The Water eStore was founded by Gary Beutler (Gary the Water Guy) in January 2014, it was originally called The Water Filter eStore but the name was shortened in 2018 to show that we are about much more than just filters. I love the water treatment industry and wanted to help families outside the borders of our bricks and mortar store, The Water Store in Midland, Ontario (cottage country North of Toronto) which we started in February 2003.
Previously, I studied Mechanical Engineering in College and spent almost 40 years in the bakery business (25 years self employed) before devoting myself full time to helping families with their water. I was excited to learn how a water softener worked because although we had several in our houses for over 20 years no one ever explained exactly how it worked. Well I was shocked to learn that almost no one in the industry knew how they worked either, truth was, no one seemed to know how any type of water treatment equipment actually worked.
It seemed everyone was either a career "sales guy", selling appliances one year, water treatment the next, that really couldn't care less or a plumber who knew how to connect the plumbing but also really didn't care how they worked. I wanted to make sure all of the people we served at The Water Store knew all about whatever I recommended to them in terms of how it worked to solve their problem and how it needed to be maintained.
Whenever a potential customer approached me about a solution I always took the time to ask them to explain their concern, then after testing their water I would explain how the solution I was suggesting worked and what would be required of them to keep it working.
When I first heard about Youtube I thought that would be a fantastic way to share my knowledge about water treatment. I love the water treatment industry so much I was excited to share my knowledge so families could understand water treatment better and make a more educated investment. I started our Youtube Channel at GarytheWaterGuy.com in late 2011 with my first video "How Does a Water Softener Work?". The feedback was incredible, people had lots of questions and I made lots of videos. Soon people were asking how they could purchase the products I spoke about in the videos and I realized many were "do it yourselfers" with cottages and cabins or lived in rural areas of Canada and the United States so I created The Water Filter eStore and we started taking orders, all with FREE Shipping in Canada. Our Youtube videos get about 3000 views a day, which is just over a million a year and those numbers double every year!
We have had phenomenal growth often with initial customer contact through our Youtube videos but folks really appreciated our small town service. We will be attending 4 Spring Home Shows in 2021 and I just love to spend time face to face with so many families that have concerns about their water. We have shipped orders to every Province and Territory in Canada and most US states. We have over 1000 products listed on our ecommerce website WaterEstore.com but we draw from 10 warehouses across North America with a total product assortment of about 50,000 products. I spend most of my time leading our small but growing group, helping customers, listing products, pricing, and of course making videos.
My wife, Sheryl, looks after the paperwork, helps me with home shows and keeps the store running smoothly. Colleen is the back bone of The Water eStore, as she enters and keeps track of the orders, packages many of them and makes sure all the orders get sent out as soon as possible. If you call us at 705 527-5900 Colleen is usually who you speak to first. Lisa has been with us over 20 years and she keeps the bricks and mortar store customers happy.
Looking forward I see lots more Youtube videos and lots more steady, controlled growth. We are slowly expanding into the US and have become an Amazon Influencer as well as a Youtube Partner. I will continue to research new products for our customers. If you have any questions about your water, send an email to info@waterestore.com
Thanks, Gary
