Floor Wars Revisited - May 2006
In 1984, Howard Brodsky co-founded Carpet Co-op of America so independent carpet retailers could band together for better buying power in a business world that was becoming increasingly competitive.
Visual, Insightful, Trusted Resource
Recent Floor Focus Magazine feature articles in chronological order with a 60 day delay. Use the search bar at the top to find specific articles or content. To subscribe or order back issues online, use the Subscribe link under the Floor Focus tab in the menu bar. Contact us if you need information on reprints.
In 1984, Howard Brodsky co-founded Carpet Co-op of America so independent carpet retailers could band together for better buying power in a business world that was becoming increasingly competitive.
“Getting to know you, getting to know all about you.” So starts the song in the Rogers and Hammerstein musical The King and I. But can we really get to know all about someone? And is it worth the effort?
Designing a new home or remodeling can be a dreaded task for many homeowners, say Ken and Brenda Barber, owners of Barber’s Floors and More, a thriving flooring business in St. Johns, Michigan.
I’m always surprised when I see people who should know better throwing around misleading statistics, particularly about the home centers’ impact on our industry.
It’s a beautiful product, but it’s a living organism, so there are always quality problems, one retailer said when we asked him the biggest problem he has with the hardwood floors he sells.
Since 1992, home centers have made dramatic gains in the battle to dominate the retail flooring channel.
With all the recent discussion about the new luxe customer, the challenge for today’s flooring retailer is how to approach this market with a keen eye on planning and profitability.
If you haven’t read Santo Torcivia’s article, “Floor Wars: Home Centers vs Flooring Specialist,” go read it right now, then come back and read what I have to say here.
On September 11, 2001, most Mancini-Duffy employees were already in their offices on the 21st and 22nd floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower when they heard a loud explosion and felt the building rock slightly back and forth.
Any hint that the economy might be cooling off a bit was nowhere evident at Surfaces 2006, which played to both record crowds and a record number of exhibitors.