When Bryan Spodek, owner of Wood Kingdom West in Farmingdale, New York, first opened his doors in 1989, it was as a retailer and installer of wooden swing sets.
However, by the mid-1990s, Spodek decided the time was right to add to his company’s inventory.
That’s when it started selling and installing wooden sheds.
“I saw there was a need for homeowners, and we had clients asking for them,” he says.
Wood Kingdom West partners with a shed manufacturer that erects sheds customized to clients’ desires. That firm ships the pieces to Spodek so he and his crew can install them.
He describes the sheds as ranging from “very basic to very intricate.”
Spodek’s business is seasonal and economy-driven. Whereas normally he and his crews are swamped in the spring, a wet season brought a temporary slowdown in business.
However, with summer’s warmer weather, projects came later in 2024 than during more typical years, he says.
Spodek’s vision is to offer homeowners a variety of ways to enjoy their backyards. For that reason, Wood Kingdom West also installs customized backyard pavilions, pool houses, and trampolines, both in-ground on a metal frame or above ground with nets.
He also expanded into the solar energy business, so homeowners seeking alternate energy choices can be served, too.
Amish Made for You, located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, also started with children’s products in mind before sheds were added to its inventory.
“We started with playhouses but moved into sheds after the pandemic,” says Christine Marretta, a playset designer and salesperson with Amish Made for You.
Sheds were added because the company noticed interest in them from potential customers.
“There was a need. Customers wanted well-built sheds not found at big box stores. I found excellent woodworkers in my area to build them,” she says.
To keep costs down, Amish Made for You is not open to the public and its products are only available online.
“Customers buy online to keep overhead low. That approach has been successful, so far,” she says.
Spodek says Wood Kingdom West adds new product lines to offer homeowners opportunities to enjoy their backyards in many ways.
For example, installing swing sets morphed into basketball equipment and two types of trampolines: in-ground on a metal frame or above ground with nets. He also expanded into solar energy, so homeowners seeking alternate energy choices can be served, too.
Spodek is confident his business strategy of bringing fun to families is solid.
“We have been in business 35 years, so we’ve been pretty successful,” he points out.
Heather and Nate Smith, the office manager and owner of Premium Sheds, respectively, first went into business as home remodelers in 2010.
In 2017, the Smiths, who live in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, pivoted their focus to sheds, pole barns, and cabins, says Heather.
Now that the Smiths are grandparents, they sought a safe and reliable play system to entertain their grandbabies. Their research led them to partner with Rainbow Play Systems in early 2024.
According to Heather, Rainbow Play Systems are “all cedar and heavier duty. That means they will last longer. There are also 100 differentiations a customer can choose to design their own” playset.
Customers may either customize their playground online or, says Heather, “as a dealer, we can assist customizations.”
Rainbow Play Systems can only be purchased through a dealer as that company does not sell directly to the public.
Another reason the Smiths found Rainbow Play Systems attractive as both a product to install for customers and for their own grandchildren is they are ecologically friendly.
A wooden playground set emits less greenhouse gasses than does grass or a metal playground, says Heather, noting not only is cedar wood beautiful, but it also resists rot, decay, and insects.
The selection of Rainbow Play Systems was also a strategic move.
“We live in Upper Michigan. There is no playset system in the U.P.,” says Heather.
When considering various playground companies, the Smiths consulted with a Rainbow Play Systems dealer in Wisconsin, the closest location to their own.
Case in point, in the short length of their new partnership, the Smiths have already installed nine Rainbow Play Systems and one custom trampoline.
