A Chicago designer is inflating the adult kiddie pool trend

• After a few years of playing with designs, Vaca launched Minnidip in 2017 to sell "festive and colorful" pools "created for grown-ups as much as kids."
• Vaca says the product was the only one of its kind and was quickly coined "adult kiddie pool," which the company has now trademarked.

The big picture: Business picked up during the height of the pandemic, when many community pools closed. Sales of pools and pool-related items on Amazon doubled from 2019-20, according to MarketWatch.

• Minnidip reported a 3,700% sales increase in August 2020 compared to peak sales in 2019. During that time, Minnidip had to limit purchases to one pool per customer, Vaca says.

• "People were reselling the pink tufted pool for $400 on eBay," Vaca says. "So I bought them back and gave them away, because we didn't have any of them in stock."

What we're watching: Vaca says business is still booming after public pools reopened. She's sold 1 million units since starting Minnidip, per company figures.

• Minnidip also created an inflatable fountain exclusively for Target, and they're veering into pool-related items like umbrellas and cabanas.