October Newsletter
Katie Murphy Oct 27, 2023
Friends,
The time has come - we are moving the shop to a new location by the end of the year. We truly did all we could to stay, but it simply wasn’t meant to be. I know how much the Hilliard facility has meant to many of you. I too share so many memories there.
Now it’s time to turn that disappointment into gratitude. We must thank Larry Abbott, Gordy Jablonka and everyone else who had a hand in creating such an amazing place for community, diving and aquatics.
We need to celebrate these past 16 years by showing gratitude and committing to the future. And the most important part of that commitment is sustainability.
I knew this was a likelihood from the start. I would not have purchased this business and Larry would not have put his trust in me if we didn’t feel there was a different, more sustainable business model. And there is already news to celebrate.
Conversations with new aquatic center partners have gone so well that I decided to move all confined water training starting December 1st. We will be training at the Westerville Community Center and the Byers Family Aquatic Pavilion run by Hydra Aquatics located at Jefferson Country Club. Starting in January, we will have another location in Northern Columbus and likely Marysville as well. My hope is to have training locations in all four corners of Central Ohio plus at least one central.
You can find all of our classes listed here on our website Calendar. All pool locations have depths down to 12 feet.
This allows us to have a greater geographical reach than ever before and partner with these training locations on marketing. This year alone, we have already certified more divers than in any previous year. Just imagine what we can achieve with a greater geographical reach.
Many of you have shared your concerns regarding pool time for equipment checks post-move. We will have options for this during times we have reserved pool time for classes. Our partners will also welcome direct rentals during the day when pool activity is slow. More details regarding this soon. You can also book time while the dive tank is still open through November by reaching out to us at the shop
I know you’re wondering where we are moving the shop. There are several finalist locations we are considering, and I don’t want to jinx it. You all know my luck in that department :-).
I promise to let you know as soon as the decision is made.
Move Asks
Our target is to move by December 1st. As you can imagine, there is much to do in order to successfully move this business. There are a few things we ask to ensure a successful move:
- If you need your gear serviced before January – please bring it in by November 10th and be sure to pick it back up before December 1st. That will give us time to complete the work before we start to move the service department. And we also plan to have an end-of-year break every year moving forward.
- Many hands make light work – we would be so grateful to anyone who would like to help with the move. We will need help with disassembly, packing, physically moving, improvements to the new space, assembly at the new space and more. If you’d like to help, simply respond to this email and I will add you to the list! We plan to have all the fun we can with it.
- Your patience and support. We will have a moving sale in combination with Black Friday/Small Business Saturday so please come see us or check the website. There are typically some sales we can promote from our brands so we will have discounted items online and in-store.
We will be offering Discover Scuba classes again for Thanksgiving weekend. So, if you are looking for a fun activity to do with the family, sign up here. We will likely have the ability for existing divers to join their family and friends for free again, so keep an eye out for those details as we get closer.
New Hours
Now that the open water season has come to a close, we will be reducing our hours to the following, starting this Monday, October 30th:
Monday-Thursday 12-7pm
Friday 12-6pm
Saturday 10am-4pm
We will be sure to update you if the move has any impact on our store hours.
Travel Updates
We have 12 travelers headed to Grand Cayman next week. It was great to see you all at the monthly Travel Social and I hope you have the best time!
We have sold all our cabins for the Maldives trip, also 12 travelers. However, the boat may have additional availability we can check on and we can always add you to the waitlist if you’d like to possibly join us.
The Greece trip is now finalized! We will be revealing the details of the trip at our next Travel Social on November 8th. That night we will also have some fun with a travel trivia game. Hope to see you there.
Trip signups have picked up drastically now that Ohio weather has turned. I urge you to reserve your spot so you don’t miss out on a winter warmer. You can always find a list of our upcoming trips here on our website.
We do plan to offer more trips in 2024. We’ve been waiting for DEMA specials so we can get the best pricing. Locations we are considering:
- Dominican Republic again in May, by request of those who traveled there last year
- Bahamas in July
- Dominica – TBD?
- Belize in December
I welcome your feedback on these locations or if there is another on your wish list!
As always, thank you so much for your continued support. Once we have made our final location decision, we will be sharing the news via email, social channels, the website and at the shop.
Happy Halloween!
Katie Murphy
Owner & President
Aquatic Adventures Ohio
