Pekin, IL, Nov. 4--Maybe it's the friendly smiles that greet customers as they walk through the door, according to the Peoria Journal Star.
Or maybe it's the tips and advice customers get on making a house look more like a home.
Or it could be the flower, coffee mug and note of thanks customers receive upon the completion of a flooring installation job.
Whatever their secret to success, Vonderheide Floor Coverings Co. has been flooring central Illinois for four generations despite the recent onslaught of the so-called "big box" home improvement centers.
While other small hometown businesses have struggled and some have failed, the Vonderheides have managed to shrug off the competition and even boost their sales year after year.
"You get a family atmosphere and service here that you often don't get at some of the big box stores," said Mike Vonderheide, the business' third generation. His son, Brian, 17, is continuing the family tradition, helping out part-time and during summers.
The family tradition began in 1959 when Henry and Thada Vonderheide opened their small, one-room floor covering store on the southeast corner of Howard Court and Derby Street.
Their son Dale Vonderheide began helping out in the family business when he was in junior high school, helping his father install linoleum.
Business boomed and the Vonderheides soon found themselves out of space.
In the late 1960s, they moved the store to 613 Derby St., where Ernie's Family Restaurant is now.
"There was a lot of new construction going on at that time," said Dale Vonderheide. Homes, apartment buildings, housing projects and a lot of commercial jobs were everywhere around Pekin.
Finding themselves out of room again, the Vonderheides moved their business again in May of 1979 into a building at Third and Derby, where the store continues on today. "And we've added on here quite a bit since then," Dale said.
Vonderheide Floor Coverings has more than doubled its size at its current location.
The business' sales volume also keeps growing, from $10,000 annually when they first started to several million dollars in annual sales today. Vonderheide employs 40 workers, which includes 22 installers.
The business consists of several different outlets. The main store provides all kinds of flooring products, from carpets to vinyls, ceramic tiles, laminate flooring and a large assortment of hardwood flooring.
Installation services and decorating consultation also is available there.
Vonderheide's Remnant Outlet, which opened in May of 1992, offers quality remnants at mill prices. Mike's brother Tim Vonderheide manages the outlet store while Mike manages the main store. Another brother, Steve, owns and operates Vonderheide Steam and Clean, so customers can set a cleaning at the same place they buy their carpet.
Keeping with the family theme, the wives -- Mike's wife Patty and Dale's wife Marilee -- handle the bookkeeping.
After several decades in the business, Dale said he's slowly inching toward retirement and only works three days a week. But son Mike has his doubts.
"He'll never retire," he quipped.
Pondering the question of what makes their business a success, Mike summarizes it in one word: trust.
"More people come in here looking for answers to questions about what's going to work best in their house and they want somebody they could trust," he said. "When people walk in they get treated like family, too."
