Utah Dealer Opens with 12,500 sq. ft. showroom

Layton, UT, October 13, 2006--Todd Walker has opened a new 12,500-square-foot flooring showroom to the public, according to the Deseret Morning News. "It is the largest flooring showroom in Utah," he said of the building at 1604 W. Hillfield Road, Suite 100. But just five years ago, Walker was selling carpet out of the back of his vehicle. "I would just load up my Jeep with samples and go door to door," he said. The Centerville native started selling out of his vehicle in 1996 for Garden Gate Distributing in Salt Lake City. After about a year, he moved to Layton and started selling for Abbey Carpet, where he worked for about two years. "Both companies are great companies and got me started, I just felt like I wanted to go out and do my own thing," said Walker, who now lives in Kaysville. In 2000, Walker opened up his own company, Buy Direct, in a 2,500-square-foot warehouse in Layton at 857 Marshall Way. For a while the company used only 500 square feet of the building. "Little by little, over the years, we turned that 500 to 2,500 square feet of showroom and into 12,500 square feet of stock," Walker said. The first week of June, the company moved into a new, bigger location that features the first Shaw Flooring Design Center in Utah. Walker said the showroom's special signage makes it easier for consumers to shop. The signage leads customers to several interactive display areas that show examples of Buy Direct's products. The store sells carpet, hardwood, laminate, tile and more. The new showroom features two fully integrated kitchens, equipped with appliances, cabinets, backsplashes and countertops. It has a couple of shower displays and a jetted tub display. Also, many of Buy Direct's products are found covering the floor or walls of the showroom. "Basically we do this for ideas," Walker said. "It's amazing how many people walk in and see something on the floor and that's what they want." Buy Direct sells home theater systems and bathroom tiles and in the future may sell granite countertops. It is also one of three Portico with Mohawk flooring dealers in the state of Utah. For the first couple of years, Buy Direct did business mainly with contractors. "We haven't really presented ourselves to the public," Walker said. "We've been more of a builder-designer store. But we do sell to the public, so this could open up a door that we haven't really seen." Buy Direct has grown to include 10 store-front employees and 25 installation employees. It has two in-house tile installation crews and one in-house hardwood installation crew. Walker said his business is unique because of its low prices. "When people walk into Buy Direct we give them the low price from the very start," he said. "We're not a shoot-high-and-hope-they come-back-later-for-the-maximum-price (business)." Walker said Buy Direct's pricing is low because the company imports its products directly and it buys in bulk. The new showroom is right next to a 12,500-square-foot warehouse where Buy Direct stores its products. Walker said he never envisioned his business would get so big. He said Buy Direct has grown in big part by word of mouth. "It's a credit to our consumers," he said. "I mean our consumers have really gone out and done a great referral for Buy Direct."

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