Carpet THE Store CELEBRATES 25YEARS
John Demeter was the district manager at Factory Carpet when the business changed ownership and he was faced with a major decision: look for another job or open his own carpet store. With his extensive experience and knowledge of the business, and great relationships with numerous suppliers, John and a partner decided to open their own carpet store in June 1991.
Its original location was on Victoria Street in Kitchener beside The Beer Store and across the street from The Car Store, so the name “The Carpet Store” seemed to be a natural choice. Although they started out mainly selling carpet, they quickly evolved into a complete, full-service flooring store which includes hardwood, vinyl, tile, and all installations.
“John was very active in the K-W arts community as a guitar player with several local blues bands, and more recently as an actor. He was very artistic – his most recent accomplishment was being accepted as a guitarist for the K-W Little Theatre’s musical production of Hair,” says his wife, Susan, who has taken over the role of President since John’s sudden death in April of this year.
Susan’s background is in human resources. She worked as head of NCR’s HR department for 25 years, leaving in 2003 to start her own business as a consultant. Running the store is completely different from what she’s accustomed to; she finds it stimulating to learn about the business and meet so many customers and suppliers.
While she was previously involved with the store from an HR perspective, she’s now learning about all aspects of the business with the help of some long term employees. As The Carpet Store carries a complete line of products from the world’s leading manufacturers of not only carpet, but also ceramic, porcelain, laminate, vinyl, and hardwood flooring, backsplashes, and a wide selection of area rugs in literally hundreds of styles and colours, Susan admits it’s been challenging learning about the vast array of what The Carpet Store sells.
“John had so many really loyal suppliers, and we carry some preferred lines that no one else in the area has,” says Susan.
Luckily, she has veterans of the business like Bob Flockhart and Orest Maksym, who have been with The Carpet Store since day one, to help her learn the ropes. Bob has over 40 years of experience in the flooring industry, and Orest worked with John since the Factory Carpet days. Mike Smith has been in Sales at The Carpet Store for the last ten years, plus he has an additional ten years in the interior design industry. Marcel LeBlanc has been a salesperson for two years, but was a loyal customer for 20 years prior to that as owner of his own home renovation business. Roy Singh has been the warehouse manager for the last five years and Diana Nickel answers the phones, does the bookkeeping and handles all office management aspects of the business in her role as an administrator for the past 11 years.
The Carpet Store carries one of the largest selection of flooring products in the Kitchener- Waterloo region and, according to Susan, carpeting is still about half of their business, with rich textures and sophisticated designs from leading industry suppliers and respected brands, like Shaw, Beaulieu, Mohawk, Kraus, and Tuftex. Area rugs are more popular than ever, including imported, handmade rugs made from wool or silk and manufactured ones that replicate ancient Oriental or Persian designs, but with a contemporary feel.
Hardwood floors have also reached peak popularity, with a timeless quality that complements any décor and enhances any room. Today’s stateof-the-art technology offers almost limitless choices of stains, finishes, styles and designs, making wood flooring one of the most practical, easy to care for, and versatile floor coverings available. If properly maintained, wood flooring should never need to be replaced.
Ceramic tile is unmatched when it comes to durability; it’s extremely scratch and stain resistant and a cinch to clean. Always a favourite for kitchens, bathrooms and foyers, ceramic is an environmentally-friendly flooring choice and lasts much longer than most other materials. Other ecofriendly flooring options The Carpet Store carries include cork, bamboo, and wool carpet.
Many people are choosing to remodel rather than move, and when it comes to home renovations the kitchen is a preferred choice for a facelift. The Carpet Store offers a terrific selection of kitchen flooring and backsplash options.
Many local builders come to the experts at The Carpet Store. Both Bob and Orest have partnered The Carpet Store with major builders to outfit several Rotary Dream Homes with all of their flooring and tiling needs, and stress how fortunate they feel to have worked with so many successful, high quality homebuilders over the last 25 years.
The Carpet Store’s experienced team has a wealth of knowledge and can provide design ideas, shopping advice, in-home measuring, and installation, always with the highest quality service. Free estimates and complete warranties come with everything they sell.
The Carpet Store is having a Blowout Sale to celebrate their 25th anniversary from now until September 1st. They’re offering up to 50% off a selection of area rugs, vinyl sheet goods, vinyl tiles, carpet, engineered hardwood, ceramic and porcelain tiles, and backsplash mosaic tiles. A free mat give-away from a wide selection is available to the first 25 customers today and a BBQ lunch will be provided to suppliers and valued customers in August. If you mention that you’ve seen this ad when you come into the store, your name will be entered into a raffle sponsored by local carpet manufacturer, Kraus Canada Inc., on Wednesday, August 10th.
The Carpet Store is located at 1170 Victoria Street North, Kitchener. Open Monday to Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 519-743-6905 or visit their website at www.thecarpetstoreinc.com.