By DYLAN McKENZIE

Times Leader Staff Writer

BRIDGEPORT — With summer rolling on and the weather getting hotter, residents of the Ohio Valley are looking for ways to stay cool and a local business is doing its best to help.

The Pool Place recently opened in Bridgeport, but the owners aren’t strangers to the business of pools and chemicals. Carol Redinger and her husband, Joe, are the former owners of Ohio Valley Chemical, which was located in Martins Ferry. The family business has been supplying chemicals, equipment and other pool necessities to residents of the Ohio Valley since 1936. As the couple grew older, they ran into the numerous problems with running their own business and decided it was time for a change. Although they decided to stop operating Ohio Valley Chemical, they did not want to lose their connection to their loyal customer base and decided to seek a new beginning as a smaller store.

“We’ve been in the pool business for 40 years. We still really love the business,” Redinger said. “We decided to sell the (Martins Ferry) property to the city and downsize a little. We’re focusing now on just the pool and spa side of things.”

The new storefront, which officially opened earlier this summer, is located off of National Road in Bridgeport in the shopping plaza. She said the new location is perfect for the store, as it is “right in the middle of everything” and attracts customers from St. Clairsville, Wheeling and beyond. She said people have come from as far away as Wintersville or New Martinsville to stock up on pool chemicals, equipment and advice. Redinger said the store also helps to supply a number of municipal pools in the area with parts and chemicals, including the St. Clairsville, Martins Ferry, Warren and Wells Township public pools, as well as a number of motels and hotels in the area. She said she and her husband are proud to accommodate customers with all different types of swimming pools and spas.

“We have customers that have little 12-foot pools all the way up to 40-foot pools,” Redinger said. “We really like to take care of our customers.”

Redinger also said one of the most rewarding parts of the new store is working alongside her family, which has always pulled together to help the business thrive. Carol and Joe are joined in the store by son, Justin, and her daughter-in-law, Jennifer. She added that even her younger grandchildren pitch in to do their part, helping to carry supplies, vacuuming and helping tidy up the store when it needs it.

The Pool Place carries a variety of pool chemicals to help clean and enhance the water of your pool or spa, as well as equipment, paint,, liners and other necessities. The store carries the Bio Guard and Pristine Blue chemical lines, offering a variety of options depending on the particular needs of the pool. Redinger added that a lot of customers who come in have children with allergies or some other condition that means they cannot come in contact with chlorine or other harsh chemicals; the Pristine Blue line offers several alternative types of chemicals that won’t have negative effects on children or others. For more information on the store and the products and services offered, call 740-633-6324.