. Again, a feeling of relief mixed with guilt for being one of the lucky ones to be spared.
I lost a few shingles and a couple of branches. Others lost everything. I don’t pretend to understand how and why these things happen, but for those that experienced tragedy, you are in our thoughts and prayers. –Max
Approaching A New Season
As we embark on a new year at Eastgate Pools we are approached with new challenges, fresh products, new employees and amazing new clientele. Just as a student prepares for an upcoming school year we are beginning to develop new product relationships and continue to nurture the relationships we have developed in years past. We are big fans of making life easy on our customers and we want this to be evident on our sales floor. We refuse to berate you with information and will not beat the metaphorical horse when you want to know about a product. We choose to let our customers explore our showroom and offer assistance whenever needed, yet, we are very aware that customers need space to shop and make well-informed decisions on their purchases.
Students approach the new school year with inhibitions, questions and concerns. As our customers approach a new year of pool/spa/billiards maintenance, I like to acknowledge the correlation between student and customer. Customers and students alike have concerns and “red-flags” that we want to help answer and suppress. Entering our store you can know that we will keep your concerns and opinions in mind as well as offer you all of the assistance you may need without overwhelming you with monotonous sales ploys.
Training
While some other pool companies are closed for the winter, at Eastgate Pools and Spas we are training to make us a better company all around!! We have had guest speakers come in and talk about chemicals, furniture and Simple Salt Systems. Many companies will try and learn on the fly, but we take pride in knowing what we are talking about. Along with our guest speakers, we had each person in the company come up with topics that they would like to cover to make then more efficient for our customers. We also did video on each session, so we could go back and watch again if needed!! I am sure you will find that we are very knowledgeable in a lot of areas that some pool companies don’t even care about!! Stop in a talk to one of us today!!
Tim
Pool Cues And Supplies
You may not think of Eastgate Pools when you think of pool cues and billiard playing accessories . . . but you should! We have a great selection of pool cues from such well-known manufacturers as McDermott, Dufferin, Viper and Mikerak, and Minnesota Fats, as well as, several others. We even have a very nice selection of NCAA approved college logo cues. So whether you need a cue for under $10 or are looking for one that costs several hundred dollars, we have a wide variety to choose from. And we’ve got all the goodies that go with them, from soft and hard cases for your cues to tip sharpeners and chalk in just about any color you can imagine.
- Max
Chlorine Tablets Make Great Christmas Presents!
Imagine the joy that special someone will feel when he (or she) unwraps that beautiful package to find . . . Chlorine tablet! For the pool owner, it’s usually the number one expense for the pool every year, so why not get a gift that’s not only lovelt, but practical! And right now, Eastgate Pools has all remaining buckets of chlorine tablets on sale.
So whether it’s birthday or anniversary time, the recipient will be impressed with your thoughtfullness and will appreciate the gift that keeps on giving (until the bucket is empty).
And for Christmas? Add some alkalinity and pH controls and you’ve got shopping covered. Stop in today and we’ll help you complete that list.
- Max
Happy Retirement to David ‘Pappy’ Lyle!
One of our own has finally reached that stage of life called easy street. Dave ‘Pappy’ Lyle retired September 18 and everyone here at Eastgate Pools wishes him and his family nothing but the best. Dave gave us thirteen years of quality customer service, sales expertise, and more importantly, friendship. We all got a little emotional when the last day turned to goodbyes and hugs.
Dave – enjoy the retirement that you have earned and stop back in any time you feel like it. You’re always welcome. –The Associates of Eastgate Pools & Spas
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.
Debunking An Aboveground Myth
I will be the first to admit that I am a fan of stainless steel products. My kitchen is appointed with stainless appliances and my grill has stainless burners and they are perfect for these applications. With aboveground pools it is quite common to find a stainless steel panel where the skimmer and return are located. Given my appreciation of stainless products you would likely assume that I think this is the way to go…that would, however, be incorrect. The argument for such a panel is that the gaskets at the skimmer and return are the most likely area on the pool wall to fail and that the stainless panel won’t rust. This is partially true, but the stainless panel is actually the weakest part of the pool wall as it isn’t corrugated like the rest of the pool wall. On our Oceanic and Endeavor pools this replaceable panel is the same material as the rest of pool wall because it providers greater strength and durability. When you are trying to retain thousands of pounds of water weight it is incredibly important to have a strong pool at all points. On these Sharkline pools that panel also matches the rest of the pool design so you don’t have an unsightly stainless panel sticking out like a sore thumb. Some of our pools don’t use these panels and honestly there is nothing wrong with that either. As long as you don’t have leaking at those gaskets you shouldn’t ever have a problem there. Think of it this way, if the pool is so well built why would you ever want to use a different material at one location? I will let you be the judge there.
Specialty Chemicals Video
Check out our latest video as Max discusses some of our “Specialty Chemicals” that will make your pool life easier.
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
Come Help Us Celebrate Our Anniversary!
2011 marks our 31st year in business and we celebrate with our biggest chemical and accessory sale of the year. This year the sale dates are April 29 and 30 and May 1. Thousands of our existing customers have received their sale flyer, but I’d like to invite EVERYONE out there to come in this weekend to see us and save some serious greenbacks.
A lot has happened over the last 31 years. From our quaint little store on Rust Lane—about 600-700 sq. ft.—to our current location with two showrooms and three tents (each tent is bigger than the Rust Lane store), we have grown because of two things. One, we have provided quality products at affordable pricing. Two, we have loyal clientele that keep coming back, year after year. For this, we thank you and reaffirm our commitment to being YOUR store of choice.
So come on in this weekend (or any weekday or weekend you’d like) and see us. Come for the fun (hourly door prizes), free food and drinks (hot dogs and soft drinks), and renewing old friendships (hey—most of us have been here for years). Stop in, sit a spell, save some serious dollars, and tell or listen to the stories. –Max
Benefits Of Change
I love spring with the change of the weather, things starting to turn green once again. I also feel that change is needed from the gray overcast skies with cold temperatures, to brighter skies and warming temperatures. There was a decision made that a drastic change was needed to the store as well. From the pictures you can see from what we had, to what we now have. Everyone likes a new look, but I think this is more than that. This change by moving the chemicals closer to the water testing area will allow us to show you the specialty chemicals that you may need from the testing station. It also allows us to expand even farther our lines of alternative sanitizers to better serve you as the customer. I could go on and on about the benefits that just this re-adjustment of our showroom allows us to better serve you the customer, but I won’t. What I will do is invite you in to see the changes for yourself and let the benefits of these changes speak for themselves.
