WAYNESBORO, Va. (WHSV) – When COVID-19 lockdowns kept everyone home, people needed a way to have fun and stay cool at their place, so the pool industry was swimming in orders.
“Many customers were wanting to either buy a hot tub or buy a swimming pool or just take the pool they have and make sure it’s up and operating and working. We’ve been very busy since COVID hit,” said David Boylen, General Manager of Valley Pool and Spa.
Businesses stayed busy in 2021 as people maintained their pools, and David Boylen, general manager of Valley Pool and Spa, said this year is similarly busy. Demand is up, and the supply chain struggles to keep up.
“The orders are in, and it takes time. Some products, it takes us up to a year to get in, other times it’s months or weeks we have to wait for,” Boylen said.
Last year, there were long wait times for chlorine. This year, it’s everything else.
“Right now if you would come to me today and say, ‘Dave I want to buy a pool.’ I’d say that’s wonderful, let me tell you about the pools; however, I’ve got a waiting list, and, pretty much, our waiting list is about a year long,” Boylen said.
For more complex projects, it may take even longer than that. That’s quite a change from what they’re used to.
“Before the covid things would be you know 3 months, four months. Wait times have tripled,” he said.
Boylen said Valley Pool and Spa serves customers within about a 75-mile radius.
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