Summer is just around the corner, and there are few better ways to beat the south Georgia heat than a swimming pool. Taylor Pools of Waycross has been helping their customers across southeastern Georgia and north Florida cool off for over 20 years, and are preparing for their grand reopening.
Founded by husband and wife team Chris and Michelle Taylor in 2005, the store had humble beginnings. Chris had first gotten involved in the pool business “by accident” in 1987, and the pair began initially operating from their home property for five years. Both of their daughters, Zena and Amber, grew up working in the business.
Taylor Pools offer various types of pool installations, including concrete and vinyl-lining pools, as well as fiberglass one-piece pools. Additional accessories and features, like waterfalls and diving boards, are also offered.
The Taylors moved from home to their first storefront on Harrison Street, where they would remain for years, even going on to open a location in Douglas. They would consolidate all operations to their current location at their new location, 1015 Knight Avenue, in 2024.
Part of the latest move came from a need for space.
“We seen this one, we knew we needed more space,” Chris said. “We didn’t know what we were gonna do... and that’s where this huge store came about.”
Taylor Pools didn’t have much time to settle in, however; heavy snowfall in January of 2025 led to the front of the new location collapsing from the weight, requiring essentially the whole storefront to be rebuilt.
Chris thanked the City of Waycross in particular for their accommodation after the storefront’s collapse. “We’re extremely blessed through everything we went through with losing the building,” he said. “The City of Waycross has been really good. They let us open up our store in the back warehouse part, keep right on going, never shut down a day through the collapse.”
He continued, “The city, I think went overboard wanting us to stay here, and helped us. You hear some negative things about the city, but after what we’ve been through... can’t say enough good about them.”
Taylor Pools offers their services to a wide area, even beyond the state of Georgia.
“We service a broad area. We have Florida licenses, so we’re able to go into Florida,” Michelle said. “Yulee is about as far as we go. Yulee, Callahan, and Hilliard area.”
As their business has grown, so has their catalogue of services and products.
“Since we moved into this location we’re able to carry spas,” Michelle explained. “We carry furniture, it’s actually made by the Amish. It’s called Walnut Creek Furniture, we have a whole line of that.”
The business remains a family affair. While both the Taylor’s daughters are teachers now, they continue to help out during the summer months. They also aren’t the only family involved: “My main guy is my son-in-law, Zach Loyd,” Chris said, “who started with me at 16 years old, and that’s been 22 years ago. Never thought he’d build pools for a living, or be my son-in-law, and now he’s doing both. So he treats it like it’s his now, and one day it will be his.”
Going forward, the family continues to express their gratitude for all the support and blessings received. “We are definitely a family-owned business,” Chris concluded, “and extremely blessed. Even with what we’ve been through, God has blessed us beyond, and still does.”
