Aqua Rec's Swimmin' Hole and Fireplace Shop is a business that has
grown along with the family of owner Bruce Shamp. Like Vicki,
his wife of 36 years, the business has given birth more than
once. The new twins in the business family are the Bonney
Lake and Tacoma stores, now celebrating thier grand openings.
The parent store in Fircrest just celebrated its 29th anniversary.
The two older childeren in the family of stores are located
in Puyallup and Federal Way, just over five and six years
old respectively. The adopted child, "satellite store", located
in Port Angeles will be celebrating its third year of business
this summer. The Swimmin' Hole sells top quality spas, pools,
stoves and hot tubs, swimming pool equipment and supplies.
Additionally, the business sells the most energy saving brands
of fireplace equipment, wood, pellet and gas stoves on the
market. The company services and repairs all of the above,
carrying a full line of accessories, as well. Beginning in
1976, the pool and spa cleaning and repair business was conducted
from a garage. Bruce was teaching school, and had begun working
for a fellow teacher on a part time basis. Over the years,
the expansion of the business has mirrored the growth of the
Shamp family, which now includes six children and seven grandchildren,
all of whom live in Tacoma. In the late '70s, the Swimmin'
Hole moved to Fircrest. By 1983 it had become a full-time
endeavor. In 1990, Bruce and his business partner went their
separate ways. Bruce continued with spas and pools, later
adding stoves. He saw to it that his technicians and sales
reps were cross-trained. Soon the Fircrest store expanded
to its current 8,000 square feet. Currently, Aqua Rec has
a wide variety of spas on display at each of its five locations.
Bruce is pleased to be carrying the Marquis spas which are
known for their durability, comfort and efficiency. The business
carries a number of brands of wood, pellet and gas stoves.
Quadra-Fire is "the cleanest burning in the world" as rated
by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Swimmin' Hole
employs 40 to 50 people depending on the season. Among those
are several members of the Shamp Family.
The kids range in age from 36 down to 26. Sons Byron, Caleb,
and Josh and daughter Terah and son-in-law Chris are all full-time
employees. Michelle, Aaron and work part-time now.
