ROCHESTER, Minn. - Summer is finally pretty much here and it seems like a lot of people thought ahead because the swimming pool industry is booming.

Matthew Nelson, the sales manager at Thatcher Pools and Spas said they have never been this busy, so early. The store was temporarily closed to customers, but they've since been able to reopen. Nelson said at the beginning of the pandemic, they were getting close to 400 calls a day! So they've been trying to play catch up since then.

One thing that's helped is having the ability to bring in employees earlier than normal. "We had a few people that lost their internships this summer and we were able to bring back 3 of our gals, which is awesome," Nelson said. "So they could still get paid and help us out tremendously."

Nelson explained there are two reasons behind why they're seeing so many customers right now. One of them is due to the fact that public pools have yet to open up this summer in Minnesota. The second one being because families couldn't take their vacations, they're using those funds on swimming pools and hot tubs. He said he's just grateful to be back. "We're so fortunate and we're glad that we can help out," said Nelson. "I guess the biggest thing is we get so many families come in that are going, 'what are we gonna do?' And we have a solution for them, which is fantastic."

Now that the store is open, there are markings on the ground to make sure everyone keeps their distance. Nelson said he makes sure his customers know chlorine will kill any germs, and the CDC says there's no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread through pool or hot tub water.