By Kate Bartlett
Pool Mart is celebrating 50 years of business in the Western New York Region, with five locations in the area including Olean, Depew, Lockport, Tonawanda and Orchard Park. The Olean location serves five counties in both New York and Pennsylvania and will be offering year-long specials to celebrate.
The company was started in 1974 by Bill Kissinger and Vic Dunn with the original location on Transit Road in Depew and has been locally owned and operated ever since. The very first Pool Mart location at 6410 Transit Road was originally a dairy barn where ice cream was served through a drive-thru window!
Olean was the 4th to open in the WNY region in 1991. Scott Bray helped open the store, and remains their current manager. “At that time, Orchard Park was our most southern location. We had customers traveling great distances, and we saw the need to open a location to better meet the needs of our customers in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua counties, as well as north-eastern Pennsylvania,” says Scott. “We opened our doors here in Olean 32 years ago and have been growing steadily ever since.”
Pool Mart is WNY’s largest pool dealer by offering above-ground and semi in-ground pools. Additionally, they sell pool and hot tub supplies, offer free water care expertise (regardless of where you bought your pool or hot tub!) and innovative backyard planning. They stock a large variety of outdoor patio furniture, umbrellas, fire pits and gas grills; everything you need to make the most of your backyard living space. Pool Mart offers a wide variety of hot tubs, including the innovative Hot Spring saltwater line, cold plunge tubs and swim spas. With spa inventory starting at $3999 and their pools starting at $1999, there’s something for everyone’s budget.
Scott and his team are proud to have served the community for over 32 years now. “We’re really proud to be a part of this community, an anchor-store, if you will, on the east side of Olean. We know your time and money are valuable, and we’re here to serve you to the best of our abilities, no matter the challenges.”
and Vic Dunn (pictured) with the original location on
Transit Road in Depew and has been locally owned
and operated ever since. The very fi rst Pool Mart
location at 6410 Transit Road was originally a dairy
barn where ice cream was served through a drivethru
window! Pictured: Bill and Vic celebrating a
pool deal circa 1974/75.
Going into his fourth decade with Pool Mart, Scott has seen swimming pools evolve and change with advancements in technology. “As they say, it’s not your grandfather’s pool. Maintenance and water chemistry has become so much easier–advancements in chemicals, and heating and filtration systems make owning a pool much more consumer friendly, helping Western New Yorkers (and Northern Pennsylvanians) make the most of the summer months. “Our summers are so beautiful here; we want to help you make the most of them. Advancements like automatic vacuums, chlorine-free options, solar cover reels and energy efficient pumps and timers can help maximize your pool experience and elevate your summer.”
Pool Mart will be hosting a year-long celebration at all five locations with special discounts and best pricing on all products as a “thank you” to the community. “We’re thankful for our customers and incredible community support during our 50 years in business, and we’re looking forward to 50 more.”
All five locations offer expert advice from their in-store water testing computers while also offering a “20 years parts, in stock, guarantee” on Hot Spring Spas. “We’re familiar with all types of backyards and landscapes. We have experience with a wide range of budgets and lifestyles, and pride ourselves on helping customers find the best fit. Our semi in-ground line, Radiant, has allowed us to offer the longest lasting pools, even when going into the ground, for a very long time now.”
Throughout their 50 years in the business, Pool Mart has built relationships with other businesses and can help find resources to best meet customers’ needs, especially with financing their projects. “We are currently offering 0% financing for our pools, our hot tubs, even our patio furniture. We’ve built strong vendor relationships over the past 50 years in order to bring the best customer service in the area.”
Not only are the experts at Pool Mart experienced, but they truly enjoy working together. “We say we’re the Family Fun Store, but that has dual meaning to us. We’re here to help your family have fun, but we also have fun as a family ourselves.” Being a family-run organization, the company has very low turnover and high tenure. “We love what we do here, and the longevity of our employees is a testament to that. We have people who are entering their second, third and fourth decades working at Pool Mart. The pride in our culture is obvious. We enjoy working together–we’re a family. We celebrate birthdays, graduations and anniversaries together, and we have great pride in our company.”
For more information visit https://www.poolmartonline.com/ and to help Pool Mart celebrate 50 years serving the community, stop into any of their five locations across Western New York.