PDC Spas staff, area officials and others celebrate the recent opening of the spa retailer’s new location at 200 E. Church St.

PDC Spas, a staple of Williamsport, recently announced the opening of a new downtown location.

“We wanted to be centralized in Lycoming County,” said new owner Marshall Welch III, who purchased the company last year from the Livingstons, whose family has owned the business since its 1957 inception.

“I was friends with the Livingston’s before this, and it came to my attention that they wanted to potentially sell, so we put a deal together in February of 2024,” Welch said.

The new store is located in the former Woodrich building at 200 E. Church St.

“We were looking at opening a second store somewhere in the Williamsport Area, and Raff Colone, from Woodrich, and I are friends, and I saw on Facebook that that he was going to be moving out, so I called him and we, we put together a deal almost right away,” Welch explained.

“We’re going to be renting from Raff, and we’ll also be selling some Woodrich products in the showroom,” he said.

Like the Livingstons, Welch is a born and raised native of the area.

“My dad was an orthodontist in Williamsport, and I grew up here and went to Cochrane school,” he said.

To Welch, the location is perfect for providing the best service to the region.

“We’re really excited to be downtown, not just centralized Williamsport, but centralized Lycoming County. People from Clinton County, Lewisburg and as far away as Corning, State College, Wilkes, Barre and even Harrisburg, Lewisburg can easily visit,” he said.

The move comes with an expanded ability to show off all that PDC Spas has to offer.

“We’re really creating much more of a buying experience. We’ll have over 25 products here, between hot tubs, swim spas and cold plunges,” Welch said, adding that at least a half a dozen products will be available for customers to schedule wet tests in order to try them out for themselves.

“When it comes to a Swim Spa, if you want to bring your family and the kids, they can literally try it with everything running like it’s in their own backyard,” Welch said.

In addition to PDC’s own products, the new location will sell complementary backyard products including patio furniture, infrared and traditional saunas, a selection of Woodrich products, as well as barbecue grills and more.

Wet tests and viewing of products will still be available at the factory, however the new location will host much more.

“Every product that we make will be available for you to see in the showroom, so unlike at the factory, you can see every possibility,” Welch stressed.

“Our hot tubs are not one size fits all units. Everybody’s body is shaped differently, so our hot tubs are sculpted differently. So it’s nice that customers have the option to come in and sit in them, or try them wet to make sure it fits them and their needs. So that way, they’re buying once, and they’re buying right,” said Jaime Smith, director of retailer relations.

“We have three product groups, we have hot tubs, we have swim spas, and then we have our cold plunges, which are becoming really popular for people with the health benefits of getting in cold water and doing contrast therapy with cold water and hot water,” Smith said.

“And, customer service is very important to us, so we do service what we sell,” Smith stressed.

Though PDC is a locally owned company, their reach is far.

“We have a customer who sells these to Major League Baseball and the National Football League. Thirty of 31 NFL teams have our products,” Welch said.

With the opening of the new location, Welch and Smith hope to extend the friendly atmosphere the company has been known for since its founding.

“Ultimately, we want to make sure that when you walk in the door here, it’s warm and it’s welcoming,” Smith said.

“We’re selling family products to invest in your health, your wellness and your family fun, where you can unplug from the cell phones, get a new Swim Spa and enjoy it year round with the whole family,” Smith said.

“It’s a family atmosphere. Bring the whole family in, get in them, try them. We want people to be comfortable to come here and try the products, get in them, sit in them, and feel them out before you buy them,” Smith said.