Victoria couple puts a fine finish on their woodwork retail story
After two decades, Finishing Store owners pass the torch to a new chief executive
George Linger’s greatest satisfaction in business has been helping customers choose products that best suited their needs. He was also passionate about staying involved to a woodworking project’s completion.
It was about more than just finding something on a shelf. It was about sharing the pros and cons of specific products in relation to a particular customer who walked into his Finishing Store and Millworks Ltd. — the go-to store for carpenters at 780 Topaz Ave. in Victoria.
He said customer service meant everything “so that five years down the road, you are still happy with what you have,” Linger said Thursday.
Suzette Linger, 67, loved the daily responsibilities of running a business — everything from keeping accounts in order and organizing payroll for 55 staff to supporting the community.
George, 69, retired last month, following Suzette who stepped away in 2008. Colin Gloeckler, who has worked for the couple for 22 years, is the company’s new chief executive, taking on a newly amalgamated business and steering the firm into a larger online presence.
The Lingers are retaining ownership. But they are now are filling their days with volunteering, travelling, spending time with their six grandchildren and many other interests. Retirement has given them time for an extra cup of coffee in the mornings, Suzette said with a smile.
George and Suzette met in high school in Prince Albert, Sask. This summer, the parents of Andrea and Chad will celebrate 48 years of marriage, much of it working together, where they found their own niches on the job.
They credit similar attitudes to their success such as making quick decisions and agreeing to take some risks.
The couple previously owned a building-supply store in Whitecourt, Alta., selling it in 1990. It was Chad who urged his parents to move to Vancouver Island while here on a family vacation.
Setting up first in Nanaimo, the Lingers built homes for a living and were involved in the restaurant business.
When the opportunity came to buy what was then called the Finishing Touch, they did so in 1996. At that time, the Victoria store had a staff of five. Suzette remembers walking through the door and being reminded of their Whitecourt business. “It felt like coming home again.”
Three years later, they purchased another outlet of the business in Nanaimo. They then bought what was called Artisan Mouldings, renamed to Artistic Mouldings, with its milling operation and six staff. The purchase of that firm was contingent on Gloeckler running it.
As of February, the Finishing Touch and the milling operation are amalgamated into one business.
Gloeckler’s family had founded Artisan although he had left it to work elsewhere prior to the Lingers buying it. He loves working with wood, having earned his journeyman ticket in benchwork and joinery. Today, the Finishing Store’s offerings includes forest stewardship council certified products.
Gloeckler, 55, and the Lingers are obviously respectful and fond of each other. George said they are “blessed” to work with him and praised all the staff.
Changing trends have shaped the business. For example, flooring represented about 25 per cent of sales early on, moving to 50 per cent today. In 1996, the store had 80 types of flooring, allowing staff to know each one, George said. Today, one supplier alone has more than 800 flooring choices. Walk into the store to see everything from live-edge maple and cedar planks and intricate patterned wood floors to moulding and shelves.
The strength of the capital region’s renovation market and the large number of historic homes in Greater Victoria, along with new home construction, all sustain the business, which serves retail and commercial customers. “You have to earn that right to be supported locally,” George said.
“You have to do that by either offering quality product or offering something a little bit different than the next guy.”