Frank May, the owner of The Pool Place, off Lee Highway.After over 30 years operating as The Pool Place, the large warehouse on Perimeter Drive is getting a new name next week.
On Wednesday, Feb. 18, the retail outlet will don the new name The Great Backyard Place. Despite the name change, the business will continue to offer the same pool, spa, and furniture items, but with a wider offering of backyard living products.
“We want our customers to know that we are the same family that’s been serving the Chattanooga area for three generations” said Frank May, CEO of the family-owned business, said in a statement today. “The Great Backyard Place is not a divorce from our past, but rather it’s the natural evolution of our business.”
The business began in 1953 as an East Ridge filling station known as A&M and was run by May’s grandfather Frank G. May. Transitioning from a pet shop to toys and hobbies, the business finally moved to Lee Highway where it firmly focused on backyard living by selling pools as The Pool Place in 1979.
Three generations and four additional locations later, the business continues to grow and evolve. Still offering their trusted swimming products, Great Backyard goes beyond pools and offers everything from outdoor kitchens and grills to backyard firepits.