Memphis, TN, July 31, 2006--Back in 2004, Joey Stem reinvented his business, Crown Manufacturing Inc., changing from a custom logo printer to a custom carpet maker. according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
This year, Stem is upgrading his upscale custom carpet business, adding a new design technology and expanding into a new market.
Writer Alex Doniac quotes Stem: "Designers locally don't know what we do." In fact, Stem said, many of his clients are in California.
Crown began designing high-end carpets in 2004 after the purchase of a $200,000 computerized carpet tufting machine, Corporate Tuft, made by Wilcom America Inc.
Doniac continues: "There are only 12 custom rug makers who use the computer-driven machine in the country, Stem said.
"Customized carpets are specialized and expensive. Most carpets cost upward of $50-60 per square foot. And while most makers are based in India and Asia, Stem said the advantage of doing business with him is that he can finish a carpet between 4-6 weeks as opposed to 4-6 months."
The purchase transformed Crown from a small-scale business that made rugs with custom logos to a high-end carpet manufacturer.
The machine also more than quadrupled Stem's monthly sales, from six carpets a month to 28. He bought a second tufting machine last year, and he's thinking about buying a third.
