BRADENTON, Fla. -- “It's my life. I started in ninth grade of high school and loved it. Just kept on from there.”

John Donald Routh Jr. sells outdoor power equipment and rents U-Hauls and Cruise America RVs at Gravely of Bradenton.

He’s been here for 47 years.

They’ve seen an increase in the sale of their outdoor power equipment—pole saws, generators, mowers, etc.—as people are spending more time at home during this pandemic.

And the RV rentals—“out of sight,” said Routh.

“We can't -- we don't have enough inventory to keep up with demand. They're going out as quick as they come in.”

Routh says customers don't want to send their parents home on an airplane. They want to take them in an RV and get them home safely.  

Other families pick the RV for vacations for precisely some of the same reasons -- no airport, no hotels.

Their rentals have doubled easily, Routh says.

Although they are busy, they are keeping up, in part, because the long-time employees are cross-trained to pitch in on all jobs in the store -- mechanics that can run the registers at the parts counter? Check.

One of his longest “longest” long-time employees is his mom Catherine Ann Routh.

She started eight years in when her son bought the place from the original owner.

"My mother's in her 80s, and she won't give up," Routh said laughing.

Routh says people will probably be cautious about old habits like handshakes after the pandemic, but they need to keep a positive attitude.

“If you're not having a good day, you need to make it a good day,” he said. “Always try to make things better and just keep moving forward. And don't let things get you down,” Routh said.