In retail for just five months and with almost as many lockdowns, Crystal Water Pool n Spa owner Brandon Finn is relieved the latest one is over and he can again open his doors on Wednesday.
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He and partner Emily Freeman are looking forward to helping customers conduct water tests, which accounts for about 70 per cent of their in-store business.
The couple opened their retail store in late February, after eight years operating a mobile pool and spa service between Winchelsea and Warrnambool. Its reach has since grown to include Portland and Hamilton.
He said pool servicing had helped cover the costs associated with being closed during this year's three COVID-19 lockdowns.
"It's covering expenses," Mr Finn said. "At the same time you've got customers that are so stressed out about the COVID-19 situation they're too scared to have people come to their houses. The customers that we are able to service is down to 10 to 15 per cent."
On Wednesday he will reschedule his regulars' monthly pool services and said each lockdown the business lost "a month's work because they all push back a week each".
While permitted to offer click and collect during lockdown he said it wasn't suitable. "We're not really an industry where people can jump online and select what they need. We need to test their water and tell them what they require.
"It's very difficult. Money's very tight at the moment."
They were dealt a further blow with people repeatedly dumping rubbish in bins behind the store, the latest on the weekend.
One positive in these challenging times was being named pool and spa care product BioGuard's retailer of the month for Australia and New Zealand for July.
"That's massive," he said. "BioGuard is the biggest pool chemical provider in the world. If you get that in Warrnambool during these times it's amazing.
He thanked the community for its support. "During winter and in Warrnambool we're still beating the rest of Australia and New Zealand. We're obviously getting a lot of support from everyone."
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Mr Finn is buoyed by fellow business owners' support and said working together had helped the couple get through the lockdown period.
"We're lucky that we've had a lot of support around us in certain promos with our suppliers and other local business people here that I think we wouldn't have survived otherwise."
Together with Clinton Baulch Motor Group and Warrnambool Auto Group, they are running a competition where in store shoppers can go in the draw to win a new spa, worth $8,900. It will be drawn at the Hampden Football Netball League Grand Final.
"They came to me about that and I jumped at it because any promotion and getting people in the store is huge for us."
He said the couple did their research before opening in Warrnambool and spoke to local business people about various aspects to "make sure it was the right move".
"We went through absolutely everything so we had the best chance of succeeding and we will. We'll get through these COVID-19 lockdowns and get to summer and we'll be 100 per cent fine," he said.
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