Flooring Trader Opens in Iowa

Hiawatha, IA, June 13, 2007--When The Floor Trader opened last year at Boyson and North Center Point roads, most customers probably were unaware that the store was a national prototype for the floor covering chain, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

"We are part of Georgia Carpet Outlet, the largest floor covering buyer in the country," said Janelle Langan, director of corporate operations at The Floor Trader in Davenport.

"Georgia Carpet Outlet converted one of its existing stores in St. Louis to a Floor Trader, installing new display systems that changed the store's appearance and improving efficiency. The company asked us to build a pilot store from the ground up."

Langan and her husband, Shawn, own Georgia Carpet Outlet stores in Davenport, Moline, Ill., and Peoria, Ill., that they plan to convert to Floor Trader stores.

"We're waiting to convert our other stores because the company is still tweaking this model," Shawn said.

The Floor Trader sells carpeting, ceramic tile, wood laminate and other types of floor covering. The Hiawatha store is equipped with a separate area for contractors to view various floor coverings.

"One of the advantages that we have is the ability to supply what the customer wants from our available stock," Janelle said.

Shawn said Cedar Rapids was selected for the first prototype Floor Trader store based on population and potential buying power. The Floor Trader's primary customer is a homeowner replacing carpet or other floor coverings.

"We offer everything from stone to exotic hardwood," Shawn said. "We also sell a lot of carpet for the living room, halls and basement. We offer a lot of custom products for commercial builders."

While new home construction has slowed down in some parts of Iowa, the residential replacement market has remained fairly healthy.

"When people realize that they can't afford to build the home of their dreams, they're taking a look at what they can do to change the appearance of their existing home," she said.

Tile showers are popular, providing a fresh appearance that will perform for many years with the proper care and maintenance. Wood laminate is replacing linoleum in kitchens and family rooms.

The Hiawatha store opened during the week of a major snowstorm in February 2006.

"We were surprised by the turnout of customers despite the storm," Janelle said. "The lot was packed with cars. We had about 500 people in here over that weekend."

The Langans plan to add Floor Trader stores in Eastern Iowa and western Illinois.

"We draw customers to Hiawatha from Waterloo and Dubuque," Janelle said. "We had a customer who saved our original grand opening newspaper advertisement and drove here from Waterloo. We were able to do a nice size order with her and we were impressed that she was willing to drive more than 50 miles to our store."

The Floor Trader uses independent contractors that have been screened for quality to install its floor coverings. The customer pays them when the work has been completed.

The Floor Trader employs 35, including store and corporate personnel in the Quad Cities.