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Huge Selection Key to Flooring Business Growth
Walk into the McCook Carpets Plus / Color Tile store at 206 Norris Avenue and you can immediately see the vastness of the floor store's immense inventory.
With 7,000 square feet of open space, Carpet Plus's stock of carpet rolls, color tile, wood flooring, sample racks and accessories are readily visible to all who stop to shop and visit. "We have well over 100 rolls of carpet in stock, plus we have multiple pallets of tile and more than 35 wood flooring displays," said Rob Flanagan, the owner and manager.
As a further means of helping customers select the style, color and texture of the floor covering they desire, Rob points out that McCook Carpets Plus / Color Tile features the largest number of carpet samples within a 100-mile radius of McCook.
"I've traveled to the towns around, including North Platte, to check it out," Rob said. "We have more samples in our store than any of the places I visited. The reason is the cost. Floor stores have to pay for the samples. It's a big expense but we do it at Carpet Plus because samples are a great aid to help customers decide which floor covering is best for them."
Selection and customer service have been the major reasons for the growth of the store's business since Flanagan arrived in McCook ten years ago.
"We are fortunate to be associated with Carpets Plus / Color Tile," he said. "By being part of a group, we have the advantage of united buying power, allowing us to purchase carpet and tile at lower prices than would be possible if we were a lone store, acting on our own."
One of the benefits of this is that the in-stock carpet at McCook Carpets / Color Tile is always on sale. "Even if we are doing a small job, we order a minimum of 600 yards at a time," Rob said. "The result is lower prices for both us and our customers."
Located on the northwest corner of McCook's main downtown intersection -- B Street and Norris Avenue -- McCook Carpets Plus / Color Tile occupies one of McCook's historic retail locations. For many years, the spacious building was the site of Woolworth's, one of America's famous five-and-ten cent stores. In later years, Dick Mitchell operated a fabrics and craft store at the heart-of-the-town site.
The size of the store and the mid-town location suited Flanagan's vision of what a floor store should be. "Thanks to the amount of space, we are able to stock a large number of carpet lines. We carry a long line of brands, including such popular names as Shaw, Mohawk, Beaulieu, Kraus, Royalty and Aladdin. Because of the versatility, we are able to meet the precise flooring needs of customers," he said.
The size of flooring jobs handled by McCook Carpets Plus / Color Tile ranges widely, going from tiny bathroom spaces to large houses and corporate offices.
"We just completed a large home project in which every inch of floor space on two levels was topped with a variety of carpeting and floor covering. It turned out beautifully. We are grateful to the homeowners for placing their trust in us," Rob said.
In addition to flooring jobs large and small, Rob designs and creates area rugs to customers' exact specifications. "The rugs can be of any size or style. The customers tell us what they want and we come up with a design to meet their wishes. Some are designed to show support for the customers' favorite team. Others are to add special decor to a family room or other special places," Rob said.
Because of the large demand for flooring work, Rob has an installer, Matt Leitner, on staff. In addition, McCook Carpets Plus / Color Tile calls upon five sub-contractors for flooring installation work throughout the area.
The other key member of the McCook Carpets Plus / Color Tile staff is Donna Olson. She has a thorough knowledge of the flooring business and does double duty for the store as a sales consultant and business office manager.
Hours at McCook Carpets Plus / Color Tile are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and, starting soon, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
McCook Carpets Plus inventory not only features carpeting and tile, but also stonework, granite counter tops and floor care and installation products. "If it has to do with flooring, we have it in stock," Rob said.
Through the years, flooring styles have changed. "At times, solid flooring colors are favored to go with patterned walls. At other times, flooring patterns are preferred to go with solid walls," Rob said.
"That's what makes the flooring business interesting. Customers' tastes change, and no two people are exactly alike. But, here at McCook Carpets Plus, one thing will always stay the same. That is our commitment to our customers. We are dedicated to meeting their flooring needs, whatever they may be."
Find out more at www.carpetspluscolortile.com