Annie Leibovitz, the American portrait photographer perhaps most famous for her photograph of John Lennon the day he was assassinated, is quoted as saying of her own outdoor refuge, “I feel a responsibility to my backyard. I want it to be taken care of and protected.” Most anyone spending the money to install a hot…
It all started with Christmas lights. More than 20 years ago, Blake Smith started Christmas Décor, a company that focused on design, installation, maintenance — and postseason removal — of Christmas lights. Smith also simultaneously ran a landscaping company that suffered during winter months, and the Christmas-light business kept cash flowing during the offseason. Now,…
THIS ISSUE OF SPARETAILER marks the debut of backyard living content that will now appear in each magazine. We announced the expansion of this editorial segment during our soft launch in June, but this is a big step forward for the SR team. We haven’t expanded an editorial category since swim spas, back in 2009….
Go outside and play: Those were the four words I heard every day growing up on Long Island, New York. The outside was my playground and filled with adventures. Today, it is rare to see a child playing outside unsupervised. In fact, a parent could be perceived as irresponsible and neglectful for saying those four…
Michael Nekahi, co-owner Black Pine Spas & Leisure Products Seattle, Washington Black Pine Spas has traditionally been a hot tub store that has carried mostly complementary products. Over our 35 years in business, we have supplemented our primary hot tub business with tanning beds, gun safes, wood stoves, billiard and game tables, and saunas. Not…
BACKYARD LIVING PRODUCTS are a tough category for us. Over the years, we have tried outdoor furniture, grills, grill islands, fire pits and gazebos. We have had some success with gazebos and grills, and little or no success with grill islands and outdoor furniture. Our success with gazebos is directly related to hot tub sales…