Success Spills Over For Scotts Valley Water Store

Sometimes, in life, what we believe to be an obstacle turns out to be a fortunate twist of fate.

For Wendi and Mark Kramerpugh, owners of Pure Valley Water Company in Scotts Valley, this is more than just a philosophy. It’s a fact.

For 25 years, the couple successfully ran their water business from its Graham Plaza location.

“When we were over there at the other store, sales started dropping bad,” Wendi Kramerpugh explained. “I started asking customers, ‘What going on?’ They would say, ‘Every time I come, there’s nowhere to park, so I keep driving. Then, I come another time, same thing.’ Eventually, they just started buying water at the grocery store.”

Inadequate parking was killing their customer base. The Kramerpughs knew they had to do something if they wanted to continue to grow the business that they pioneered back in 1986.

“We just decided to make a transition,” Wendi said.

In February of this year, they took a leap of faith and a leap across Mt. Hermon Road to a new location in the Kings Village Shopping Center.

“We went from 900 square feet to 2,200 square feet," Wendi said. "By moving, our water sales have already gone up 200 to 300 gallons a day.” 

Other upgrades included switching everything over to green technology and adding 10 more sinks.

“If we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it right,” she said.

In business, location is everything. An accessible spot will get your customers in the door. But it’s what you do with them and how you treat them once they’re inside that will determine if they keep coming back.

The Kramerpughs seem to have the corner on that market, as well.

“I like to come here, because I know they’re going to help me really well,” customer Lori Myers said. “I’ve been to other places, and you have to do your own thing. They don’t really pay attention to you. They take good care of you here.”

Wendi says she really tries to listen to what it is people will benefit from the most.

“I ask them how many people are in their family,” she said. “One of the most important criteria is, ‘Are you in a long-term relationship with your home?’"

But making people happy was not always so easy. In the mid-1980s, the idea of selling water seemed about as ludicrous as selling air.

“In the beginning, we did everything," Wendi said. "We donated time tremendously. It was really about educating people. At the time, nobody knew [about water.] They’d say, ‘Yeah, that guy thinks he’s going to make money selling water.’ Well, here we are today.”

In fact, it was also a previous twist of fate that even garnered the notion in the first place. They had moved from Los Gatos to Santa Cruz. The home they rented was equipped with well water.

“I was in dental, and all of my white uniforms were turning orange,” Wendi said. “The water was so bad.”

Her husband purchased a water system for the house, and that was just the fuel for thought that they needed.

“I thought, God, this is a killer idea," she said. "I bet there are tons of people up here that have this problem. So we started doing research. It was either, buy a house with the money we had saved, or start a business. We started Pure Valley Water Company and incorporated in 1986.”

Today, and with the recent move, their business has nearly doubled from three to seven employees. They have increased their customer base to more than 3,000. They sell water by the gallon. They specialize in green technology. They also do water testing, installation of whole-house systems and reverse osmosis. They work on both the commercial and consumer level. They even sell ice.

In addition to being a water specialist, Mark Kramerpugh is also a licensed plumbing contractor.

Perhaps fate has smiled on the couple who thought they would make money selling water.

As far as their next move is concerned, “Right now, we’re just hanging out,” Wendi said. “We’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”

Pure Valley Water is at 224 A, Mt. Hermon Rd., in the Kings Village Shopping Center. For more information, or to learn more about the store, visit purevalleywater.net or call 831-438-6400.