1 00:00:03,069 --> 00:00:03,470 Hi. 2 00:00:03,470 --> 00:00:05,839 Welcome back to The ProSource Podcast. 3 00:00:05,839 --> 00:00:07,807 My name is Mollie and on today's episode 4 00:00:07,807 --> 00:00:10,443 we are discussing the comforts of carpet. 5 00:00:10,443 --> 00:00:12,112 We are all familiar with carpet, 6 00:00:12,112 --> 00:00:14,047 but today we are going to dive deep into 7 00:00:14,047 --> 00:00:16,383 why people are still holding onto carpet, 8 00:00:16,383 --> 00:00:17,550 even as the hard surface 9 00:00:17,550 --> 00:00:20,153 categories continue to innovate and grow. 10 00:00:20,153 --> 00:00:20,920 We'll also learn 11 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:22,288 from one of our trade pros 12 00:00:22,288 --> 00:00:24,290 and a couple of industry experts. 13 00:00:24,290 --> 00:00:26,226 First up will be Shannon Figaro. 14 00:00:26,226 --> 00:00:27,660 She is a designer and trade 15 00:00:27,660 --> 00:00:29,796 pro member from Prosource of Madison. 16 00:00:29,796 --> 00:00:31,631 She has over a decade of experience 17 00:00:31,631 --> 00:00:32,532 and being a designer. 18 00:00:32,532 --> 00:00:34,034 After starting her company, 19 00:00:34,034 --> 00:00:35,635 Figg Interiors. 20 00:00:35,635 --> 00:00:38,204 Then we will invite on Tray Times Vice 21 00:00:38,204 --> 00:00:40,173 President of sales at Stanton 22 00:00:40,173 --> 00:00:42,042 and then to finish up the episode. 23 00:00:42,042 --> 00:00:43,743 Jared Coffin, senior vice 24 00:00:43,743 --> 00:00:44,911 president of product 25 00:00:44,911 --> 00:00:47,547 and marketing at offers, will hop on. 26 00:00:47,547 --> 00:00:49,516 Let's explore the comforts of carpet. 27 00:00:54,421 --> 00:00:56,389 Today we have a special guest on. 28 00:00:56,389 --> 00:00:58,591 We have one of our trade pro members 29 00:00:58,591 --> 00:01:00,593 from ProSource of Madison, 30 00:01:00,593 --> 00:01:02,295 Shannon Figaro. 31 00:01:02,295 --> 00:01:03,430 She is the owner 32 00:01:03,430 --> 00:01:04,431 and principal designer 33 00:01:04,431 --> 00:01:05,598 at Fig Interiors, 34 00:01:05,598 --> 00:01:06,900 an interior design firm 35 00:01:06,900 --> 00:01:08,868 located in Madison, Wisconsin 36 00:01:08,868 --> 00:01:10,603 that specializes in residential 37 00:01:10,603 --> 00:01:13,006 remodeling and new construction. 38 00:01:13,006 --> 00:01:14,841 Thank you so much for coming on today 39 00:01:14,841 --> 00:01:15,909 and sharing 40 00:01:15,909 --> 00:01:17,210 some of your thoughts 41 00:01:17,210 --> 00:01:19,779 and, just talking about carpet with us. 42 00:01:19,779 --> 00:01:21,081 Thank you for having me. 43 00:01:21,081 --> 00:01:22,015 First, I want to ask you, 44 00:01:22,015 --> 00:01:23,583 before we dive into the questions, 45 00:01:23,583 --> 00:01:24,751 I want to ask you 46 00:01:24,751 --> 00:01:25,485 what made you want 47 00:01:25,485 --> 00:01:26,853 to open up your own firm, 48 00:01:26,853 --> 00:01:28,922 and what was that decision like? 49 00:01:28,922 --> 00:01:30,590 What led you to to do that? 50 00:01:30,590 --> 00:01:32,158 Well, my background is, 51 00:01:32,158 --> 00:01:33,193 I started my career 52 00:01:33,193 --> 00:01:36,196 in commercial design, so, 53 00:01:36,429 --> 00:01:37,363 loved that world. 54 00:01:37,363 --> 00:01:39,232 And I still do some commercial 55 00:01:39,232 --> 00:01:41,067 design projects, but 56 00:01:41,067 --> 00:01:43,503 I really, I bought my first home, 57 00:01:43,503 --> 00:01:45,138 and as a personal homeowner, 58 00:01:45,138 --> 00:01:46,773 I just started becoming more interested 59 00:01:46,773 --> 00:01:47,907 in residential design. 60 00:01:47,907 --> 00:01:50,910 So, I moved by use my experience 61 00:01:51,177 --> 00:01:52,612 with the commercial world 62 00:01:52,612 --> 00:01:53,546 to translate 63 00:01:53,546 --> 00:01:55,849 that to the residential world. 64 00:01:55,849 --> 00:01:57,117 And, you know, 65 00:01:57,117 --> 00:01:59,119 the more and more kind of referrals 66 00:01:59,119 --> 00:02:01,221 I started getting word of mouth, 67 00:02:01,221 --> 00:02:02,856 really was how I started. 68 00:02:04,257 --> 00:02:06,126 I decided to open my own firm 69 00:02:06,126 --> 00:02:08,161 to be able to service, 70 00:02:08,161 --> 00:02:09,863 you know, as many individuals 71 00:02:09,863 --> 00:02:11,331 as possible in the residential world. 72 00:02:11,331 --> 00:02:12,599 So that's awesome. 73 00:02:12,599 --> 00:02:14,934 How long has it been going on? 74 00:02:14,934 --> 00:02:17,070 It's been 11 years now. 75 00:02:17,070 --> 00:02:18,071 I and you asked 76 00:02:18,071 --> 00:02:19,139 what the decision was like. 77 00:02:19,139 --> 00:02:21,374 I mean, the decision was was easy 78 00:02:21,374 --> 00:02:23,476 because I really wanted to do it, but 79 00:02:23,476 --> 00:02:25,778 the process was, you know, not easy. 80 00:02:25,778 --> 00:02:26,312 It's. 81 00:02:26,312 --> 00:02:28,648 Yeah, it's it's really challenging 82 00:02:28,648 --> 00:02:29,516 being an entrepreneur. 83 00:02:29,516 --> 00:02:31,317 But I have enjoyed it and, 84 00:02:31,317 --> 00:02:31,684 you know, 85 00:02:31,684 --> 00:02:33,453 loved, loved doing it so much 86 00:02:33,453 --> 00:02:35,989 so that I've been doing it for 11 years 87 00:02:35,989 --> 00:02:37,190 just on my own. 88 00:02:37,190 --> 00:02:37,657 Yeah, I'm 89 00:02:37,657 --> 00:02:38,491 sure like 90 00:02:38,491 --> 00:02:39,592 those first few years 91 00:02:39,592 --> 00:02:41,861 are really hard getting it started up. 92 00:02:41,861 --> 00:02:44,063 But hopefully it's gotten easier 93 00:02:44,063 --> 00:02:45,398 the longer you've been doing it. 94 00:02:45,398 --> 00:02:47,167 And I think working for yourself 95 00:02:47,167 --> 00:02:49,035 is also just very beneficial 96 00:02:49,035 --> 00:02:51,905 in the long run to rescue your own boss. 97 00:02:51,905 --> 00:02:53,273 Yeah, it's really rewarding. 98 00:02:53,273 --> 00:02:55,108 And I mean, to your point, 99 00:02:55,108 --> 00:02:56,910 though, design is very different 100 00:02:56,910 --> 00:02:57,810 each day, 101 00:02:57,810 --> 00:02:59,412 you know, really brings a new challenge, 102 00:02:59,412 --> 00:03:00,914 which is awesome. 103 00:03:00,914 --> 00:03:01,981 You know, it's why I love 104 00:03:01,981 --> 00:03:03,416 I love challenges and 105 00:03:03,416 --> 00:03:04,150 and problem 106 00:03:04,150 --> 00:03:05,084 solving for people 107 00:03:05,084 --> 00:03:06,653 and kind of finding the best fit 108 00:03:06,653 --> 00:03:07,353 for my clients. 109 00:03:07,353 --> 00:03:08,354 So, you know, 110 00:03:08,354 --> 00:03:09,589 there are some consistent things. 111 00:03:09,589 --> 00:03:10,023 Obviously 112 00:03:10,023 --> 00:03:11,824 I have processes that I use, but 113 00:03:11,824 --> 00:03:12,692 each day is different, 114 00:03:12,692 --> 00:03:14,894 which makes it fun and interesting. 115 00:03:14,894 --> 00:03:16,429 This episode is all about carpet, 116 00:03:16,429 --> 00:03:18,798 and with so many homes 117 00:03:18,798 --> 00:03:19,666 across the country, 118 00:03:19,666 --> 00:03:21,167 there's some level of assumption 119 00:03:21,167 --> 00:03:21,668 that there's 120 00:03:21,668 --> 00:03:22,936 at least one room in the house 121 00:03:22,936 --> 00:03:24,437 that has carpet. 122 00:03:24,437 --> 00:03:25,371 Why do you think carpet 123 00:03:25,371 --> 00:03:26,839 such a staple in the home? 124 00:03:26,839 --> 00:03:28,708 Carpet is comfortable. 125 00:03:28,708 --> 00:03:29,642 I mean, that's really 126 00:03:29,642 --> 00:03:31,578 the most important thing about it. 127 00:03:31,578 --> 00:03:33,746 And that's what people ask for. 128 00:03:33,746 --> 00:03:35,048 If they want carpet 129 00:03:35,048 --> 00:03:36,316 beyond the features of, 130 00:03:36,316 --> 00:03:36,849 you know, things 131 00:03:36,849 --> 00:03:38,985 like good sound of absorption 132 00:03:38,985 --> 00:03:40,620 and durability. 133 00:03:40,620 --> 00:03:43,356 So really holding up well in a home, 134 00:03:43,356 --> 00:03:44,691 I think it's comfortable 135 00:03:44,691 --> 00:03:45,992 and that's why people ask for it. 136 00:03:45,992 --> 00:03:46,659 Would you say that, 137 00:03:46,659 --> 00:03:47,760 like in recent years, 138 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:48,795 it's become 139 00:03:48,795 --> 00:03:49,529 a little bit less 140 00:03:49,529 --> 00:03:50,630 trendy or like 141 00:03:50,630 --> 00:03:52,832 people are moving away from carpet 142 00:03:52,832 --> 00:03:54,300 maybe in the last like ten years 143 00:03:54,300 --> 00:03:55,635 than previously? 144 00:03:55,635 --> 00:03:56,069 Yes. 145 00:03:56,069 --> 00:03:57,971 Because of the introduction of LVP, 146 00:03:57,971 --> 00:03:58,972 LVP competes 147 00:03:58,972 --> 00:04:01,441 with carpet in spaces where, you know, 148 00:04:01,441 --> 00:04:02,775 someone might have allergies. 149 00:04:02,775 --> 00:04:03,810 You know, that's, 150 00:04:03,810 --> 00:04:04,477 carpet holds 151 00:04:04,477 --> 00:04:05,612 the most allergens in the home. 152 00:04:05,612 --> 00:04:07,947 So someone who might be super sensitive 153 00:04:07,947 --> 00:04:09,649 to to things like dust, 154 00:04:09,649 --> 00:04:10,750 or they might have a lot of pets 155 00:04:10,750 --> 00:04:12,085 in the home, 156 00:04:12,085 --> 00:04:13,486 we might go in a different direction 157 00:04:13,486 --> 00:04:15,421 and recommend a different product. 158 00:04:15,421 --> 00:04:15,955 I wouldn't say 159 00:04:15,955 --> 00:04:17,190 people are moving away from carpet, 160 00:04:17,190 --> 00:04:18,625 but there are other products 161 00:04:18,625 --> 00:04:19,592 that take its place. 162 00:04:19,592 --> 00:04:20,593 In some cases, 163 00:04:20,593 --> 00:04:21,728 there's nothing more comfortable 164 00:04:21,728 --> 00:04:22,295 than carpet 165 00:04:22,295 --> 00:04:24,030 like waking up in the morning, 166 00:04:24,030 --> 00:04:25,732 even if it's like a for a rug. 167 00:04:25,732 --> 00:04:27,033 So we just kind of touched it. 168 00:04:27,033 --> 00:04:28,401 How about this a little bit, 169 00:04:28,401 --> 00:04:30,303 but can you think of anything else 170 00:04:30,303 --> 00:04:31,404 that might, 171 00:04:31,404 --> 00:04:32,572 build that association 172 00:04:32,572 --> 00:04:34,440 between carpeting and comfort? 173 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:34,741 You know, 174 00:04:34,741 --> 00:04:36,309 I came up with the word nostalgia. 175 00:04:36,309 --> 00:04:37,210 It really like. 176 00:04:37,210 --> 00:04:38,044 Yeah, 177 00:04:38,044 --> 00:04:40,546 like like you said that that feeling that 178 00:04:40,546 --> 00:04:42,348 when you are getting out of bed 179 00:04:42,348 --> 00:04:43,049 in the morning 180 00:04:43,049 --> 00:04:43,950 and your feet 181 00:04:43,950 --> 00:04:45,351 hit the soft carpet, 182 00:04:45,351 --> 00:04:46,319 I feel like people 183 00:04:46,319 --> 00:04:47,987 think of their childhood bedroom, 184 00:04:47,987 --> 00:04:49,155 a closet 185 00:04:49,155 --> 00:04:50,723 that they have when their feet 186 00:04:50,723 --> 00:04:52,458 hit the floor in the morning, 187 00:04:52,458 --> 00:04:53,926 or when they, 188 00:04:53,926 --> 00:04:55,862 you know, snuggle up with their dog 189 00:04:55,862 --> 00:04:58,431 in front of a fireplace or the TV. 190 00:04:58,431 --> 00:04:59,766 Sometimes people just 191 00:04:59,766 --> 00:05:01,367 they just want that feeling of carpet. 192 00:05:01,367 --> 00:05:02,702 So it's nostalgia. 193 00:05:02,702 --> 00:05:04,037 It was the word I came up with 194 00:05:04,037 --> 00:05:05,438 for that question. 195 00:05:05,438 --> 00:05:06,539 No, I love that 196 00:05:06,539 --> 00:05:08,574 because it really is nostalgic. 197 00:05:08,574 --> 00:05:09,542 And we were just talking about 198 00:05:09,542 --> 00:05:12,512 how maybe like 20 years ago, carpet was, 199 00:05:12,745 --> 00:05:13,680 much more popular 200 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,316 to see in a home than it is now. 201 00:05:16,316 --> 00:05:17,250 So that goes back to, 202 00:05:17,250 --> 00:05:18,117 yeah, when I was a kid, 203 00:05:18,117 --> 00:05:19,052 I feel like almost 204 00:05:19,052 --> 00:05:20,386 every room in our house, 205 00:05:20,386 --> 00:05:22,522 you know, besides, like the kitchen, 206 00:05:22,522 --> 00:05:25,958 and the bathroom had carpet and now it's 207 00:05:25,958 --> 00:05:27,293 maybe just, 208 00:05:27,293 --> 00:05:28,661 like the bedrooms have carpet, 209 00:05:28,661 --> 00:05:29,996 and then our living room has hardwood. 210 00:05:29,996 --> 00:05:31,230 So, yeah, 211 00:05:31,230 --> 00:05:32,298 it is very nostalgic 212 00:05:32,298 --> 00:05:34,033 to think about how it used to be, 213 00:05:34,033 --> 00:05:35,401 whereas now it's more 214 00:05:35,401 --> 00:05:37,270 maybe not so much popular. 215 00:05:37,270 --> 00:05:38,404 From your experience, 216 00:05:38,404 --> 00:05:39,906 what goes into the carpeting 217 00:05:39,906 --> 00:05:41,941 selection process for homeowners 218 00:05:41,941 --> 00:05:43,409 and how has transfers 219 00:05:43,409 --> 00:05:44,911 helped make that process easier? 220 00:05:44,911 --> 00:05:46,112 Yeah, so definitely 221 00:05:46,112 --> 00:05:47,814 the style of the home comes into play. 222 00:05:47,814 --> 00:05:48,414 I would say that's 223 00:05:48,414 --> 00:05:50,083 the very first thing I would consider 224 00:05:50,083 --> 00:05:51,784 when selecting carpet. 225 00:05:51,784 --> 00:05:52,652 Obviously color. 226 00:05:52,652 --> 00:05:53,553 So color palette 227 00:05:53,553 --> 00:05:54,420 that we're going with 228 00:05:54,420 --> 00:05:57,423 on the interior, is a huge factor. 229 00:05:57,457 --> 00:05:59,058 And then pattern and texture, 230 00:06:00,326 --> 00:06:00,893 you know, carpet 231 00:06:00,893 --> 00:06:02,261 has come a long way 232 00:06:02,261 --> 00:06:03,963 from just plaster cut tile. 233 00:06:03,963 --> 00:06:05,465 So, 234 00:06:05,465 --> 00:06:06,799 seeing the different selections 235 00:06:06,799 --> 00:06:07,667 now that are it's 236 00:06:07,667 --> 00:06:09,068 just fun for me as a designer 237 00:06:09,068 --> 00:06:10,703 to see how people are playing around 238 00:06:10,703 --> 00:06:13,473 more with pet, with pattern and texture, 239 00:06:13,473 --> 00:06:15,575 rather than just having a neutral. 240 00:06:15,575 --> 00:06:17,243 But, Prosource is 241 00:06:17,243 --> 00:06:18,644 is has been a great partner 242 00:06:18,644 --> 00:06:19,178 for me 243 00:06:19,178 --> 00:06:20,146 over the past, 244 00:06:20,146 --> 00:06:21,881 you know, my entire 11 years 245 00:06:21,881 --> 00:06:23,416 being a business owner. 246 00:06:23,416 --> 00:06:24,617 And they have 247 00:06:24,617 --> 00:06:26,452 a great selection of materials 248 00:06:26,452 --> 00:06:28,054 and really a knowledgeable staff. 249 00:06:28,054 --> 00:06:30,022 So I rely a lot on my sales person 250 00:06:30,022 --> 00:06:31,324 to help me kind of see 251 00:06:31,324 --> 00:06:32,625 the new things that are out there. 252 00:06:32,625 --> 00:06:34,193 Sometimes I might not even know 253 00:06:34,193 --> 00:06:36,462 something is new to the market. 254 00:06:36,462 --> 00:06:38,831 So I really rely on them to, 255 00:06:38,831 --> 00:06:40,767 to help me with that process. 256 00:06:40,767 --> 00:06:41,434 Yeah, absolutely. 257 00:06:41,434 --> 00:06:43,503 There's so many options for carpet, 258 00:06:43,503 --> 00:06:45,471 like when I go into the showroom here 259 00:06:45,471 --> 00:06:46,439 in Saint Louis, 260 00:06:46,439 --> 00:06:48,007 sometimes I'll like look at all 261 00:06:48,007 --> 00:06:50,243 the different samples there are from, 262 00:06:50,243 --> 00:06:50,877 any of them. 263 00:06:50,877 --> 00:06:51,477 To be honest, 264 00:06:51,477 --> 00:06:53,579 there are so many different styles 265 00:06:53,579 --> 00:06:54,213 that I'm like, 266 00:06:54,213 --> 00:06:55,615 are people actually buying that? 267 00:06:55,615 --> 00:06:57,316 Because this is so like niche. 268 00:06:57,316 --> 00:06:59,786 It's like a, like a space theme 269 00:06:59,786 --> 00:07:03,055 or there's like a leopard print, print. 270 00:07:03,523 --> 00:07:04,090 But I'm like, 271 00:07:04,090 --> 00:07:06,225 I'm sure somebody out there is, 272 00:07:06,225 --> 00:07:07,260 pushing the boundaries 273 00:07:07,260 --> 00:07:09,195 and being bold with their choosing 274 00:07:09,195 --> 00:07:10,696 of what they want. 275 00:07:10,696 --> 00:07:11,397 Carpet replacement 276 00:07:11,397 --> 00:07:12,398 doesn't always need to be part 277 00:07:12,398 --> 00:07:14,300 of a full room remodel. 278 00:07:14,300 --> 00:07:16,636 How often have you seen that happen, 279 00:07:16,636 --> 00:07:18,271 and why do you think it stands on its own 280 00:07:18,271 --> 00:07:19,539 as a separate project? 281 00:07:19,539 --> 00:07:21,140 So I think, 282 00:07:21,140 --> 00:07:22,809 carpet can be really neutral 283 00:07:22,809 --> 00:07:23,576 and timeless. 284 00:07:23,576 --> 00:07:26,379 So, and because it's so durable, 285 00:07:26,379 --> 00:07:26,612 you know, 286 00:07:26,612 --> 00:07:27,246 it may not 287 00:07:27,246 --> 00:07:28,147 need to be replaced 288 00:07:28,147 --> 00:07:31,117 if we're remodeling the rest of the room. 289 00:07:31,117 --> 00:07:33,419 I've had a lot of clients say, you know, 290 00:07:33,419 --> 00:07:34,587 the carpet is in good shape. 291 00:07:34,587 --> 00:07:36,289 I don't need to replace 292 00:07:36,289 --> 00:07:38,224 that at this time. 293 00:07:38,224 --> 00:07:39,258 And it really can last 294 00:07:39,258 --> 00:07:40,092 longer and work 295 00:07:40,092 --> 00:07:40,660 with a 296 00:07:40,660 --> 00:07:42,361 with a myriad of different 297 00:07:42,361 --> 00:07:44,130 phases of the home and styles. 298 00:07:44,130 --> 00:07:45,331 So if you choose something 299 00:07:45,331 --> 00:07:46,599 more timeless and classic, 300 00:07:47,733 --> 00:07:49,001 that's where when you know, 301 00:07:49,001 --> 00:07:49,902 when you make a little bit 302 00:07:49,902 --> 00:07:50,703 of a bolder choice, 303 00:07:50,703 --> 00:07:52,939 like the leopard print, that might not, 304 00:07:52,939 --> 00:07:53,239 I mean, 305 00:07:53,239 --> 00:07:53,973 not that it wouldn't 306 00:07:53,973 --> 00:07:56,342 survive the test of time, 307 00:07:56,342 --> 00:07:57,276 but it would 308 00:07:57,276 --> 00:07:59,745 probably want to crave replacement 309 00:07:59,745 --> 00:08:01,047 a little sooner. 310 00:08:01,047 --> 00:08:02,582 Yeah, something a little bolder. 311 00:08:02,582 --> 00:08:03,683 But, 312 00:08:03,683 --> 00:08:04,650 yeah, those are the reasons 313 00:08:04,650 --> 00:08:05,218 why it doesn't 314 00:08:05,218 --> 00:08:06,152 always need to be part 315 00:08:06,152 --> 00:08:07,587 of a full room remodel. 316 00:08:07,587 --> 00:08:09,021 What patterns and colors 317 00:08:09,021 --> 00:08:11,324 have you seen thrive in 2024? 318 00:08:11,324 --> 00:08:12,558 Well, you mentioned animal prints, 319 00:08:12,558 --> 00:08:14,360 so that's one I've seen. Yeah. 320 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:15,361 Which is super fun. 321 00:08:15,361 --> 00:08:15,828 I have, 322 00:08:15,828 --> 00:08:18,831 I have like an antelope behind me on my, 323 00:08:18,931 --> 00:08:19,932 one of my inspiration 324 00:08:19,932 --> 00:08:21,701 boards in my office. 325 00:08:21,701 --> 00:08:22,502 I also have seen 326 00:08:22,502 --> 00:08:24,437 a huge resurgence of plaids, 327 00:08:24,437 --> 00:08:25,271 because I think plaids 328 00:08:25,271 --> 00:08:26,172 are really appealing 329 00:08:26,172 --> 00:08:27,340 to a lot of different 330 00:08:27,340 --> 00:08:29,075 demographic picks and, 331 00:08:29,075 --> 00:08:29,709 you know, 332 00:08:29,709 --> 00:08:33,479 gender neutral, really classic, but also 333 00:08:33,479 --> 00:08:34,847 feels fun. So, 334 00:08:36,015 --> 00:08:37,116 I've seen a lot of plaids 335 00:08:37,116 --> 00:08:38,351 kind of coming out, 336 00:08:38,351 --> 00:08:40,586 and they're really fun and easier 337 00:08:40,586 --> 00:08:41,687 to use without, 338 00:08:41,687 --> 00:08:42,421 you know, 339 00:08:42,421 --> 00:08:43,689 being too far, 340 00:08:43,689 --> 00:08:45,691 too far in one direction or another. 341 00:08:45,691 --> 00:08:48,528 And then also just, 342 00:08:48,528 --> 00:08:49,028 pattern. 343 00:08:49,028 --> 00:08:50,429 So monochromatic neutrals. 344 00:08:50,429 --> 00:08:52,098 So a lot of carpet companies 345 00:08:52,098 --> 00:08:53,199 will have like a cotton 346 00:08:53,199 --> 00:08:55,201 loop combo that is, 347 00:08:55,201 --> 00:08:56,702 you know, the same color, 348 00:08:56,702 --> 00:08:58,471 but it might have a cool pattern 349 00:08:58,471 --> 00:09:00,606 or texture that isn't necessarily color. 350 00:09:00,606 --> 00:09:02,241 Those are really fun to use. 351 00:09:02,241 --> 00:09:02,909 Which ones 352 00:09:02,909 --> 00:09:03,743 have you seen maybe 353 00:09:03,743 --> 00:09:05,545 decline over the last year? 354 00:09:05,545 --> 00:09:07,113 While grays cool color 355 00:09:07,113 --> 00:09:09,482 tones are going away, 356 00:09:09,482 --> 00:09:11,150 they are kind of nostalgic though. 357 00:09:11,150 --> 00:09:13,019 I'm going back to the nostalgic. 358 00:09:13,019 --> 00:09:13,653 I feel like we 359 00:09:13,653 --> 00:09:14,720 we grew up with so many 360 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:16,522 like neutral colors, 361 00:09:16,522 --> 00:09:19,158 and now I feel like the new generation 362 00:09:19,158 --> 00:09:21,327 is pushing the colors and the textures 363 00:09:21,327 --> 00:09:22,695 and like the leopard print and like you 364 00:09:22,695 --> 00:09:23,930 said, being a little more bold 365 00:09:23,930 --> 00:09:24,964 with color and 366 00:09:24,964 --> 00:09:26,499 and definitely warm neutrals. 367 00:09:26,499 --> 00:09:27,800 Why do you think the style 368 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:29,035 of mixing textures 369 00:09:29,035 --> 00:09:30,069 and thicker carpets 370 00:09:30,069 --> 00:09:31,771 are trending right now? 371 00:09:31,771 --> 00:09:32,672 I just think 372 00:09:32,672 --> 00:09:33,639 just what we had just 373 00:09:33,639 --> 00:09:34,206 said, like 374 00:09:34,206 --> 00:09:35,207 people are being a little bit 375 00:09:35,207 --> 00:09:37,443 more bold in their design choices. 376 00:09:37,443 --> 00:09:38,311 You know, mixed 377 00:09:38,311 --> 00:09:39,245 mixing textures 378 00:09:39,245 --> 00:09:40,246 is one of my favorite things 379 00:09:40,246 --> 00:09:41,280 to do in a project. 380 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:42,214 I just think it adds 381 00:09:42,214 --> 00:09:44,784 so much layer and dimension to a space, 382 00:09:44,784 --> 00:09:46,452 even if you're not changing colors. 383 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:48,154 I love to mix 384 00:09:48,154 --> 00:09:51,157 textures, thicker carpets. 385 00:09:51,257 --> 00:09:53,726 I think thicker carpets are cozy. 386 00:09:53,726 --> 00:09:56,696 Use the word shag loosely, but yeah. 387 00:09:56,696 --> 00:09:57,530 No, I know what you mean. 388 00:09:57,530 --> 00:09:59,665 Now they are more comfortable, 389 00:09:59,665 --> 00:10:00,900 they can feel more cozy 390 00:10:00,900 --> 00:10:01,601 and just kind of be 391 00:10:01,601 --> 00:10:03,903 a little bit more fun. 392 00:10:03,903 --> 00:10:04,604 So that's 393 00:10:04,604 --> 00:10:07,006 probably why they're trending right now. 394 00:10:07,006 --> 00:10:10,009 Have you seen more people lean into, 395 00:10:10,676 --> 00:10:11,110 maybe you're 396 00:10:11,110 --> 00:10:13,412 not having all carpet in a bedroom 397 00:10:13,412 --> 00:10:15,214 or a living room, let's say, 398 00:10:15,214 --> 00:10:16,749 but having hardwood 399 00:10:16,749 --> 00:10:18,184 or laminate or whatever it is 400 00:10:18,184 --> 00:10:20,686 and then have like a big area rug, 401 00:10:20,686 --> 00:10:22,021 instead, that way 402 00:10:22,021 --> 00:10:22,855 they can change it out 403 00:10:22,855 --> 00:10:23,923 a little bit more easily 404 00:10:23,923 --> 00:10:25,157 since we are moving towards 405 00:10:25,157 --> 00:10:27,093 like the more trendy. 406 00:10:27,093 --> 00:10:28,527 Yeah. Of styles. Yeah. 407 00:10:28,527 --> 00:10:30,663 So mainly the clients that I work with, 408 00:10:30,663 --> 00:10:31,330 we'll do hard 409 00:10:31,330 --> 00:10:32,198 surface 410 00:10:32,198 --> 00:10:33,633 some, some kind of a 411 00:10:33,633 --> 00:10:35,501 flooring in their main spaces. 412 00:10:35,501 --> 00:10:36,769 So whether it's hardwood 413 00:10:36,769 --> 00:10:38,904 engineered hardwood or LVP 414 00:10:38,904 --> 00:10:41,407 and we just do a big cozy 415 00:10:41,407 --> 00:10:43,676 area rug over that. 416 00:10:43,676 --> 00:10:45,144 And yeah, I would say, 417 00:10:45,144 --> 00:10:45,411 you know, 418 00:10:45,411 --> 00:10:47,146 that's what my clients do more often 419 00:10:47,146 --> 00:10:48,314 I think about, yeah, 420 00:10:48,314 --> 00:10:50,650 we were going back to the trendiness 421 00:10:50,650 --> 00:10:52,218 of some of these styles, 422 00:10:52,218 --> 00:10:52,952 and that seems like 423 00:10:52,952 --> 00:10:54,487 the more safe way to do that, 424 00:10:54,487 --> 00:10:55,621 because that and, 425 00:10:55,621 --> 00:10:55,921 you know, 426 00:10:55,921 --> 00:10:56,922 a couple of years, 427 00:10:56,922 --> 00:10:58,357 once that trend goes out of style, 428 00:10:58,357 --> 00:10:59,158 they can replace that 429 00:10:59,158 --> 00:11:00,259 a little bit more easily. 430 00:11:00,259 --> 00:11:01,861 It also helps the space 431 00:11:01,861 --> 00:11:03,062 be feel more cohesive. 432 00:11:03,062 --> 00:11:03,396 You know, 433 00:11:03,396 --> 00:11:03,963 when you're 434 00:11:03,963 --> 00:11:04,997 when you're seeing carpet 435 00:11:04,997 --> 00:11:07,266 that is just defined in one, 436 00:11:07,266 --> 00:11:08,334 you know, living room space 437 00:11:08,334 --> 00:11:09,502 and then you switch to hardwood 438 00:11:09,502 --> 00:11:11,103 in a hallway, for example. 439 00:11:11,103 --> 00:11:12,505 It just it just can 440 00:11:13,472 --> 00:11:14,940 the space can feel a little bit, 441 00:11:14,940 --> 00:11:16,409 disconnected sometimes. 442 00:11:16,409 --> 00:11:18,210 What innovative features are homeowners 443 00:11:18,210 --> 00:11:20,012 looking for a new carpeting? 444 00:11:20,012 --> 00:11:21,113 Sustainability is great 445 00:11:21,113 --> 00:11:23,716 because I remember, 446 00:11:23,716 --> 00:11:24,684 don't know if we're allowed 447 00:11:24,684 --> 00:11:25,885 to talk about manufacturers, 448 00:11:25,885 --> 00:11:27,286 but people who use, you 449 00:11:27,286 --> 00:11:28,287 know, the companies 450 00:11:28,287 --> 00:11:31,157 who use, corn byproducts and, 451 00:11:31,157 --> 00:11:33,259 and sugar, you know, those 452 00:11:33,259 --> 00:11:34,827 those things are interesting to clients. 453 00:11:34,827 --> 00:11:36,929 I feel like they love to hear that 454 00:11:36,929 --> 00:11:39,398 that sustainable materials are being used 455 00:11:39,398 --> 00:11:42,134 when they manufacture the carpet. 456 00:11:42,134 --> 00:11:44,670 And then also stain resistance. 457 00:11:44,670 --> 00:11:47,606 That's always a huge one for people, 458 00:11:47,606 --> 00:11:48,841 you know, with carpet, 459 00:11:48,841 --> 00:11:50,242 they want the stain resistant 460 00:11:50,242 --> 00:11:51,944 without the harsh chemicals. 461 00:11:51,944 --> 00:11:53,312 So I think it's a challenge 462 00:11:53,312 --> 00:11:54,814 for carpet companies 463 00:11:54,814 --> 00:11:56,882 to find that happy medium 464 00:11:56,882 --> 00:11:58,084 and then comfort. 465 00:11:58,084 --> 00:11:58,918 I mean, carpet 466 00:11:58,918 --> 00:12:00,086 carpet is more comfortable 467 00:12:00,086 --> 00:12:01,687 than it's ever been. 468 00:12:01,687 --> 00:12:02,822 I feel like it's softer. 469 00:12:02,822 --> 00:12:03,522 It's not that, 470 00:12:03,522 --> 00:12:04,690 like, hard, 471 00:12:04,690 --> 00:12:05,791 you know, kind of nylon 472 00:12:05,791 --> 00:12:07,827 that we've been used to in the past. So. 473 00:12:07,827 --> 00:12:08,661 Yeah. Yeah. 474 00:12:08,661 --> 00:12:09,261 And you mentioned 475 00:12:09,261 --> 00:12:12,898 like, toxins being, in carpets. 476 00:12:13,265 --> 00:12:14,400 I know that's been like 477 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:16,068 a big topic of discussion 478 00:12:16,068 --> 00:12:17,870 in the last ten years, 479 00:12:17,870 --> 00:12:19,505 just with the general public 480 00:12:19,505 --> 00:12:21,841 being concerned about like what is 481 00:12:21,841 --> 00:12:23,642 and what's in their food 482 00:12:23,642 --> 00:12:24,243 that they're eating, 483 00:12:24,243 --> 00:12:25,711 what's in the detergent 484 00:12:25,711 --> 00:12:27,913 that they're using with their clothes. 485 00:12:27,913 --> 00:12:28,547 So yeah, 486 00:12:28,547 --> 00:12:30,750 I imagine that carpet is also a 487 00:12:30,750 --> 00:12:32,118 discussion to of 488 00:12:32,118 --> 00:12:32,985 I want to make sure 489 00:12:32,985 --> 00:12:34,053 the carpet is made out 490 00:12:34,053 --> 00:12:36,222 of sustainable, products, 491 00:12:36,222 --> 00:12:37,957 and they're not using any harsh chemicals 492 00:12:37,957 --> 00:12:40,159 that will hurt me in the long run. 493 00:12:40,159 --> 00:12:42,628 And whether that be scatter, 494 00:12:42,628 --> 00:12:43,829 you know, inside my body. 495 00:12:43,829 --> 00:12:45,531 So I don't even think about that 496 00:12:45,531 --> 00:12:47,066 until you just just mention that. 497 00:12:47,066 --> 00:12:48,067 That's probably 498 00:12:48,067 --> 00:12:49,101 why it's, 499 00:12:49,101 --> 00:12:51,270 also a trending topic with carpet 500 00:12:51,270 --> 00:12:52,438 and I think, you know, Covid 501 00:12:52,438 --> 00:12:53,906 really brought that to light for everyone 502 00:12:53,906 --> 00:12:54,607 because we 503 00:12:54,607 --> 00:12:56,275 we thought about our interior 504 00:12:56,275 --> 00:12:58,344 Hvac systems in our homes 505 00:12:58,344 --> 00:13:00,146 and how we could make those safer 506 00:13:00,146 --> 00:13:01,180 for our for ourselves, 507 00:13:01,180 --> 00:13:01,981 in our environment. 508 00:13:01,981 --> 00:13:03,816 So I think all of those things 509 00:13:03,816 --> 00:13:04,750 go hand in hand 510 00:13:04,750 --> 00:13:06,418 with the whole conversation 511 00:13:06,418 --> 00:13:08,287 when you're talking about what materials 512 00:13:08,287 --> 00:13:09,722 we're putting into their home, 513 00:13:09,722 --> 00:13:10,923 how can trade professionals 514 00:13:10,923 --> 00:13:12,558 stay on top of the patterns, 515 00:13:12,558 --> 00:13:14,360 colors, and features of what's happening 516 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,163 in carpeting? Visit your local ProSource. 517 00:13:17,163 --> 00:13:18,964 Yeah, that's a great answer. 518 00:13:18,964 --> 00:13:20,166 I do a lot of continuing 519 00:13:20,166 --> 00:13:21,000 ed as a designer. 520 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:22,735 I feel like I'm always looking to learn 521 00:13:22,735 --> 00:13:24,003 more about what's out there, 522 00:13:24,003 --> 00:13:25,704 and so I do a lot of that on my own. 523 00:13:25,704 --> 00:13:26,572 As an entrepreneur, 524 00:13:26,572 --> 00:13:27,273 I carve out, 525 00:13:27,273 --> 00:13:28,174 you know, a few hours a 526 00:13:28,174 --> 00:13:29,542 month for that for sure. 527 00:13:30,543 --> 00:13:33,512 But I think attending trainings, 528 00:13:33,512 --> 00:13:35,881 new product launches, 529 00:13:35,881 --> 00:13:37,449 and then visiting showrooms often. 530 00:13:37,449 --> 00:13:39,251 So I know showrooms have reps 531 00:13:39,251 --> 00:13:41,153 that come in and introduce new products. 532 00:13:41,153 --> 00:13:42,988 And I think just staying on top of what's 533 00:13:42,988 --> 00:13:44,757 what's current, it's 534 00:13:44,757 --> 00:13:45,558 those are ways 535 00:13:45,558 --> 00:13:46,392 we can stay on top 536 00:13:46,392 --> 00:13:47,593 of all of the new things 537 00:13:47,593 --> 00:13:48,327 that are happening. 538 00:13:48,327 --> 00:13:49,562 And installers, 539 00:13:49,562 --> 00:13:50,996 general contractors, 540 00:13:50,996 --> 00:13:51,797 can collaborate 541 00:13:51,797 --> 00:13:52,565 with designers 542 00:13:52,565 --> 00:13:54,900 like you to learn more about that, 543 00:13:54,900 --> 00:13:55,935 because I know 544 00:13:55,935 --> 00:13:57,903 for those other trade pro categories, 545 00:13:57,903 --> 00:13:59,471 that's not always top of mind, right? 546 00:13:59,471 --> 00:14:01,273 They have a lot of jobs to get to. 547 00:14:01,273 --> 00:14:02,041 And so they're not always 548 00:14:02,041 --> 00:14:03,409 thinking about what's trending. 549 00:14:03,409 --> 00:14:05,578 They're just kind of doing the motions. 550 00:14:05,578 --> 00:14:06,478 Right? Right. 551 00:14:06,478 --> 00:14:08,914 So I think contacting a professional 552 00:14:08,914 --> 00:14:10,115 is the safest way 553 00:14:10,115 --> 00:14:11,784 to make sure you're like staying trendy, 554 00:14:11,784 --> 00:14:14,653 but also, doing everything correctly. 555 00:14:14,653 --> 00:14:16,021 That's what I say. 556 00:14:16,021 --> 00:14:18,757 I mean, we are here to save you time and 557 00:14:18,757 --> 00:14:20,226 and money. 558 00:14:20,226 --> 00:14:20,793 Yeah. 559 00:14:20,793 --> 00:14:22,661 For because we are experts 560 00:14:22,661 --> 00:14:24,330 in these product categories, 561 00:14:24,330 --> 00:14:24,630 you know, 562 00:14:24,630 --> 00:14:26,265 rather than you kind of 563 00:14:26,265 --> 00:14:27,132 spending your wheels 564 00:14:27,132 --> 00:14:27,733 or a homeowner 565 00:14:27,733 --> 00:14:28,400 spinning their wheels, 566 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:29,935 not sure what they're 567 00:14:29,935 --> 00:14:31,370 what they're looking for, 568 00:14:31,370 --> 00:14:32,671 going to your local, 569 00:14:32,671 --> 00:14:33,572 you know, your trade 570 00:14:33,572 --> 00:14:35,741 professional for sure to, 571 00:14:37,509 --> 00:14:37,910 save you 572 00:14:37,910 --> 00:14:38,978 time and money really on 573 00:14:38,978 --> 00:14:40,145 any remodeling project 574 00:14:40,145 --> 00:14:41,814 or even new construction too. 575 00:14:41,814 --> 00:14:42,715 We talked about this 576 00:14:42,715 --> 00:14:44,316 a little bit already, but, 577 00:14:44,316 --> 00:14:45,784 with sustainability 578 00:14:45,784 --> 00:14:48,187 being a feature for many carpet brands, 579 00:14:48,187 --> 00:14:49,622 how have you found homeowners 580 00:14:49,622 --> 00:14:51,724 embracing AI when selecting carpets? 581 00:14:51,724 --> 00:14:53,759 So they love knowing when it's made 582 00:14:53,759 --> 00:14:55,261 from sustainable materials, 583 00:14:55,261 --> 00:14:56,161 and I feel like 584 00:14:56,161 --> 00:14:57,129 they feel better about it. 585 00:14:57,129 --> 00:14:59,164 Having about having it in their homes 586 00:14:59,164 --> 00:15:00,532 when they're down on the floor 587 00:15:00,532 --> 00:15:02,001 playing with their kids. 588 00:15:02,001 --> 00:15:02,468 Yeah. 589 00:15:02,468 --> 00:15:03,702 Or even just, 590 00:15:03,702 --> 00:15:04,403 you know, any 591 00:15:04,403 --> 00:15:06,105 anything that feels like 592 00:15:06,105 --> 00:15:07,473 it's a little more thoughtful. 593 00:15:07,473 --> 00:15:09,608 And in the process, by the manufacturer 594 00:15:09,608 --> 00:15:10,843 and then by the designer 595 00:15:10,843 --> 00:15:11,377 to deliver 596 00:15:11,377 --> 00:15:12,745 that, that news to them, 597 00:15:12,745 --> 00:15:14,480 like, oh, by the way, 598 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:16,081 this isn't only soft and beautiful, 599 00:15:16,081 --> 00:15:17,016 but it's also made 600 00:15:17,016 --> 00:15:19,051 from a sustainable material. 601 00:15:19,051 --> 00:15:19,318 I mean, 602 00:15:19,318 --> 00:15:21,420 it makes people really feel better 603 00:15:21,420 --> 00:15:22,321 putting it in their home, 604 00:15:22,321 --> 00:15:23,355 especially like, 605 00:15:23,355 --> 00:15:26,358 I'd say the newer generation coming up. 606 00:15:26,425 --> 00:15:27,259 That is always something 607 00:15:27,259 --> 00:15:28,127 that's top of mind. 608 00:15:28,127 --> 00:15:31,130 And luckily I've seen a lot of, 609 00:15:31,163 --> 00:15:33,132 the brands that are making these carpets. 610 00:15:33,132 --> 00:15:34,833 That's been top of mind for them too, 611 00:15:34,833 --> 00:15:36,568 because they've seen that 612 00:15:36,568 --> 00:15:38,137 that is top of mind for people. 613 00:15:38,137 --> 00:15:39,238 So they're staying on top 614 00:15:39,238 --> 00:15:41,073 of their sustainability efforts. 615 00:15:41,073 --> 00:15:42,107 As a trade professional 616 00:15:42,107 --> 00:15:43,542 who's partners with Prosource, 617 00:15:43,542 --> 00:15:45,077 how do you rely on Prosource 618 00:15:45,077 --> 00:15:45,678 to meet 619 00:15:45,678 --> 00:15:46,712 clients expectations 620 00:15:46,712 --> 00:15:47,613 when it comes to product 621 00:15:47,613 --> 00:15:49,281 quality and variety? 622 00:15:49,281 --> 00:15:50,783 I rely on Prosource 623 00:15:50,783 --> 00:15:51,951 this is an entrepreneur 624 00:15:51,951 --> 00:15:53,285 and I'm a solo entrepreneur. 625 00:15:53,285 --> 00:15:55,621 Their prosource is a partner of mine. 626 00:15:55,621 --> 00:15:55,921 You know, 627 00:15:55,921 --> 00:15:58,924 I rely on them for a lot of information, 628 00:15:59,224 --> 00:16:02,127 you know, being timely in their delivery 629 00:16:02,127 --> 00:16:03,295 and accurate 630 00:16:03,295 --> 00:16:04,730 in what they tell the clients. 631 00:16:04,730 --> 00:16:07,866 Also kind of their logistics 632 00:16:07,866 --> 00:16:09,802 of getting things, 633 00:16:09,802 --> 00:16:11,537 and when they 634 00:16:11,537 --> 00:16:14,006 when they say they're going to arrive, 635 00:16:14,006 --> 00:16:16,041 and then also when the product arrives 636 00:16:16,041 --> 00:16:17,710 that it's free of damage or, 637 00:16:17,710 --> 00:16:18,844 you know, anything like that. 638 00:16:18,844 --> 00:16:20,312 So they're just a very good partner 639 00:16:20,312 --> 00:16:21,213 for me 640 00:16:21,213 --> 00:16:22,481 for kind of all 641 00:16:22,481 --> 00:16:24,083 touch points of the project 642 00:16:24,083 --> 00:16:27,686 from start to finish heading into 2025, 643 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:31,223 what carpet trends are you predicting 644 00:16:31,557 --> 00:16:34,226 or honestly what like overall home trends 645 00:16:34,226 --> 00:16:35,427 are you thinking 646 00:16:35,427 --> 00:16:37,296 is going to happen in 2025? 647 00:16:37,296 --> 00:16:38,197 Well, there's a theme 648 00:16:38,197 --> 00:16:39,398 I'm hearing over and over again, 649 00:16:39,398 --> 00:16:40,332 which is, you know, 650 00:16:40,332 --> 00:16:42,034 coming to light in all aspects, 651 00:16:42,034 --> 00:16:42,935 which is wellness. 652 00:16:42,935 --> 00:16:43,669 It's just 653 00:16:43,669 --> 00:16:44,036 you know, 654 00:16:44,036 --> 00:16:46,572 incorporating wellness into the home 655 00:16:46,572 --> 00:16:47,506 when we kind of, 656 00:16:47,506 --> 00:16:48,107 you know, again, 657 00:16:48,107 --> 00:16:49,108 not to mention Covid, 658 00:16:49,108 --> 00:16:50,309 but during Covid, people 659 00:16:50,309 --> 00:16:52,411 wanted professional experiences at home. 660 00:16:52,411 --> 00:16:54,446 So they wanted commercial 661 00:16:54,446 --> 00:16:56,515 grade appliances and 662 00:16:57,583 --> 00:16:59,752 spas like steam showers 663 00:16:59,752 --> 00:17:02,755 and really kind of beefed up their, 664 00:17:03,555 --> 00:17:04,523 interiors 665 00:17:04,523 --> 00:17:06,525 for those professional experiences. 666 00:17:06,525 --> 00:17:08,160 And I feel like now, 667 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:08,694 you know, we're 668 00:17:08,694 --> 00:17:10,529 going out again to do things. 669 00:17:10,529 --> 00:17:11,363 And then when we come 670 00:17:11,363 --> 00:17:12,398 back into our homes, 671 00:17:12,398 --> 00:17:14,433 we want them to be the retreats, 672 00:17:14,433 --> 00:17:15,901 for us to really recharge 673 00:17:15,901 --> 00:17:17,536 our batteries at the end of the day. 674 00:17:17,536 --> 00:17:20,406 And, wellness is a huge factor of that, 675 00:17:20,406 --> 00:17:21,840 just kind of that, 676 00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:24,009 you know, mental, physical 677 00:17:24,009 --> 00:17:26,045 and holistic health, 678 00:17:26,045 --> 00:17:26,912 kind of incorporated 679 00:17:26,912 --> 00:17:28,514 in all aspects of the home. 680 00:17:28,514 --> 00:17:30,215 Those are the trends that I'm noticing 681 00:17:30,215 --> 00:17:31,650 as far as color trends. 682 00:17:31,650 --> 00:17:33,452 So that that would be like the overall, 683 00:17:33,452 --> 00:17:34,920 you know, aspect of the home. 684 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:35,187 I know 685 00:17:35,187 --> 00:17:35,888 we already talked about 686 00:17:35,888 --> 00:17:36,722 color trends 687 00:17:36,722 --> 00:17:39,024 going a little bit more warm. 688 00:17:39,024 --> 00:17:40,726 People making bolder 689 00:17:40,726 --> 00:17:42,261 color and pattern decisions 690 00:17:42,261 --> 00:17:43,195 just on a whole, 691 00:17:43,195 --> 00:17:44,329 just because, again, 692 00:17:44,329 --> 00:17:45,931 we're getting more adventurous again 693 00:17:45,931 --> 00:17:46,932 after the pandemic. 694 00:17:46,932 --> 00:17:47,299 We're like, 695 00:17:47,299 --> 00:17:48,467 okay, we can 696 00:17:48,467 --> 00:17:49,802 we can really 697 00:17:49,802 --> 00:17:51,170 go a little bit bolder again. 698 00:17:51,170 --> 00:17:53,872 So, just having a little bit more fun 699 00:17:53,872 --> 00:17:55,274 and not not taking everything 700 00:17:55,274 --> 00:17:56,341 so seriously now, 701 00:17:56,341 --> 00:17:59,078 which I think is it's a nice change. 702 00:17:59,078 --> 00:17:59,878 And I still think 703 00:17:59,878 --> 00:18:01,680 even though we are going back out 704 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:03,782 and doing things outside of our home, 705 00:18:03,782 --> 00:18:05,184 we still have that sitting 706 00:18:05,184 --> 00:18:06,118 in the back of our head. 707 00:18:06,118 --> 00:18:07,019 It's when we go home 708 00:18:07,019 --> 00:18:08,220 we want to enjoy it 709 00:18:08,220 --> 00:18:10,322 and really take in our space. 710 00:18:11,290 --> 00:18:12,624 So I totally agree with you. 711 00:18:12,624 --> 00:18:14,093 See you there with what you just said. 712 00:18:14,093 --> 00:18:14,860 I appreciate you 713 00:18:14,860 --> 00:18:17,162 coming on today, Shannon, and sharing 714 00:18:17,162 --> 00:18:18,797 all of your expertise. 715 00:18:18,797 --> 00:18:20,065 Anything else you want to share 716 00:18:20,065 --> 00:18:21,433 before we have off now? 717 00:18:21,433 --> 00:18:22,267 This has been lovely. 718 00:18:22,267 --> 00:18:24,002 Thank you so much for the opportunity. 719 00:18:24,002 --> 00:18:26,205 Well, thank you so much. 720 00:18:26,205 --> 00:18:28,040 Have a great rest of your day. 721 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:28,707 Thank you. 722 00:18:28,707 --> 00:18:31,710 You too. 723 00:18:33,745 --> 00:18:34,446 I am welcoming 724 00:18:34,446 --> 00:18:36,949 Trey Thames on to The ProSource Podcast. 725 00:18:36,949 --> 00:18:38,717 He is the Vice President of Sales 726 00:18:38,717 --> 00:18:40,552 over at Stanton Carpet. 727 00:18:40,552 --> 00:18:41,787 Thank you so much for coming on 728 00:18:41,787 --> 00:18:43,922 today, Trey. Sure glad to be here. 729 00:18:43,922 --> 00:18:44,857 And before I do 730 00:18:44,857 --> 00:18:45,958 dive into the questions 731 00:18:45,958 --> 00:18:46,725 that we have here, 732 00:18:46,725 --> 00:18:48,794 we are going to be focusing on carpet, 733 00:18:48,794 --> 00:18:49,628 of course. 734 00:18:49,628 --> 00:18:50,996 How long have you been with Stanton 735 00:18:50,996 --> 00:18:52,364 and how did you get started 736 00:18:52,364 --> 00:18:53,632 in this industry? 737 00:18:53,632 --> 00:18:54,800 So I've been with Stanton now 738 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:55,767 for just over 739 00:18:55,767 --> 00:18:57,236 five and a half months, 740 00:18:57,236 --> 00:18:58,637 but I've been in the industry 741 00:18:58,637 --> 00:18:59,938 for 31 years. 742 00:18:59,938 --> 00:19:02,941 So I was at Shaw for 25 years, 743 00:19:03,242 --> 00:19:05,310 Mohawk for, six years. 744 00:19:05,310 --> 00:19:06,478 And then just, 745 00:19:06,478 --> 00:19:09,348 just recently at Stanton and the Shaw, 746 00:19:09,348 --> 00:19:12,417 sales training program in 1993. 747 00:19:12,718 --> 00:19:15,287 Oh. That's awesome. So quite a while. 748 00:19:15,287 --> 00:19:16,555 You know, the ins and outs 749 00:19:16,555 --> 00:19:17,823 of the industry, 750 00:19:17,823 --> 00:19:19,124 what made you, 751 00:19:19,124 --> 00:19:20,492 when you were getting out of college? 752 00:19:20,492 --> 00:19:23,061 What made you want to go in this path? 753 00:19:23,061 --> 00:19:23,495 Well, I was 754 00:19:23,495 --> 00:19:24,630 I was somewhat familiar with it. 755 00:19:24,630 --> 00:19:26,565 My dad was in the industry. 756 00:19:26,565 --> 00:19:28,333 So I was familiar with, 757 00:19:28,333 --> 00:19:29,201 somewhat familiar with the 758 00:19:29,201 --> 00:19:30,302 industry, but honestly, 759 00:19:31,537 --> 00:19:33,305 Shaw offered me a job at the time, 760 00:19:33,305 --> 00:19:35,207 so, I knew the industry, 761 00:19:35,207 --> 00:19:36,074 and I was very impressed 762 00:19:36,074 --> 00:19:37,409 with the Shaw trading program. 763 00:19:37,409 --> 00:19:39,945 And those two things, led me into it. 764 00:19:39,945 --> 00:19:41,914 Absolutely. Yeah, I know how that is. 765 00:19:41,914 --> 00:19:42,981 When you're getting out of college, 766 00:19:42,981 --> 00:19:44,850 sometimes it's as simple as 767 00:19:44,850 --> 00:19:46,084 where can I get a job? 768 00:19:46,084 --> 00:19:46,785 And then it kind of 769 00:19:46,785 --> 00:19:48,487 just takes off from there, right? 770 00:19:48,487 --> 00:19:49,788 Yeah. For sure. 771 00:19:49,788 --> 00:19:51,557 There was a sense of urgency to, 772 00:19:51,557 --> 00:19:52,491 start making money. 773 00:19:52,491 --> 00:19:54,326 So it worked out well. 774 00:19:54,326 --> 00:19:55,928 Exactly. 775 00:19:55,928 --> 00:19:56,395 So, yeah, 776 00:19:56,395 --> 00:19:57,596 we are talking about 777 00:19:57,596 --> 00:19:59,398 the comforts of carpet today. 778 00:19:59,398 --> 00:20:02,201 And, having you on representing Stanton 779 00:20:02,201 --> 00:20:04,369 as perfect for this episode 780 00:20:04,369 --> 00:20:06,572 as someone who is in the carpet industry, 781 00:20:06,572 --> 00:20:08,106 what do you think makes carpet 782 00:20:08,106 --> 00:20:10,442 so comforting in your words? 783 00:20:10,442 --> 00:20:10,576 Well, 784 00:20:10,576 --> 00:20:12,010 I think first and foremost, 785 00:20:12,010 --> 00:20:14,479 just the feel, I mean, soft, 786 00:20:14,479 --> 00:20:15,747 and that certainly helps. 787 00:20:15,747 --> 00:20:17,449 So the, the tactile nature of it, 788 00:20:18,617 --> 00:20:19,551 it's warm, 789 00:20:19,551 --> 00:20:22,554 it helps with sound, and it's beautiful. 790 00:20:22,754 --> 00:20:25,123 Especially, the Stanton products. 791 00:20:25,123 --> 00:20:26,725 So it adds not just 792 00:20:26,725 --> 00:20:28,760 warmth and softness to the home, 793 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:30,329 but also beauty, 794 00:20:30,329 --> 00:20:31,930 and a design aspect in the home. 795 00:20:31,930 --> 00:20:33,599 So I think all those things 796 00:20:33,599 --> 00:20:36,602 add up to, to comfort. 797 00:20:36,702 --> 00:20:37,569 Absolutely. Yeah. 798 00:20:37,569 --> 00:20:39,037 You talked about the style 799 00:20:39,037 --> 00:20:40,172 of Stanton Carpets, 800 00:20:40,172 --> 00:20:41,306 and I know 801 00:20:41,306 --> 00:20:41,940 whenever I walk 802 00:20:41,940 --> 00:20:43,408 into the press or showroom 803 00:20:43,408 --> 00:20:44,576 in Saint Louis, 804 00:20:44,576 --> 00:20:46,345 there's always so many options 805 00:20:46,345 --> 00:20:47,012 with Stanton. 806 00:20:47,012 --> 00:20:48,947 And there's options 807 00:20:48,947 --> 00:20:51,250 from like neutral colors 808 00:20:51,250 --> 00:20:53,385 that are a little bit more comfortable, 809 00:20:53,385 --> 00:20:53,785 to view. 810 00:20:53,785 --> 00:20:55,320 But then there's also some of those, 811 00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:58,557 like luxury type of looks and maybe looks 812 00:20:58,557 --> 00:20:59,191 that are a little bit 813 00:20:59,191 --> 00:21:02,127 more niche to someone. 814 00:21:02,127 --> 00:21:03,061 So there's definitely 815 00:21:03,061 --> 00:21:05,831 a wide variety of those options there. 816 00:21:05,831 --> 00:21:07,165 How does Stanton continue 817 00:21:07,165 --> 00:21:08,834 to elevate that level of comfort? 818 00:21:08,834 --> 00:21:10,502 As you know, years 819 00:21:10,502 --> 00:21:12,571 go on as technology evolves. 820 00:21:12,571 --> 00:21:14,373 What are some ways that, 821 00:21:14,373 --> 00:21:15,674 Stanton is always improving? 822 00:21:15,674 --> 00:21:17,175 I think the biggest thing is we're a 823 00:21:17,175 --> 00:21:19,478 we are a product driven company, 824 00:21:19,478 --> 00:21:20,412 and focus on style, 825 00:21:20,412 --> 00:21:23,415 design, and beauty and not just, 826 00:21:24,016 --> 00:21:25,917 a functional thing that goes, 827 00:21:25,917 --> 00:21:27,152 you know, that covers a floor, 828 00:21:27,152 --> 00:21:29,454 but but really focused on the style 829 00:21:29,454 --> 00:21:31,490 and design and quality of it 830 00:21:31,490 --> 00:21:32,591 and doing so at a value. 831 00:21:32,591 --> 00:21:33,759 So, 832 00:21:33,759 --> 00:21:35,093 those are things that we're doing 833 00:21:35,093 --> 00:21:36,561 every single day, 834 00:21:36,561 --> 00:21:37,996 and experimenting with, 835 00:21:37,996 --> 00:21:39,231 with new looks, partnering 836 00:21:39,231 --> 00:21:39,931 with our, 837 00:21:39,931 --> 00:21:42,934 our, our manufacturing partners, 838 00:21:43,068 --> 00:21:44,303 and really trying to innovate 839 00:21:44,303 --> 00:21:45,871 and stay in front of, 840 00:21:45,871 --> 00:21:47,072 style and design 841 00:21:47,072 --> 00:21:48,707 and continue to, to make, 842 00:21:48,707 --> 00:21:49,474 you know, carpet 843 00:21:49,474 --> 00:21:52,444 as a decorative aspect in the home. 844 00:21:52,444 --> 00:21:54,246 And again, not just, 845 00:21:54,246 --> 00:21:56,181 you know, a functional, 846 00:21:56,181 --> 00:21:57,949 thing that you cover, a cover, 847 00:21:57,949 --> 00:22:00,252 you know, wood or plywood up with 848 00:22:00,252 --> 00:22:01,620 and you talked a little bit 849 00:22:01,620 --> 00:22:02,654 about the style again. 850 00:22:02,654 --> 00:22:03,355 How does that 851 00:22:03,355 --> 00:22:04,990 balance luxury 852 00:22:04,990 --> 00:22:07,092 and creativity so seamlessly? 853 00:22:07,092 --> 00:22:08,360 Well, I it's, 854 00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:09,861 we have a great design team 855 00:22:09,861 --> 00:22:11,963 that have been doing it for a long time. 856 00:22:11,963 --> 00:22:13,031 And we've got great partners 857 00:22:13,031 --> 00:22:14,866 that we work with, but, 858 00:22:14,866 --> 00:22:17,502 but really, it starts with our team. 859 00:22:17,502 --> 00:22:19,371 And, we've got a diverse team. 860 00:22:19,371 --> 00:22:21,206 We have people in Europe, 861 00:22:21,206 --> 00:22:22,941 we have, people in Long Island, 862 00:22:22,941 --> 00:22:25,444 and we have people in, in Calhoun. So. 863 00:22:25,444 --> 00:22:27,546 But anyway, that's, it starts there. 864 00:22:27,546 --> 00:22:28,013 I mean, they're 865 00:22:28,013 --> 00:22:29,548 they're really talented at what they do. 866 00:22:29,548 --> 00:22:31,216 We design are patterns. 867 00:22:31,216 --> 00:22:32,384 Obviously, we make, 868 00:22:32,384 --> 00:22:33,752 lots of trips overseas 869 00:22:33,752 --> 00:22:35,253 to work with our partners, 870 00:22:35,253 --> 00:22:37,122 and also our domestic partners as well. 871 00:22:37,122 --> 00:22:40,125 So, all those things add up to, 872 00:22:40,592 --> 00:22:41,827 you know, to making the products. 873 00:22:42,828 --> 00:22:44,429 Beautiful. 874 00:22:44,429 --> 00:22:45,097 Absolutely. 875 00:22:45,097 --> 00:22:46,365 And just diving a little bit 876 00:22:46,365 --> 00:22:50,268 into that design, sector of the company. 877 00:22:50,602 --> 00:22:52,504 How do you guys determine 878 00:22:52,504 --> 00:22:55,507 which areas of the world you want to, 879 00:22:55,607 --> 00:22:57,943 I guess, recruit designers for your team? 880 00:22:57,943 --> 00:22:58,710 That's a good question. 881 00:22:58,710 --> 00:22:59,578 I mean, we have 882 00:22:59,578 --> 00:23:00,812 we have a designer overseas 883 00:23:00,812 --> 00:23:01,813 that does all of our patterns. 884 00:23:01,813 --> 00:23:04,249 So part of it is just expertise. 885 00:23:04,249 --> 00:23:07,052 And what they're familiar with with, 886 00:23:07,052 --> 00:23:07,853 the machines. 887 00:23:07,853 --> 00:23:09,621 But then we also, 888 00:23:09,621 --> 00:23:10,622 you know, have a lot of stuff 889 00:23:10,622 --> 00:23:13,592 in India with handloom, goods. 890 00:23:14,092 --> 00:23:15,360 So we really have partners 891 00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:17,496 all over the world, and, 892 00:23:17,496 --> 00:23:20,098 we have a, you know, team in, in Calhoun 893 00:23:20,098 --> 00:23:20,766 that works a lot 894 00:23:20,766 --> 00:23:22,801 with our domestic manufacturing. 895 00:23:22,801 --> 00:23:24,302 And so it's, 896 00:23:24,302 --> 00:23:26,571 and then the team up in Long Island, 897 00:23:26,571 --> 00:23:29,341 I think touches it all, to an extent. 898 00:23:29,341 --> 00:23:31,643 So, pretty broad, 899 00:23:31,643 --> 00:23:32,644 base of expertise 900 00:23:32,644 --> 00:23:34,713 across the organization. 901 00:23:34,713 --> 00:23:36,248 That's awesome. 902 00:23:36,248 --> 00:23:38,550 So what do you think inspires the passion 903 00:23:38,550 --> 00:23:39,785 within the carpeting designs 904 00:23:39,785 --> 00:23:41,319 that Stanton produces? 905 00:23:42,687 --> 00:23:44,156 I think it, 906 00:23:44,156 --> 00:23:46,291 it starts with our chairman, 907 00:23:46,291 --> 00:23:48,560 and founder, Cy, 908 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:50,762 who's started in 1980. 909 00:23:50,762 --> 00:23:52,364 Really the first to do 910 00:23:52,364 --> 00:23:53,231 do these things 911 00:23:53,231 --> 00:23:55,100 and has been, passionate about it 912 00:23:55,100 --> 00:23:56,968 ever since and still leads our, 913 00:23:56,968 --> 00:23:58,203 our product development team 914 00:23:58,203 --> 00:23:59,704 and like I said, is our chairman. 915 00:23:59,704 --> 00:24:00,672 And then, 916 00:24:00,672 --> 00:24:01,072 his son 917 00:24:01,072 --> 00:24:02,674 Jonathan, who's who's been with them, 918 00:24:02,674 --> 00:24:03,842 I think almost, 919 00:24:03,842 --> 00:24:05,744 quite the entire time, but, 920 00:24:05,744 --> 00:24:08,647 a big piece of it. So, 921 00:24:08,647 --> 00:24:09,581 they love product. 922 00:24:09,581 --> 00:24:10,248 I mean, we love 923 00:24:10,248 --> 00:24:12,217 I mean, it's all about product, and it's, 924 00:24:12,217 --> 00:24:14,286 it is fun. 925 00:24:14,286 --> 00:24:15,187 Like you mentioned, 926 00:24:15,187 --> 00:24:16,755 in our new Calhoun office. 927 00:24:16,755 --> 00:24:18,523 But every time I go in the showroom 928 00:24:18,523 --> 00:24:19,758 there, I'm just, you know, I'm 929 00:24:19,758 --> 00:24:21,493 still learning and seeing new product. 930 00:24:21,493 --> 00:24:23,929 And when I travel, 931 00:24:23,929 --> 00:24:26,631 and there is a lot of passion around it, 932 00:24:26,631 --> 00:24:28,767 about making nice product 933 00:24:28,767 --> 00:24:31,169 and quality product and, 934 00:24:31,169 --> 00:24:31,970 but certainly 935 00:24:31,970 --> 00:24:33,972 if you've ever met side eye he loves, 936 00:24:33,972 --> 00:24:35,106 I would say he loves carpet 937 00:24:35,106 --> 00:24:36,908 as much as anyone I've been around. 938 00:24:36,908 --> 00:24:38,543 So he loves making, 939 00:24:38,543 --> 00:24:40,479 and trying new things and, 940 00:24:40,479 --> 00:24:41,646 and looking at things differently 941 00:24:41,646 --> 00:24:42,848 so that that kind of permeates 942 00:24:42,848 --> 00:24:43,949 throughout the culture. 943 00:24:43,949 --> 00:24:44,883 Now that's great to it. 944 00:24:44,883 --> 00:24:46,685 You're getting that family business 945 00:24:46,685 --> 00:24:47,953 type of feel to. 946 00:24:47,953 --> 00:24:49,988 So I'm sure that feels very welcoming. 947 00:24:49,988 --> 00:24:51,122 You're not just getting that 948 00:24:51,122 --> 00:24:52,023 like kind of cookie 949 00:24:52,023 --> 00:24:55,026 cutter corporation type of feel. 950 00:24:55,193 --> 00:24:56,394 Same person that started 951 00:24:56,394 --> 00:24:58,697 the company is still making decisions. 952 00:24:58,697 --> 00:25:00,098 Yeah. That's awesome to hear. 953 00:25:00,098 --> 00:25:00,599 Yeah it is. 954 00:25:00,599 --> 00:25:02,067 And we don't have to make, 955 00:25:02,067 --> 00:25:03,935 you know, millions of yards of something. 956 00:25:03,935 --> 00:25:04,769 You know, we have the 957 00:25:04,769 --> 00:25:05,670 we we have the ability 958 00:25:05,670 --> 00:25:07,572 to have a lot of nice products 959 00:25:07,572 --> 00:25:09,374 and we don't have to, 960 00:25:09,374 --> 00:25:11,142 it doesn't have to be tonnage. 961 00:25:11,142 --> 00:25:14,012 So it does enable us to take more risk 962 00:25:14,012 --> 00:25:15,514 and do things differently 963 00:25:15,514 --> 00:25:16,982 and continue to innovate 964 00:25:16,982 --> 00:25:19,084 and push the push the boundaries. 965 00:25:19,084 --> 00:25:20,619 I think with sound design. 966 00:25:20,619 --> 00:25:22,587 So as the years go by, 967 00:25:22,587 --> 00:25:23,522 I touched about this 968 00:25:23,522 --> 00:25:24,422 a little bit earlier. 969 00:25:24,422 --> 00:25:25,724 Installation technology 970 00:25:25,724 --> 00:25:27,192 is always evolving. 971 00:25:27,192 --> 00:25:28,927 What have you learned from trade pros 972 00:25:28,927 --> 00:25:30,529 that has inspired innovation 973 00:25:30,529 --> 00:25:31,830 within carpet installation 974 00:25:31,830 --> 00:25:32,998 technology at sound? 975 00:25:32,998 --> 00:25:34,432 Yeah, I think that's that's something 976 00:25:34,432 --> 00:25:36,535 that continues to be an industry 977 00:25:36,535 --> 00:25:38,904 challenge is, you know, installations, 978 00:25:38,904 --> 00:25:40,839 not just carpet, but 979 00:25:40,839 --> 00:25:42,040 other categories as well. 980 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:43,308 But I think one thing 981 00:25:43,308 --> 00:25:44,743 that we that we have, 982 00:25:44,743 --> 00:25:47,012 which helps is, you know, wide widths, 983 00:25:47,012 --> 00:25:47,979 we have a lot of our 984 00:25:47,979 --> 00:25:50,649 products are 13 to 13, six, 985 00:25:50,649 --> 00:25:52,651 15, 16ft wide, which 986 00:25:53,618 --> 00:25:54,853 in many cases eliminates 987 00:25:54,853 --> 00:25:55,854 the need for a seam, 988 00:25:55,854 --> 00:25:56,888 which certainly helps 989 00:25:56,888 --> 00:25:58,623 from a speed of installation. 990 00:25:58,623 --> 00:26:00,625 And also, 991 00:26:00,625 --> 00:26:02,093 probably the type of installer 992 00:26:02,093 --> 00:26:02,694 you can use. 993 00:26:02,694 --> 00:26:04,596 So that that certainly helps. 994 00:26:04,596 --> 00:26:05,263 I think the other thing 995 00:26:05,263 --> 00:26:06,565 that's a big opportunity 996 00:26:06,565 --> 00:26:09,401 that, is a big part of our business, 997 00:26:09,401 --> 00:26:11,836 is the, custom rugs, room size rugs. 998 00:26:11,836 --> 00:26:13,271 So, 999 00:26:13,271 --> 00:26:13,972 you know, if you can, 1000 00:26:13,972 --> 00:26:15,974 if you can use a room sized rug, 1001 00:26:15,974 --> 00:26:17,876 that might be six, eight inches, 1002 00:26:17,876 --> 00:26:19,945 you know, from the wall. 1003 00:26:19,945 --> 00:26:21,012 There's no installation. 1004 00:26:21,012 --> 00:26:22,581 There are other than just, you know, 1005 00:26:22,581 --> 00:26:24,249 rolling it out and getting it, 1006 00:26:24,249 --> 00:26:25,483 you know, aligned perfectly. 1007 00:26:25,483 --> 00:26:26,585 So, 1008 00:26:26,585 --> 00:26:27,953 again, it's just another avenue 1009 00:26:27,953 --> 00:26:30,021 to sell more flooring, 1010 00:26:30,021 --> 00:26:31,089 and not tie up your, 1011 00:26:31,089 --> 00:26:33,692 you know, your carpet installation. 1012 00:26:33,692 --> 00:26:34,326 Absolutely. 1013 00:26:34,326 --> 00:26:35,427 And with, 1014 00:26:35,427 --> 00:26:38,163 custom area rugs, do you see that more 1015 00:26:38,163 --> 00:26:39,497 people are moving towards 1016 00:26:39,497 --> 00:26:41,533 getting those large area rugs 1017 00:26:41,533 --> 00:26:44,302 rather than doing like an all carpet 1018 00:26:44,302 --> 00:26:45,570 in one space? 1019 00:26:45,570 --> 00:26:47,839 I know with trends lately 1020 00:26:47,839 --> 00:26:49,240 people have been moving towards 1021 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:52,010 like laminate and just hard flooring. 1022 00:26:52,010 --> 00:26:53,712 But a lot of people still want 1023 00:26:53,712 --> 00:26:55,046 that comfort of carpets, 1024 00:26:55,046 --> 00:26:56,881 so they're getting the big area rugs. 1025 00:26:56,881 --> 00:26:58,650 Are you seeing that's the case? 1026 00:26:58,650 --> 00:26:59,417 Yeah we are, 1027 00:26:59,417 --> 00:27:01,353 we're especially with, 1028 00:27:01,353 --> 00:27:02,053 hard surface 1029 00:27:02,053 --> 00:27:05,056 being so dominant in new homes today. 1030 00:27:05,156 --> 00:27:07,525 We're carpet might just be in bedrooms, 1031 00:27:07,525 --> 00:27:08,960 in some cases not even in bedrooms. 1032 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:11,429 So but people still want the warmth 1033 00:27:11,429 --> 00:27:12,263 and the comfort 1034 00:27:12,263 --> 00:27:13,932 and the sound and the esthetics 1035 00:27:13,932 --> 00:27:16,434 and the beauty of, of, of carpet. 1036 00:27:16,434 --> 00:27:17,969 And I think it's just, 1037 00:27:17,969 --> 00:27:20,972 it's an awareness that you don't just, 1038 00:27:21,172 --> 00:27:21,439 you know, 1039 00:27:21,439 --> 00:27:23,174 you don't have to settle on a standard 1040 00:27:23,174 --> 00:27:25,610 nine by 12 or 8 by ten rug. 1041 00:27:25,610 --> 00:27:27,112 You can get, 1042 00:27:27,112 --> 00:27:30,115 the perfect size rug for your room, 1043 00:27:30,115 --> 00:27:31,249 and whatever pattern you want, 1044 00:27:31,249 --> 00:27:31,916 you know, no 1045 00:27:31,916 --> 00:27:33,518 problem is a great option, 1046 00:27:33,518 --> 00:27:36,388 a great opportunity to sell more carpet. 1047 00:27:37,922 --> 00:27:39,457 And to get it perfect, 1048 00:27:39,457 --> 00:27:40,358 and get what you want 1049 00:27:40,358 --> 00:27:41,893 and not just settle and get high 1050 00:27:41,893 --> 00:27:44,462 quality to, not just settle for, 1051 00:27:44,462 --> 00:27:46,097 an expensive online, 1052 00:27:46,097 --> 00:27:47,532 you know, standard size rug 1053 00:27:47,532 --> 00:27:48,900 that may not, you know, 1054 00:27:48,900 --> 00:27:51,302 be the quality you're looking for. 1055 00:27:51,302 --> 00:27:52,337 Absolutely. 1056 00:27:52,337 --> 00:27:53,304 And while we're on the 1057 00:27:53,304 --> 00:27:56,307 topic of customization at Stanton, 1058 00:27:56,408 --> 00:27:59,210 you also have the ability to select, 1059 00:27:59,210 --> 00:28:02,080 a custom pattern as well, right? 1060 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:03,348 Correct. 1061 00:28:03,348 --> 00:28:04,015 Okay. Perfect. 1062 00:28:04,015 --> 00:28:06,885 So really any anything we make, 1063 00:28:06,885 --> 00:28:08,953 we make into rugs. 1064 00:28:08,953 --> 00:28:10,755 That's awesome. Yeah. I think yeah. 1065 00:28:10,755 --> 00:28:11,623 Like, you guys probably 1066 00:28:11,623 --> 00:28:14,159 think customization is so important. 1067 00:28:14,159 --> 00:28:16,494 And especially in today's world where 1068 00:28:16,494 --> 00:28:18,496 everybody wants exactly what they want. 1069 00:28:18,496 --> 00:28:18,997 Like if they're going 1070 00:28:18,997 --> 00:28:20,298 to spend the money on something 1071 00:28:20,298 --> 00:28:21,232 they want it to be 1072 00:28:21,232 --> 00:28:23,301 exactly what they want. Yeah. 1073 00:28:23,301 --> 00:28:24,302 So it's definitely important 1074 00:28:24,302 --> 00:28:25,637 for stand to offer 1075 00:28:25,637 --> 00:28:27,706 that I would say stairwells as well, 1076 00:28:27,706 --> 00:28:29,374 stair runners and custom stairs. 1077 00:28:29,374 --> 00:28:30,842 I mean, it's, it's gorgeous. 1078 00:28:30,842 --> 00:28:32,777 Some of the visuals I see, 1079 00:28:32,777 --> 00:28:33,978 that are sent in unfinished 1080 00:28:33,978 --> 00:28:35,246 jobs from our customers, 1081 00:28:36,414 --> 00:28:37,348 and I think the, 1082 00:28:37,348 --> 00:28:37,816 I think it's 1083 00:28:37,816 --> 00:28:39,250 an awareness issue, a lot of, 1084 00:28:39,250 --> 00:28:40,952 a lot of consumers don't even 1085 00:28:40,952 --> 00:28:41,352 just don't know 1086 00:28:41,352 --> 00:28:43,354 it's an option until they see it. 1087 00:28:43,354 --> 00:28:43,988 Then they see it. 1088 00:28:43,988 --> 00:28:45,957 They want it. 1089 00:28:45,957 --> 00:28:46,725 Absolutely. Yeah. 1090 00:28:46,725 --> 00:28:47,926 I didn't even think about 1091 00:28:47,926 --> 00:28:48,793 the stair runners. 1092 00:28:48,793 --> 00:28:50,395 That's definitely overlooked. 1093 00:28:50,395 --> 00:28:51,663 And people probably don't think about it. 1094 00:28:51,663 --> 00:28:52,897 Maybe until 1095 00:28:52,897 --> 00:28:54,365 they have their remodel done 1096 00:28:54,365 --> 00:28:56,101 and they're like, 1097 00:28:56,101 --> 00:28:56,401 you know, 1098 00:28:56,401 --> 00:28:57,068 oh gosh, 1099 00:28:57,068 --> 00:28:59,037 my stairs are hard 1100 00:28:59,037 --> 00:29:01,372 and I'm going to slip and fall. Yeah. 1101 00:29:01,372 --> 00:29:02,640 Because that's usually the concern 1102 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:03,108 with that. 1103 00:29:03,108 --> 00:29:04,576 How have features like the Stanton 1104 00:29:04,576 --> 00:29:06,077 Shield and waterproofing 1105 00:29:06,077 --> 00:29:07,245 been received by homeowners 1106 00:29:07,245 --> 00:29:07,712 that are looking 1107 00:29:07,712 --> 00:29:09,247 to make their new carpets last? 1108 00:29:09,247 --> 00:29:09,881 And how did the 1109 00:29:09,881 --> 00:29:12,317 how do those features work? 1110 00:29:12,317 --> 00:29:13,384 Yeah, those are more hard 1111 00:29:13,384 --> 00:29:15,120 surface oriented, on that. 1112 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:17,088 But I would say the big 1113 00:29:17,088 --> 00:29:18,223 the big new thing 1114 00:29:18,223 --> 00:29:19,958 I would not it's somewhat 1115 00:29:19,958 --> 00:29:20,558 new in 1116 00:29:20,558 --> 00:29:21,192 the last few years 1117 00:29:21,192 --> 00:29:22,994 has just been kind of pet, 1118 00:29:22,994 --> 00:29:24,362 pet performance. 1119 00:29:24,362 --> 00:29:27,132 And soft, and carpet. 1120 00:29:27,132 --> 00:29:27,932 And that's really, 1121 00:29:27,932 --> 00:29:30,368 you know, solution that polyester. 1122 00:29:30,368 --> 00:29:31,436 And so this year, we, 1123 00:29:31,436 --> 00:29:33,938 we're launching a new pet, guard. 1124 00:29:34,973 --> 00:29:36,741 Display program with, 1125 00:29:36,741 --> 00:29:38,143 24, actually, 31 1126 00:29:38,143 --> 00:29:40,612 styles will be part of that, 1127 00:29:40,612 --> 00:29:41,446 that program. 1128 00:29:41,446 --> 00:29:41,746 And that's 1129 00:29:41,746 --> 00:29:42,814 all it's 1130 00:29:42,814 --> 00:29:43,248 all focus 1131 00:29:43,248 --> 00:29:43,848 in the higher end 1132 00:29:43,848 --> 00:29:46,251 part of the, of that market. 1133 00:29:46,251 --> 00:29:47,452 In the polyester market, 1134 00:29:47,452 --> 00:29:49,387 all heavy ounce weights, 1135 00:29:49,387 --> 00:29:52,390 some really, unique fiber systems, 1136 00:29:52,490 --> 00:29:55,226 in solution, dyed very soft, 1137 00:29:55,226 --> 00:29:56,161 and trying to do some things 1138 00:29:56,161 --> 00:29:57,695 that are just unique, 1139 00:29:57,695 --> 00:29:58,229 and different 1140 00:29:58,229 --> 00:29:59,330 than what's out there today. 1141 00:29:59,330 --> 00:30:01,432 There's a lot of different pet, 1142 00:30:01,432 --> 00:30:02,400 programs out there. 1143 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:04,302 And so we're trying to differentiate 1144 00:30:04,302 --> 00:30:05,837 and make it, Stanton ask 1145 00:30:05,837 --> 00:30:07,005 and so that will be something 1146 00:30:07,005 --> 00:30:08,072 we're launching IT services. 1147 00:30:08,072 --> 00:30:08,840 But some of the products 1148 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:10,208 are already out today 1149 00:30:10,208 --> 00:30:11,209 and we're having a lot of success 1150 00:30:11,209 --> 00:30:11,643 with those. 1151 00:30:11,643 --> 00:30:13,978 But, they all carry the pet, 1152 00:30:13,978 --> 00:30:16,314 pet warranties, you know, 1153 00:30:16,314 --> 00:30:18,817 all pet issues, all pet related issues. 1154 00:30:18,817 --> 00:30:20,485 Yes. Absolutely. 1155 00:30:20,485 --> 00:30:21,986 I, I've talked about it 1156 00:30:21,986 --> 00:30:22,987 before on this podcast, 1157 00:30:22,987 --> 00:30:24,622 but yeah, having, 1158 00:30:24,622 --> 00:30:25,590 like a dog 1159 00:30:25,590 --> 00:30:27,892 or really like any kind of pet. 1160 00:30:27,892 --> 00:30:28,993 That's the main concern 1161 00:30:28,993 --> 00:30:30,328 and probably why a lot of people do 1162 00:30:30,328 --> 00:30:31,963 move away from carpet 1163 00:30:31,963 --> 00:30:34,332 and into the hardwood or the laminate. 1164 00:30:34,332 --> 00:30:35,900 Or specifically is because of pets. 1165 00:30:35,900 --> 00:30:37,969 But if they can get carpet 1166 00:30:37,969 --> 00:30:39,938 and have the best of both worlds, 1167 00:30:39,938 --> 00:30:41,773 that's definitely more ideal. 1168 00:30:41,773 --> 00:30:42,674 Yeah. 1169 00:30:42,674 --> 00:30:44,042 What patterns and colors 1170 00:30:44,042 --> 00:30:47,312 have you seen trend for Staunton in 2024 1171 00:30:47,445 --> 00:30:48,046 pattern wise? 1172 00:30:48,046 --> 00:30:50,815 Seen a lot of, stripes and variation of, 1173 00:30:51,816 --> 00:30:52,383 stripes. 1174 00:30:52,383 --> 00:30:55,386 So that's that's a big category for us. 1175 00:30:55,653 --> 00:30:56,254 But really, 1176 00:30:56,254 --> 00:30:58,823 I mean, geometric still herringbone 1177 00:30:58,823 --> 00:31:01,826 a lot of animal, prints. 1178 00:31:02,827 --> 00:31:03,928 So I think all those things 1179 00:31:03,928 --> 00:31:06,931 and color wise, green, 1180 00:31:06,965 --> 00:31:09,500 seems to be extremely popular. 1181 00:31:09,500 --> 00:31:10,802 Everywhere I go, people are 1182 00:31:10,802 --> 00:31:11,636 especially the design 1183 00:31:11,636 --> 00:31:13,371 community is talking about green. 1184 00:31:13,371 --> 00:31:16,007 So we have fortunately, we we have some, 1185 00:31:16,007 --> 00:31:17,075 a lot of neurotoxins 1186 00:31:17,075 --> 00:31:18,409 that have green in there, 1187 00:31:18,409 --> 00:31:20,078 but also some reds. 1188 00:31:20,078 --> 00:31:22,480 You know, Burgundy. 1189 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:23,448 So combination, 1190 00:31:23,448 --> 00:31:24,515 those are probably the two biggest 1191 00:31:24,515 --> 00:31:26,451 that we're hearing out there. 1192 00:31:26,451 --> 00:31:27,085 Yeah. 1193 00:31:27,085 --> 00:31:28,319 I feel like color, 1194 00:31:28,319 --> 00:31:29,487 especially those rich, 1195 00:31:29,487 --> 00:31:30,688 like, Burgundy colors. 1196 00:31:30,688 --> 00:31:32,490 Maybe the of community. 1197 00:31:32,490 --> 00:31:33,625 Yeah. Yeah. 1198 00:31:33,625 --> 00:31:36,427 Those are obviously huge right now. 1199 00:31:36,427 --> 00:31:38,329 Not even doing this podcast. 1200 00:31:38,329 --> 00:31:39,764 Not even just in flooring. 1201 00:31:39,764 --> 00:31:40,498 But, 1202 00:31:40,498 --> 00:31:42,333 when we're talking about cabinets too, 1203 00:31:42,333 --> 00:31:44,369 those have been the topic of discussion. 1204 00:31:44,369 --> 00:31:45,136 I feel like, 1205 00:31:46,237 --> 00:31:47,572 and I would say very balanced. 1206 00:31:47,572 --> 00:31:48,072 I mean, not 1207 00:31:48,072 --> 00:31:49,908 overwhelming green or Burgundy, 1208 00:31:49,908 --> 00:31:52,076 but very, you know, very tasteful, very, 1209 00:31:52,076 --> 00:31:53,344 you know. Yes. 1210 00:31:53,344 --> 00:31:55,480 Not overwhelming. 1211 00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:55,980 Yes. 1212 00:31:55,980 --> 00:31:57,315 And with, 1213 00:31:57,315 --> 00:32:00,618 custom rugs that makes people feel the, 1214 00:32:01,519 --> 00:32:02,887 comfort of, like, 1215 00:32:02,887 --> 00:32:03,621 not necessarily 1216 00:32:03,621 --> 00:32:05,189 having to stick with a neutral 1217 00:32:05,189 --> 00:32:07,392 to be their permanent flooring, 1218 00:32:07,392 --> 00:32:09,661 but with the rugs, you can get, like, 1219 00:32:09,661 --> 00:32:12,630 kind of, like you said, animal rug. 1220 00:32:12,864 --> 00:32:12,964 Yeah. 1221 00:32:12,964 --> 00:32:13,965 And then in a couple of years, 1222 00:32:13,965 --> 00:32:15,300 switch it out when it's 1223 00:32:15,300 --> 00:32:16,801 maybe not in trend anymore. 1224 00:32:16,801 --> 00:32:19,137 So that's definitely a bonus 1225 00:32:19,137 --> 00:32:19,804 with doing that. 1226 00:32:19,804 --> 00:32:20,772 What has inspired 1227 00:32:20,772 --> 00:32:21,572 the move toward 1228 00:32:21,572 --> 00:32:22,507 outdoor rugs 1229 00:32:22,507 --> 00:32:23,942 and what's trending for sounds, 1230 00:32:23,942 --> 00:32:25,977 outdoor rugs? 1231 00:32:25,977 --> 00:32:26,978 I think, you know, 1232 00:32:26,978 --> 00:32:29,347 I think the, the whole outdoor living, 1233 00:32:29,347 --> 00:32:31,449 which has been going on for for 1234 00:32:31,449 --> 00:32:32,784 a while now where people are, 1235 00:32:32,784 --> 00:32:33,051 you know, 1236 00:32:33,051 --> 00:32:34,352 spending a lot of money 1237 00:32:34,352 --> 00:32:35,820 on their outside areas with, 1238 00:32:35,820 --> 00:32:37,155 you know, kitchens and, 1239 00:32:38,222 --> 00:32:39,724 you know, just, just an extension 1240 00:32:39,724 --> 00:32:41,459 of, of the house outside. 1241 00:32:41,459 --> 00:32:43,695 And they want nice things and, 1242 00:32:43,695 --> 00:32:46,064 no different than their inside rugs. 1243 00:32:46,064 --> 00:32:47,699 They want high quality 1244 00:32:47,699 --> 00:32:50,068 design and fashion outside or products 1245 00:32:50,068 --> 00:32:51,769 that can work outside as well. 1246 00:32:51,769 --> 00:32:53,304 So I think it's just it's 1247 00:32:53,304 --> 00:32:54,305 just it just, 1248 00:32:54,305 --> 00:32:55,673 addressing a void in a market 1249 00:32:55,673 --> 00:32:58,109 where traditionally indoor or outdoor 1250 00:32:58,109 --> 00:32:58,843 I think was 1251 00:32:58,843 --> 00:33:00,511 considered, you know, inexpensive 1252 00:33:00,511 --> 00:33:02,480 or in a lot of cases was inexpensive. 1253 00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:04,682 So, addressing a need 1254 00:33:04,682 --> 00:33:05,283 that's out there, 1255 00:33:05,283 --> 00:33:06,284 which is, you know, 1256 00:33:06,284 --> 00:33:08,186 like I said, higher quality, 1257 00:33:08,186 --> 00:33:09,320 for nicer spaces. 1258 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:11,289 And we have products that can work 1259 00:33:11,289 --> 00:33:12,690 and we have some products 1260 00:33:12,690 --> 00:33:14,459 that are can go outside, 1261 00:33:14,459 --> 00:33:16,627 but people use them inside. 1262 00:33:16,627 --> 00:33:17,662 So we have a lot of products 1263 00:33:17,662 --> 00:33:19,630 that can work in both, 1264 00:33:19,630 --> 00:33:21,799 both areas inside or outside. 1265 00:33:21,799 --> 00:33:23,301 Is there any specific trends 1266 00:33:23,301 --> 00:33:24,769 that you're seeing or that you know 1267 00:33:24,769 --> 00:33:26,637 about for Sam's outdoor rugs? 1268 00:33:26,637 --> 00:33:27,672 No, I think, you know, 1269 00:33:27,672 --> 00:33:29,140 I think it's trying to, 1270 00:33:30,241 --> 00:33:31,709 you know, still pretty new. 1271 00:33:31,709 --> 00:33:32,143 Yeah. 1272 00:33:32,143 --> 00:33:32,543 But I think 1273 00:33:32,543 --> 00:33:33,311 it's it's, 1274 00:33:33,311 --> 00:33:34,278 again, focused on 1275 00:33:34,278 --> 00:33:34,746 some of the things 1276 00:33:34,746 --> 00:33:36,347 that are working inside 1277 00:33:36,347 --> 00:33:37,382 and just 1278 00:33:37,382 --> 00:33:38,049 making them 1279 00:33:38,049 --> 00:33:39,183 and fibers 1280 00:33:39,183 --> 00:33:42,186 and constructions that will work outside. 1281 00:33:42,420 --> 00:33:43,087 So people will, 1282 00:33:43,087 --> 00:33:44,322 you know, they, 1283 00:33:44,322 --> 00:33:44,822 they pretty much 1284 00:33:44,822 --> 00:33:46,891 want the same type of thing, 1285 00:33:46,891 --> 00:33:47,892 but they want to build 1286 00:33:47,892 --> 00:33:49,060 you know, withstand the elements 1287 00:33:49,060 --> 00:33:51,362 if needed. Outside. 1288 00:33:51,362 --> 00:33:53,164 Absolutely. 1289 00:33:53,164 --> 00:33:55,133 So carpet thickness and blended materials 1290 00:33:55,133 --> 00:33:56,768 have been on the rise lately. 1291 00:33:56,768 --> 00:33:58,503 How have you seen that trend evolve 1292 00:33:58,503 --> 00:34:00,638 for Stanton lines? 1293 00:34:00,638 --> 00:34:01,639 You know, it's interesting with us, 1294 00:34:01,639 --> 00:34:03,307 we we have, 1295 00:34:03,307 --> 00:34:04,776 I would say the best of both worlds 1296 00:34:04,776 --> 00:34:06,978 as far as we have a ton of flat weaves 1297 00:34:06,978 --> 00:34:08,112 that are very popular 1298 00:34:08,112 --> 00:34:10,648 that are very, very low pile, 1299 00:34:10,648 --> 00:34:11,916 and Wilton's, 1300 00:34:11,916 --> 00:34:14,018 but then we have some really thick, 1301 00:34:14,018 --> 00:34:15,787 you know, handloom, 1302 00:34:15,787 --> 00:34:18,289 wool products that are just stunning. 1303 00:34:18,289 --> 00:34:19,257 So we, 1304 00:34:19,257 --> 00:34:21,125 I would say we've got a spectrum 1305 00:34:21,125 --> 00:34:23,161 and then we have some of our new, 1306 00:34:23,161 --> 00:34:25,463 Pet Guard products, really soft, 1307 00:34:25,463 --> 00:34:28,533 thick polyester, gorgeous products. 1308 00:34:28,533 --> 00:34:30,601 So it's really 1309 00:34:30,601 --> 00:34:32,537 customer preference, a love is 1310 00:34:32,537 --> 00:34:33,638 can be driven by where 1311 00:34:33,638 --> 00:34:35,006 it's going, like upstairs. 1312 00:34:35,006 --> 00:34:36,841 Obviously people want something that's, 1313 00:34:36,841 --> 00:34:38,543 you know, it's flatter and lower pile. 1314 00:34:38,543 --> 00:34:40,478 And then they might want a thick, 1315 00:34:40,478 --> 00:34:42,046 you know, wool rug, you know, 1316 00:34:42,046 --> 00:34:42,780 in their living room in 1317 00:34:42,780 --> 00:34:43,981 front of a fireplace. But, 1318 00:34:45,316 --> 00:34:46,584 we've got, we have, 1319 00:34:46,584 --> 00:34:47,852 a lot of, 1320 00:34:47,852 --> 00:34:49,554 you know, I guess from, from A 1321 00:34:49,554 --> 00:34:50,855 to Z as far as that goes. 1322 00:34:50,855 --> 00:34:53,157 And then fibers, same thing. 1323 00:34:53,157 --> 00:34:53,891 I mean, a lot of different 1324 00:34:53,891 --> 00:34:55,860 blended fibers. 1325 00:34:55,860 --> 00:34:57,061 And we'll blend fibers 1326 00:34:57,061 --> 00:34:58,162 for a number of different reasons. 1327 00:34:58,162 --> 00:34:59,997 Some of them might be performance 1328 00:34:59,997 --> 00:35:01,899 driven, some of them could be esthetics. 1329 00:35:01,899 --> 00:35:04,235 It could be a luster, 1330 00:35:04,235 --> 00:35:04,969 combination 1331 00:35:04,969 --> 00:35:07,405 that we're trying to achieve or a color. 1332 00:35:07,405 --> 00:35:09,040 So there's just a lot of, 1333 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:10,208 a lot of different reasons 1334 00:35:10,208 --> 00:35:11,742 why we would use different 1335 00:35:11,742 --> 00:35:13,077 fibers and even, 1336 00:35:13,077 --> 00:35:14,545 you know, we've had products 1337 00:35:14,545 --> 00:35:16,314 now with, with leather, 1338 00:35:16,314 --> 00:35:18,082 woven into them, which is, 1339 00:35:18,082 --> 00:35:19,517 really, really cool looking. 1340 00:35:19,517 --> 00:35:22,954 So something we can take to to, yeah, to, 1341 00:35:22,987 --> 00:35:25,957 to to innovate with. 1342 00:35:25,957 --> 00:35:26,190 Yeah. 1343 00:35:26,190 --> 00:35:27,158 Are you seeing, like, 1344 00:35:27,158 --> 00:35:28,359 different regions 1345 00:35:28,359 --> 00:35:30,361 of the United States, for example, 1346 00:35:30,361 --> 00:35:31,362 they have 1347 00:35:31,362 --> 00:35:32,630 maybe like people 1348 00:35:32,630 --> 00:35:34,398 in California are trending. 1349 00:35:34,398 --> 00:35:35,500 Are you using 1350 00:35:35,500 --> 00:35:36,534 carpet trends a little bit 1351 00:35:36,534 --> 00:35:37,201 more differently 1352 00:35:37,201 --> 00:35:39,537 than someone in Michigan, for example? 1353 00:35:39,537 --> 00:35:39,704 Like, 1354 00:35:39,704 --> 00:35:40,605 are you seeing that 1355 00:35:40,605 --> 00:35:41,973 this type of carpet sells 1356 00:35:41,973 --> 00:35:43,908 more here versus there? 1357 00:35:43,908 --> 00:35:45,576 Like you have some of that. 1358 00:35:45,576 --> 00:35:47,678 But it's interesting to me that, 1359 00:35:48,846 --> 00:35:49,147 there's a 1360 00:35:49,147 --> 00:35:50,148 lot of consistencies 1361 00:35:50,148 --> 00:35:52,183 with some of our products, too. 1362 00:35:52,183 --> 00:35:54,719 You know, I mentioned grain earlier. 1363 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:56,787 And I've heard that from the West Coast. 1364 00:35:56,787 --> 00:35:58,156 I've heard that in the East Coast, 1365 00:35:58,156 --> 00:36:00,858 and it's a very similar thing. 1366 00:36:00,858 --> 00:36:03,861 So, but certainly some of the patterns, 1367 00:36:04,862 --> 00:36:06,297 luster levels are different 1368 00:36:06,297 --> 00:36:08,099 in different areas, parts of the country 1369 00:36:08,099 --> 00:36:09,600 than, than other parts of the country 1370 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:10,835 and colors, for sure. 1371 00:36:10,835 --> 00:36:11,702 You know, 1372 00:36:11,702 --> 00:36:12,970 you always have the West Coast 1373 00:36:12,970 --> 00:36:14,805 and the coastal colors, 1374 00:36:14,805 --> 00:36:15,673 which are slightly different 1375 00:36:15,673 --> 00:36:16,340 than some of the things 1376 00:36:16,340 --> 00:36:16,841 you might see 1377 00:36:16,841 --> 00:36:19,477 in the Midwest or Northeast. 1378 00:36:19,477 --> 00:36:20,411 Okay, cool. 1379 00:36:20,411 --> 00:36:22,446 We're moving towards 2025, 1380 00:36:22,446 --> 00:36:24,148 which is insane to think about, 1381 00:36:24,148 --> 00:36:25,750 but what can we look forward to 1382 00:36:25,750 --> 00:36:28,519 in 2025 from Stanton? 1383 00:36:28,519 --> 00:36:31,022 A lot a lot of really cool, 1384 00:36:31,022 --> 00:36:32,790 gorgeous products coming out. 1385 00:36:32,790 --> 00:36:34,158 And, we've got a lot of product 1386 00:36:34,158 --> 00:36:36,794 that's coming out January, surfaces. 1387 00:36:36,794 --> 00:36:37,562 We have another, 1388 00:36:37,562 --> 00:36:39,297 you know, incredible launch coming out. 1389 00:36:40,831 --> 00:36:41,699 Submitted of 1390 00:36:41,699 --> 00:36:44,101 we do have some, some new fiber, 1391 00:36:44,101 --> 00:36:45,636 that will be coming out with this year 1392 00:36:45,636 --> 00:36:48,639 that, that we'll, we'll show it surfaces. 1393 00:36:48,639 --> 00:36:50,241 And outside of that, just, 1394 00:36:50,241 --> 00:36:53,110 some, merchandizing and rebranding, 1395 00:36:53,110 --> 00:36:53,911 things that you'll see, 1396 00:36:53,911 --> 00:36:55,179 it surfaces as well. 1397 00:36:55,179 --> 00:36:56,447 And then, 1398 00:36:56,447 --> 00:36:58,616 I know this is a soft surface, 1399 00:36:58,616 --> 00:36:59,917 segment, but hard surface. 1400 00:36:59,917 --> 00:37:01,719 We have some amazing new products 1401 00:37:01,719 --> 00:37:02,920 coming out, and, 1402 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:04,855 WPC and hardwood 1403 00:37:04,855 --> 00:37:06,757 and some updates with laminate and SBC. 1404 00:37:06,757 --> 00:37:07,792 So there's 1405 00:37:07,792 --> 00:37:09,760 there's a broad range of really, 1406 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:10,962 high style, 1407 00:37:10,962 --> 00:37:11,762 good looking product 1408 00:37:11,762 --> 00:37:14,765 coming out, this coming year. 1409 00:37:15,066 --> 00:37:16,467 Now, that's that's exciting. 1410 00:37:16,467 --> 00:37:18,169 And even with the hard surface 1411 00:37:18,169 --> 00:37:19,003 part of that, 1412 00:37:19,003 --> 00:37:19,370 I mean, 1413 00:37:19,370 --> 00:37:20,571 we just talked about rugs 1414 00:37:20,571 --> 00:37:22,006 going on top of hard surfaces. 1415 00:37:22,006 --> 00:37:23,908 So those do come into play too 1416 00:37:23,908 --> 00:37:25,543 in this episode a little bit. 1417 00:37:25,543 --> 00:37:26,444 Yeah. For sure. 1418 00:37:27,478 --> 00:37:28,246 Ideally we get 1419 00:37:28,246 --> 00:37:29,247 the hard surface down 1420 00:37:29,247 --> 00:37:31,415 and then we put a nice, 1421 00:37:31,415 --> 00:37:33,050 custom rug on top of it. 1422 00:37:33,050 --> 00:37:35,319 Yeah, exactly, exactly. 1423 00:37:35,319 --> 00:37:36,921 Well, we're definitely looking forward 1424 00:37:36,921 --> 00:37:38,356 to everything. 1425 00:37:38,356 --> 00:37:40,524 That comes from Stanton in 2025. 1426 00:37:40,524 --> 00:37:42,660 And I appreciate you coming on today 1427 00:37:42,660 --> 00:37:44,595 and sharing a little bit about that. 1428 00:37:44,595 --> 00:37:46,364 And just about the comforts 1429 00:37:46,364 --> 00:37:48,065 of carpet in general. 1430 00:37:48,065 --> 00:37:49,200 So thank you so much, tri, 1431 00:37:49,200 --> 00:37:50,334 for coming on today. Thanks. 1432 00:37:50,334 --> 00:37:51,035 Thanks for having me. 1433 00:37:51,035 --> 00:37:54,038 Appreciate it. 1434 00:37:56,173 --> 00:37:57,842 We are welcoming Jared Coffin 1435 00:37:57,842 --> 00:37:59,443 from the Dixie Group. 1436 00:37:59,443 --> 00:38:00,678 He is their senior vice 1437 00:38:00,678 --> 00:38:03,014 president of product and marketing 1438 00:38:03,014 --> 00:38:04,548 and the Dixie Group 1439 00:38:04,548 --> 00:38:06,083 does have a few different subbrands. 1440 00:38:06,083 --> 00:38:07,018 But today we're going 1441 00:38:07,018 --> 00:38:09,120 to focus mainly on the floor 1442 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:10,988 side of the group. 1443 00:38:10,988 --> 00:38:12,189 So thank you so much again, 1444 00:38:12,189 --> 00:38:14,225 Jared, for joining us today. 1445 00:38:14,225 --> 00:38:14,792 Of course. 1446 00:38:14,792 --> 00:38:15,393 Thank you, Mollie, 1447 00:38:15,393 --> 00:38:17,461 thanks for having having me. Yeah. 1448 00:38:17,461 --> 00:38:18,362 How long have you been with 1449 00:38:18,362 --> 00:38:19,096 the Dixie Group 1450 00:38:19,096 --> 00:38:20,564 and what made you interested 1451 00:38:20,564 --> 00:38:22,300 and going into this industry? 1452 00:38:22,300 --> 00:38:24,769 So I've been with the Dixie Group. 1453 00:38:24,769 --> 00:38:27,238 It's pushing 17 years, which is amazing 1454 00:38:27,238 --> 00:38:29,173 and hard to believe it's been that long 1455 00:38:29,173 --> 00:38:30,641 and kind of two stints. 1456 00:38:30,641 --> 00:38:33,311 So I started with the company, 1457 00:38:33,311 --> 00:38:34,412 with the Amazon brand 1458 00:38:34,412 --> 00:38:34,945 as a sales 1459 00:38:34,945 --> 00:38:36,180 rep up in the Boston, 1460 00:38:36,180 --> 00:38:37,148 Massachusetts market 1461 00:38:37,148 --> 00:38:39,116 and kind of covered New England. 1462 00:38:39,116 --> 00:38:41,619 I was up there for about seven years. 1463 00:38:41,619 --> 00:38:43,287 And then I've been working, 1464 00:38:43,287 --> 00:38:44,522 an adult and corporate lead 1465 00:38:44,522 --> 00:38:45,823 for about about ten years 1466 00:38:45,823 --> 00:38:47,091 and have had a number of different roles. 1467 00:38:47,091 --> 00:38:48,959 So I kind of moved through things. 1468 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:50,661 What got me 1469 00:38:50,661 --> 00:38:53,664 interested in joining flooring? 1470 00:38:53,664 --> 00:38:56,000 You know, I have no idea. 1471 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:56,667 I guess 1472 00:38:56,667 --> 00:38:57,768 graduating college, 1473 00:38:57,768 --> 00:38:59,737 going through the career fair 1474 00:38:59,737 --> 00:39:01,105 and got hooked up with the Shaw 1475 00:39:01,105 --> 00:39:03,307 Industries Group. 1476 00:39:03,307 --> 00:39:04,875 They recruited out a lot of college 1477 00:39:04,875 --> 00:39:06,610 to put people into the training program. 1478 00:39:06,610 --> 00:39:07,144 So I went through 1479 00:39:07,144 --> 00:39:09,246 Shaw's training program, 1480 00:39:09,246 --> 00:39:10,214 and started in the industry 1481 00:39:10,214 --> 00:39:11,549 as a tough tech sales rep 1482 00:39:11,549 --> 00:39:13,517 and then found my way over to my house 1483 00:39:13,517 --> 00:39:14,452 and in the Dixie group. 1484 00:39:14,452 --> 00:39:17,321 So, over 20 years in the industry, 1485 00:39:17,321 --> 00:39:18,222 like I said, I can't 1486 00:39:18,222 --> 00:39:20,391 I can't believe it's been this long. 1487 00:39:20,391 --> 00:39:22,326 But I just kind of fell into it. 1488 00:39:22,326 --> 00:39:23,661 I went into it and it's been good. 1489 00:39:23,661 --> 00:39:24,662 You know, it's one of those, you know, 1490 00:39:24,662 --> 00:39:25,863 everybody does a joke 1491 00:39:25,863 --> 00:39:27,064 like you can't leave the industry. 1492 00:39:27,064 --> 00:39:28,232 And, it's 1493 00:39:28,232 --> 00:39:30,701 been a happy home for the last bit. 1494 00:39:30,701 --> 00:39:31,669 And, 1495 00:39:31,669 --> 00:39:32,870 I mean, do a deep enough 1496 00:39:32,870 --> 00:39:34,171 that I think this is my, 1497 00:39:34,171 --> 00:39:35,373 this is my career for life. 1498 00:39:35,373 --> 00:39:36,273 So here we go. 1499 00:39:36,273 --> 00:39:37,441 So as someone 1500 00:39:37,441 --> 00:39:38,876 who is in the carpet industry, 1501 00:39:38,876 --> 00:39:40,411 what do you think makes carpet 1502 00:39:40,411 --> 00:39:41,746 so comforting? 1503 00:39:41,746 --> 00:39:43,514 I mean, it's soft, right? 1504 00:39:43,514 --> 00:39:44,749 Like, 1505 00:39:44,749 --> 00:39:45,416 and you think about, 1506 00:39:45,416 --> 00:39:46,250 especially today 1507 00:39:46,250 --> 00:39:47,518 where carpeting goes like 1508 00:39:47,518 --> 00:39:49,653 it's going in the bedroom. 1509 00:39:49,653 --> 00:39:52,022 It may go in some play areas, 1510 00:39:52,022 --> 00:39:53,290 or it's, you know, an accent 1511 00:39:53,290 --> 00:39:54,625 piece going in, 1512 00:39:54,625 --> 00:39:55,126 you know, a rug 1513 00:39:55,126 --> 00:39:56,527 going in the foyer upstairs. 1514 00:39:56,527 --> 00:39:58,396 But when you see more comfort, 1515 00:39:58,396 --> 00:40:00,030 you think about a master bedroom. 1516 00:40:01,031 --> 00:40:03,901 It is that is like that is our sanctuary. 1517 00:40:03,901 --> 00:40:05,102 When we think about going home, 1518 00:40:05,102 --> 00:40:08,105 that's the place where we want to relax. 1519 00:40:08,773 --> 00:40:09,607 And that's what we want. 1520 00:40:09,607 --> 00:40:11,275 Kind of a comfortable, inviting space. 1521 00:40:11,275 --> 00:40:11,709 And that's, 1522 00:40:11,709 --> 00:40:12,777 you know, white carpet 1523 00:40:12,777 --> 00:40:14,779 still dominates that room. 1524 00:40:14,779 --> 00:40:16,046 It is clearly the, 1525 00:40:16,046 --> 00:40:19,016 the comfortable floor, product. 1526 00:40:19,016 --> 00:40:19,417 And that, 1527 00:40:19,417 --> 00:40:20,584 you know, just just really does 1528 00:40:20,584 --> 00:40:22,253 kind of go hand in hand. 1529 00:40:22,253 --> 00:40:22,820 So, yeah, I mean, 1530 00:40:22,820 --> 00:40:23,287 I think 1531 00:40:23,287 --> 00:40:24,422 comfort simultaneous 1532 00:40:24,422 --> 00:40:25,322 with soft floor 1533 00:40:25,322 --> 00:40:27,691 comfort is why it's called soft. 1534 00:40:27,691 --> 00:40:28,626 No, absolutely. 1535 00:40:28,626 --> 00:40:30,127 I think, 1536 00:40:30,127 --> 00:40:31,462 when you wake up in the morning, 1537 00:40:31,462 --> 00:40:32,997 you don't want to step on 1538 00:40:32,997 --> 00:40:34,865 something like hard and core. 1539 00:40:34,865 --> 00:40:37,201 You want it to be soft and, 1540 00:40:37,201 --> 00:40:38,602 you want it to be a nice way to wake 1541 00:40:38,602 --> 00:40:39,069 up, right? 1542 00:40:39,069 --> 00:40:41,272 You don't want to be jolted into the day. 1543 00:40:41,272 --> 00:40:42,339 Exactly right. 1544 00:40:42,339 --> 00:40:43,007 Exactly right. 1545 00:40:43,007 --> 00:40:43,674 And then, 1546 00:40:43,674 --> 00:40:44,308 you know, finish 1547 00:40:44,308 --> 00:40:46,010 your day is you're exhausted 1548 00:40:46,010 --> 00:40:48,045 and tired and work is beat 1549 00:40:48,045 --> 00:40:49,413 up, and the kids would beat you up 1550 00:40:49,413 --> 00:40:51,182 like it's a nice, smooth, 1551 00:40:51,182 --> 00:40:53,217 comfortable, casual way to kind of, 1552 00:40:53,217 --> 00:40:54,452 you know, end the night as well. 1553 00:40:54,452 --> 00:40:56,587 So yeah, absolutely. 1554 00:40:57,822 --> 00:40:58,355 So how does 1555 00:40:58,355 --> 00:41:00,124 age Flores continue to elevate 1556 00:41:00,124 --> 00:41:01,759 that level of comfort and a 1557 00:41:01,759 --> 00:41:04,562 that, you know, I think it's one of those 1558 00:41:04,562 --> 00:41:06,130 like very basic elements 1559 00:41:06,130 --> 00:41:07,231 that's just ingrained 1560 00:41:07,231 --> 00:41:08,432 with the product in general. 1561 00:41:08,432 --> 00:41:11,402 So we talk about comfort. 1562 00:41:12,136 --> 00:41:13,971 But we also try to, 1563 00:41:13,971 --> 00:41:14,338 you know, 1564 00:41:14,338 --> 00:41:17,341 I think our spin on this is about 1565 00:41:17,408 --> 00:41:20,077 like the style and fashion elements 1566 00:41:20,077 --> 00:41:21,745 that go along with comfort as well. 1567 00:41:21,745 --> 00:41:24,148 So I think understanding that 1568 00:41:24,148 --> 00:41:25,950 comfort is foundational to this, 1569 00:41:25,950 --> 00:41:26,250 and that's 1570 00:41:26,250 --> 00:41:27,818 kind of one of those like 1 to 1, 1571 00:41:27,818 --> 00:41:30,821 you know, you know, you know, human 1572 00:41:31,388 --> 00:41:33,724 draws is to something that's comfortable, 1573 00:41:33,724 --> 00:41:35,392 but then you want it to look good 1574 00:41:35,392 --> 00:41:38,395 and, and perform and, you know, 1575 00:41:38,395 --> 00:41:39,930 be visually appealing as well. 1576 00:41:39,930 --> 00:41:41,565 I think that's our spin on it as well, 1577 00:41:41,565 --> 00:41:43,467 not only for the physical aspects 1578 00:41:43,467 --> 00:41:45,402 of softness or comfort, 1579 00:41:45,402 --> 00:41:47,037 but also like the psychological, 1580 00:41:47,037 --> 00:41:48,706 like you just feel good 1581 00:41:48,706 --> 00:41:50,007 when you kind of enter that space. 1582 00:41:50,007 --> 00:41:51,609 So the Dixie group 1583 00:41:51,609 --> 00:41:54,478 as a whole, in dollars, 1584 00:41:54,478 --> 00:41:54,778 you know, 1585 00:41:54,778 --> 00:41:56,780 our brand messages are all about fashion. 1586 00:41:56,780 --> 00:41:58,849 So, you know, our, 1587 00:41:58,849 --> 00:41:59,950 you know, our next step 1588 00:41:59,950 --> 00:42:01,585 beyond comfort is about, 1589 00:42:01,585 --> 00:42:02,553 you know, 1590 00:42:02,553 --> 00:42:03,888 colors and having unique 1591 00:42:03,888 --> 00:42:06,090 and different colors that will appeal, 1592 00:42:06,090 --> 00:42:08,592 whether it's patterns or design elements 1593 00:42:08,592 --> 00:42:09,760 that, 1594 00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:11,161 you know, set us apart from, 1595 00:42:11,161 --> 00:42:12,963 from the rest of the industry as well. 1596 00:42:12,963 --> 00:42:14,598 So yes, comfort is there. 1597 00:42:14,598 --> 00:42:15,799 And we certainly speak to that, 1598 00:42:15,799 --> 00:42:17,301 but that's just foundation 1599 00:42:17,301 --> 00:42:18,502 with soft flooring as well. 1600 00:42:18,502 --> 00:42:19,503 So, you know, 1601 00:42:19,503 --> 00:42:21,038 the specific messages we get with 1602 00:42:21,038 --> 00:42:22,506 the floors are more about kind of that, 1603 00:42:22,506 --> 00:42:23,707 that fashion side. 1604 00:42:24,975 --> 00:42:27,444 In addition to the comfort elements. 1605 00:42:27,444 --> 00:42:28,846 Yeah, I totally agree. 1606 00:42:28,846 --> 00:42:31,048 I go into the Saint Louis, 1607 00:42:31,048 --> 00:42:33,017 presser showroom a lot. Yeah. 1608 00:42:33,017 --> 00:42:34,118 Just to film content. 1609 00:42:34,118 --> 00:42:35,753 And I'm always amazed at 1610 00:42:35,753 --> 00:42:38,489 how many different selections, 1611 00:42:38,489 --> 00:42:40,591 different textures, different styles. 1612 00:42:40,591 --> 00:42:41,859 There are, 1613 00:42:41,859 --> 00:42:44,128 for your guys's carpet choices. 1614 00:42:44,128 --> 00:42:45,129 There's, I mean, anything 1615 00:42:45,129 --> 00:42:47,731 you can think of, like leopard print, 1616 00:42:47,731 --> 00:42:48,999 anything that you do. 1617 00:42:48,999 --> 00:42:49,633 You didn't think 1618 00:42:49,633 --> 00:42:50,668 that would be on a carpet? 1619 00:42:50,668 --> 00:42:51,635 It's it's available 1620 00:42:51,635 --> 00:42:53,470 in case there's someone that needs it. 1621 00:42:53,470 --> 00:42:54,605 And I think that that 1622 00:42:54,605 --> 00:42:55,372 that's the whole point. 1623 00:42:55,372 --> 00:42:57,341 So we're trying to provide selection. 1624 00:42:57,341 --> 00:42:59,276 You know, we've got an industry 1625 00:42:59,276 --> 00:43:00,945 that in sort in soft 1626 00:43:00,945 --> 00:43:03,047 foreign is going to a sea of sameness. 1627 00:43:03,047 --> 00:43:03,881 It's beige, 1628 00:43:03,881 --> 00:43:06,350 it's gray, it's solution dyed. 1629 00:43:06,350 --> 00:43:07,384 And a lot of its solution 1630 00:43:07,384 --> 00:43:08,252 that polyester or 1631 00:43:08,252 --> 00:43:09,219 so we're 1632 00:43:09,219 --> 00:43:09,954 trying to do something 1633 00:43:09,954 --> 00:43:10,688 a little different. 1634 00:43:10,688 --> 00:43:12,456 Yes. We have not polyester. 1635 00:43:12,456 --> 00:43:14,158 Yes we have beige and gray. 1636 00:43:14,158 --> 00:43:15,526 And those are instrumental colors 1637 00:43:15,526 --> 00:43:16,293 to the industry. 1638 00:43:16,293 --> 00:43:18,729 But having those blue accents, 1639 00:43:18,729 --> 00:43:19,296 those trendy 1640 00:43:19,296 --> 00:43:22,299 and green and terracotta accents, 1641 00:43:22,866 --> 00:43:24,001 it's really important in it. 1642 00:43:24,001 --> 00:43:26,337 And it's part of what sets us apart 1643 00:43:26,337 --> 00:43:28,072 and hopefully also sets apart the, 1644 00:43:28,072 --> 00:43:29,373 you know, the prosource showrooms 1645 00:43:29,373 --> 00:43:31,508 where they have something that not every, 1646 00:43:31,508 --> 00:43:32,643 you know, other store, 1647 00:43:32,643 --> 00:43:34,211 you know, in the neighborhood of, 1648 00:43:34,211 --> 00:43:34,979 you know, may have. 1649 00:43:34,979 --> 00:43:35,879 So, you know, 1650 00:43:35,879 --> 00:43:37,448 we're trying to create differentiation, 1651 00:43:37,448 --> 00:43:38,649 which helps our brand 1652 00:43:38,649 --> 00:43:39,984 but also helps our customers 1653 00:43:39,984 --> 00:43:41,385 create something different for 1654 00:43:41,385 --> 00:43:42,486 and for the end consumers 1655 00:43:42,486 --> 00:43:43,053 coming in as well. 1656 00:43:43,053 --> 00:43:46,023 So hopefully it's a nice, you know, 1657 00:43:46,023 --> 00:43:46,824 you know, 1658 00:43:46,824 --> 00:43:47,458 set up that 1659 00:43:47,458 --> 00:43:48,659 that really does work for, 1660 00:43:48,659 --> 00:43:50,494 for the whole value chain. 1661 00:43:50,494 --> 00:43:51,362 No, it it does. 1662 00:43:51,362 --> 00:43:52,997 We put together, 1663 00:43:52,997 --> 00:43:54,598 a space themed design 1664 00:43:54,598 --> 00:43:56,934 board a few weeks ago or a few months ago 1665 00:43:56,934 --> 00:43:58,802 now for our TikTok page. 1666 00:43:58,802 --> 00:44:00,537 And I was looking for something 1667 00:44:00,537 --> 00:44:02,039 that was space themed 1668 00:44:02,039 --> 00:44:04,408 and I can't remember exactly which card. 1669 00:44:04,408 --> 00:44:06,810 I think it was Naslund carpet, 1670 00:44:06,810 --> 00:44:07,978 but there was a like 1671 00:44:07,978 --> 00:44:09,213 there was like a space 1672 00:44:09,213 --> 00:44:10,481 kind of to have like stars 1673 00:44:10,481 --> 00:44:12,216 pattern on a carpet. 1674 00:44:12,216 --> 00:44:13,884 And we were able to use that immediately. 1675 00:44:13,884 --> 00:44:14,551 And I couldn't believe 1676 00:44:14,551 --> 00:44:15,786 that I read into that. 1677 00:44:15,786 --> 00:44:17,054 Yeah, yeah. 1678 00:44:17,054 --> 00:44:19,890 I mean, to your point, like we've got 1679 00:44:19,890 --> 00:44:21,792 we've got couple's, we've got loops, 1680 00:44:21,792 --> 00:44:23,694 we've got striated products. 1681 00:44:23,694 --> 00:44:25,129 I mean any, 1682 00:44:25,129 --> 00:44:26,930 you know, pattern you want 1683 00:44:26,930 --> 00:44:27,498 when you talk about 1684 00:44:27,498 --> 00:44:28,532 the whole corporation, 1685 00:44:28,532 --> 00:44:32,603 we go from 35 ounce cut power polyester 1686 00:44:33,203 --> 00:44:36,440 in VH up through Pam tufted. 1687 00:44:36,940 --> 00:44:38,676 You know, one of a kind, 1688 00:44:38,676 --> 00:44:41,078 wool rugs for fabric. 1689 00:44:41,078 --> 00:44:43,047 There's a wide breadth of product 1690 00:44:43,047 --> 00:44:45,616 content between the three brands. 1691 00:44:45,616 --> 00:44:46,050 Awesome. 1692 00:44:47,051 --> 00:44:47,584 So moving 1693 00:44:47,584 --> 00:44:50,587 into the Envision Nylon side of it 1694 00:44:51,188 --> 00:44:52,890 for us has been able to create ultra 1695 00:44:52,890 --> 00:44:53,557 soft products 1696 00:44:53,557 --> 00:44:55,125 without compromising that style. 1697 00:44:55,125 --> 00:44:56,160 We were talking about 1698 00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:57,494 how does the edge force balance 1699 00:44:57,494 --> 00:44:58,729 that level of innovation 1700 00:44:58,729 --> 00:45:00,631 and creativity within a selection? 1701 00:45:00,631 --> 00:45:01,932 So it's all about 1702 00:45:01,932 --> 00:45:03,200 innovation and creativity, 1703 00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:03,801 and I think there's 1704 00:45:03,801 --> 00:45:05,903 a technical aspect to innovation. 1705 00:45:05,903 --> 00:45:06,870 And there's also like 1706 00:45:06,870 --> 00:45:09,039 the style design side of it, 1707 00:45:09,039 --> 00:45:10,307 we're always trying to push 1708 00:45:10,307 --> 00:45:12,142 that style of design and do feel like, 1709 00:45:12,142 --> 00:45:12,409 you know, 1710 00:45:12,409 --> 00:45:13,844 one of the leaders in the market 1711 00:45:13,844 --> 00:45:14,845 doing that. 1712 00:45:14,845 --> 00:45:17,414 We do a lot of mixing and matching 1713 00:45:17,414 --> 00:45:19,983 yarns and fiber types, where we get 1714 00:45:19,983 --> 00:45:20,584 little luster 1715 00:45:20,584 --> 00:45:22,052 yarns and high lace to yarns 1716 00:45:22,052 --> 00:45:23,220 put together and combined. 1717 00:45:23,220 --> 00:45:24,888 So you'll just get different textures 1718 00:45:24,888 --> 00:45:26,290 and esthetics out of the product. 1719 00:45:27,257 --> 00:45:29,493 And on one hand, like 1720 00:45:29,493 --> 00:45:30,427 it is innovation, 1721 00:45:30,427 --> 00:45:31,562 but it's also just kind of 1722 00:45:31,562 --> 00:45:32,830 like our development process, 1723 00:45:32,830 --> 00:45:33,731 like we're always 1724 00:45:33,731 --> 00:45:34,865 trying different things. 1725 00:45:34,865 --> 00:45:35,432 And weekly 1726 00:45:35,432 --> 00:45:36,767 there are samples in our product 1727 00:45:36,767 --> 00:45:37,901 development group, 1728 00:45:37,901 --> 00:45:39,369 you know, is putting out on the table 1729 00:45:39,369 --> 00:45:40,237 for us to look at. 1730 00:45:40,237 --> 00:45:42,773 And, you know, 1731 00:45:42,773 --> 00:45:43,907 that development process, 1732 00:45:43,907 --> 00:45:45,576 sometimes some of the mistakes 1733 00:45:45,576 --> 00:45:47,311 end up being some of the great products. 1734 00:45:47,311 --> 00:45:48,645 And it's not like, 1735 00:45:48,645 --> 00:45:48,879 you know, 1736 00:45:48,879 --> 00:45:51,415 you're trying to drive innovation per se, 1737 00:45:51,415 --> 00:45:52,082 but it's just like 1738 00:45:52,082 --> 00:45:55,085 a continual development process, 1739 00:45:55,152 --> 00:45:56,920 to speak specifically to the 1740 00:45:56,920 --> 00:45:58,088 to the Envision fiber. 1741 00:45:58,088 --> 00:46:00,390 So, 1742 00:46:00,390 --> 00:46:01,859 the story all ties together. 1743 00:46:01,859 --> 00:46:02,159 Right? 1744 00:46:02,159 --> 00:46:04,161 So the industry is driving 1745 00:46:04,161 --> 00:46:05,562 towards polyester. 1746 00:46:05,562 --> 00:46:06,830 We're still while 1747 00:46:06,830 --> 00:46:08,699 we have a good chunk of polyester, 1748 00:46:08,699 --> 00:46:09,500 we're still really, 1749 00:46:09,500 --> 00:46:12,503 you know, primarily a nylon, house. 1750 00:46:13,103 --> 00:46:14,972 We made a large investment 1751 00:46:14,972 --> 00:46:16,807 into nylon extrusion, 1752 00:46:16,807 --> 00:46:18,475 which is up and running this year. 1753 00:46:18,475 --> 00:46:19,643 And it drives white, durable 1754 00:46:19,643 --> 00:46:21,278 nylon, which is kind of the foundation 1755 00:46:21,278 --> 00:46:24,248 of the envision my, platform. 1756 00:46:24,248 --> 00:46:28,018 So you've got a piece de nylon process. 1757 00:46:28,352 --> 00:46:30,053 It's nylon. It's not polyester. 1758 00:46:30,053 --> 00:46:31,155 So you do have an embedded 1759 00:46:31,155 --> 00:46:32,623 higher quality, 1760 00:46:32,623 --> 00:46:34,992 story as a result of that. 1761 00:46:34,992 --> 00:46:36,093 It's piece dyed 1762 00:46:36,093 --> 00:46:37,227 rather than solution dyed. 1763 00:46:37,227 --> 00:46:38,762 So you have color flexibility. 1764 00:46:40,230 --> 00:46:40,831 So you're, 1765 00:46:40,831 --> 00:46:42,800 you're driving a quality product 1766 00:46:42,800 --> 00:46:44,234 with a color story. 1767 00:46:44,234 --> 00:46:45,536 It's the antithesis of what 1768 00:46:45,536 --> 00:46:46,937 the rest of the industry is doing. 1769 00:46:46,937 --> 00:46:49,239 And it just fits so well. 1770 00:46:49,239 --> 00:46:50,941 To kind of our, our spot on the market. 1771 00:46:50,941 --> 00:46:53,644 We do more style, we do more color. 1772 00:46:53,644 --> 00:46:55,913 So a dark horse is known for what 1773 00:46:55,913 --> 00:46:56,680 it's what mouse made 1774 00:46:56,680 --> 00:46:58,182 fabric are known for. 1775 00:46:58,182 --> 00:46:58,949 And frankly, it's 1776 00:46:58,949 --> 00:47:01,285 what our dealers seem to be asking for. 1777 00:47:01,285 --> 00:47:02,319 It's like there's 1778 00:47:02,319 --> 00:47:02,853 a little bit 1779 00:47:02,853 --> 00:47:04,321 bubbling up where we're it's like 1780 00:47:04,321 --> 00:47:06,390 enough of the Bayesian gray. 1781 00:47:06,390 --> 00:47:08,158 We're looking for some color. 1782 00:47:08,158 --> 00:47:09,626 So it's just like I said, it's 1783 00:47:09,626 --> 00:47:10,861 just this full circle thing 1784 00:47:10,861 --> 00:47:12,262 that's kind of come in quite recently. 1785 00:47:12,262 --> 00:47:14,031 That's been a nice, 1786 00:47:14,031 --> 00:47:14,231 you know, 1787 00:47:14,231 --> 00:47:16,033 just kind of nice convergence of events 1788 00:47:16,033 --> 00:47:17,501 and the lines up really well with what, 1789 00:47:17,501 --> 00:47:18,535 what we try to reach 1790 00:47:19,670 --> 00:47:20,270 for sure. 1791 00:47:20,270 --> 00:47:20,904 That was actually 1792 00:47:20,904 --> 00:47:22,406 going to be my next question 1793 00:47:22,406 --> 00:47:24,842 was, what inspires that passion 1794 00:47:24,842 --> 00:47:26,710 within the carpeting designs 1795 00:47:26,710 --> 00:47:27,911 that for us produces it. 1796 00:47:27,911 --> 00:47:29,112 It seems like 1797 00:47:29,112 --> 00:47:30,614 your product development group 1798 00:47:30,614 --> 00:47:31,982 or your team in general, 1799 00:47:31,982 --> 00:47:33,784 they are looking at trade pros 1800 00:47:33,784 --> 00:47:35,719 and partners to get feedback 1801 00:47:35,719 --> 00:47:37,888 on kind of what move they should do next. 1802 00:47:37,888 --> 00:47:39,223 Yeah, all of the above. Right. 1803 00:47:39,223 --> 00:47:40,657 So our product development team 1804 00:47:40,657 --> 00:47:42,192 I'll say is frankly quite small. 1805 00:47:42,192 --> 00:47:42,826 We've got a couple 1806 00:47:42,826 --> 00:47:44,828 of really good experts. 1807 00:47:44,828 --> 00:47:46,730 But they're always looking for unique 1808 00:47:46,730 --> 00:47:49,700 and different constructions and fabrics. 1809 00:47:49,700 --> 00:47:52,236 And we're always taking products out. 1810 00:47:52,236 --> 00:47:53,570 I'll do it. 1811 00:47:53,570 --> 00:47:54,872 Others in the product group, 1812 00:47:54,872 --> 00:47:56,974 our president team will do it. 1813 00:47:56,974 --> 00:47:57,407 Our sales 1814 00:47:57,407 --> 00:47:58,108 managers will do it 1815 00:47:58,108 --> 00:47:59,877 where they'll be out in a market 1816 00:47:59,877 --> 00:48:02,012 and they'll be bouncing products off of, 1817 00:48:02,012 --> 00:48:04,014 you know, dealers and retail sales 1818 00:48:04,014 --> 00:48:05,115 professionals that kind of said, 1819 00:48:05,115 --> 00:48:07,017 do you like this one? What do you think? 1820 00:48:07,017 --> 00:48:08,785 How's the color line? 1821 00:48:08,785 --> 00:48:10,053 So we'll get that feedback 1822 00:48:10,053 --> 00:48:11,121 from our customers. 1823 00:48:12,189 --> 00:48:13,357 Our designers go to 1824 00:48:13,357 --> 00:48:15,459 go to trade shows like High Point. 1825 00:48:15,459 --> 00:48:17,494 They subscribe to, 1826 00:48:17,494 --> 00:48:20,030 some of the trends, organizations, 1827 00:48:20,030 --> 00:48:21,298 color marketing. 1828 00:48:21,298 --> 00:48:22,065 There's both some, 1829 00:48:22,065 --> 00:48:24,167 some trade groups that we'll do 1830 00:48:24,167 --> 00:48:25,202 and some professional things. 1831 00:48:25,202 --> 00:48:26,904 But then it's also just kind of 1832 00:48:26,904 --> 00:48:28,171 that organic feedback 1833 00:48:28,171 --> 00:48:29,673 you're getting from customers, 1834 00:48:29,673 --> 00:48:30,741 showing them new development, 1835 00:48:30,741 --> 00:48:31,842 and then also talking about things 1836 00:48:31,842 --> 00:48:33,477 that are in the line, 1837 00:48:33,477 --> 00:48:35,379 you know, that work or don't work. 1838 00:48:35,379 --> 00:48:36,980 There's things to learn from both sides. 1839 00:48:36,980 --> 00:48:38,882 But so it's like all the above, 1840 00:48:38,882 --> 00:48:41,251 it's a continual learning process 1841 00:48:41,251 --> 00:48:42,886 and taking any feedback. 1842 00:48:42,886 --> 00:48:43,487 Good or bad, 1843 00:48:43,487 --> 00:48:45,122 you end up getting better as a result. 1844 00:48:45,122 --> 00:48:47,391 How have lives inspired by innovation 1845 00:48:47,391 --> 00:48:48,492 like and vision? 1846 00:48:48,492 --> 00:48:49,793 As the pet solutions 1847 00:48:49,793 --> 00:48:51,094 have been received by homeowners 1848 00:48:51,094 --> 00:48:52,963 looking to make their carpets last, 1849 00:48:52,963 --> 00:48:54,097 and how do they work? 1850 00:48:54,097 --> 00:48:55,165 Yeah, really, really well. 1851 00:48:55,165 --> 00:48:58,969 So the whole like animal performance 1852 00:48:59,369 --> 00:49:01,204 marketing has really connected 1853 00:49:01,204 --> 00:49:02,105 with the consumer. 1854 00:49:02,105 --> 00:49:02,906 And, you know, 1855 00:49:02,906 --> 00:49:04,141 one of our former suppliers 1856 00:49:04,141 --> 00:49:06,576 in Vista had their Pet Protect brand, 1857 00:49:06,576 --> 00:49:07,711 which probably was 1858 00:49:07,711 --> 00:49:09,246 one of the first and leaders in it, 1859 00:49:09,246 --> 00:49:10,914 and it resonated. 1860 00:49:10,914 --> 00:49:12,883 We've since then seen every 1861 00:49:14,117 --> 00:49:16,920 you know, manufacturer or company entity 1862 00:49:16,920 --> 00:49:18,388 come up with their version of, 1863 00:49:18,388 --> 00:49:21,325 you know, at proof or animal. 1864 00:49:21,325 --> 00:49:22,926 You know, focus marketing 1865 00:49:22,926 --> 00:49:24,061 from a marketing concept 1866 00:49:24,061 --> 00:49:25,696 really resonates with the consumer. 1867 00:49:25,696 --> 00:49:26,863 And there's, 1868 00:49:26,863 --> 00:49:29,099 we all most of us, not 1869 00:49:29,099 --> 00:49:30,968 most of us really do like animals 1870 00:49:30,968 --> 00:49:33,070 and have pets, cats and dogs 1871 00:49:33,070 --> 00:49:35,305 and even some exotic animals out there. 1872 00:49:35,305 --> 00:49:35,739 So there's a 1873 00:49:35,739 --> 00:49:38,108 there is a good connection there. 1874 00:49:38,108 --> 00:49:39,376 So from a marketing perspective 1875 00:49:39,376 --> 00:49:40,243 that works, 1876 00:49:40,243 --> 00:49:41,979 then you back it up with 1877 00:49:41,979 --> 00:49:43,213 a quality product. 1878 00:49:43,213 --> 00:49:44,581 So something that is solution 1879 00:49:44,581 --> 00:49:45,782 dyed, frankly, 1880 00:49:45,782 --> 00:49:47,484 whether it's polyester or nylon, 1881 00:49:47,484 --> 00:49:48,185 it's going to perform 1882 00:49:48,185 --> 00:49:51,188 really well from a stain perspective. 1883 00:49:51,221 --> 00:49:52,122 We like both. 1884 00:49:52,122 --> 00:49:53,757 There's places for both 1885 00:49:53,757 --> 00:49:55,258 the pet solutions. 1886 00:49:55,258 --> 00:49:55,826 The envision 1887 00:49:55,826 --> 00:49:56,893 as the Pet solutions 1888 00:49:56,893 --> 00:49:58,261 brand has been a really good one 1889 00:49:58,261 --> 00:50:00,163 to carry a quality story, 1890 00:50:00,163 --> 00:50:01,231 both from, 1891 00:50:01,231 --> 00:50:01,865 you know, 1892 00:50:01,865 --> 00:50:03,900 the durability of the nylon fiber, 1893 00:50:03,900 --> 00:50:05,535 which is going to outlast 1894 00:50:05,535 --> 00:50:06,837 anything outside of wool. 1895 00:50:07,771 --> 00:50:08,839 And then from a solution 1896 00:50:08,839 --> 00:50:10,440 type perspective, 1897 00:50:10,440 --> 00:50:11,174 clean ability 1898 00:50:11,174 --> 00:50:12,609 with stains and things like that. 1899 00:50:12,609 --> 00:50:13,777 It is just a 1900 00:50:13,777 --> 00:50:15,779 it's a great technical story 1901 00:50:15,779 --> 00:50:17,581 that matches with the marketing content. 1902 00:50:17,581 --> 00:50:18,215 And consumers 1903 00:50:18,215 --> 00:50:19,549 have really taken off 1904 00:50:19,549 --> 00:50:21,284 with us a very successful, 1905 00:50:21,284 --> 00:50:23,253 fiber, product for us. 1906 00:50:23,253 --> 00:50:26,089 So what patterns and colors have you seen 1907 00:50:26,089 --> 00:50:28,658 be trending for floors in 2024? 1908 00:50:28,658 --> 00:50:30,927 We're seeing like dramatic, 1909 00:50:30,927 --> 00:50:33,930 large scale, high contrast patterns. 1910 00:50:34,231 --> 00:50:36,199 Step back a little bit. 1911 00:50:36,199 --> 00:50:38,702 And so small scale, 1912 00:50:38,702 --> 00:50:40,837 and then almost more texture than pattern 1913 00:50:40,837 --> 00:50:41,772 seems to be growing. 1914 00:50:41,772 --> 00:50:43,807 So some of these blue clays 1915 00:50:43,807 --> 00:50:45,242 and sisal looks and, 1916 00:50:45,242 --> 00:50:45,542 you know, 1917 00:50:45,542 --> 00:50:45,876 just where 1918 00:50:45,876 --> 00:50:48,779 there's real texture to the product, 1919 00:50:48,779 --> 00:50:50,247 it seems to be growing where 1920 00:50:50,247 --> 00:50:50,847 we're patterns 1921 00:50:50,847 --> 00:50:52,115 almost seem to be stepping back 1922 00:50:52,115 --> 00:50:53,617 a little bit. 1923 00:50:53,617 --> 00:50:55,352 I will say from a pattern perspective, 1924 00:50:55,352 --> 00:50:58,155 it was that tree bark look for years 1925 00:50:58,155 --> 00:51:00,090 and then it was that crosshatch. 1926 00:51:00,090 --> 00:51:01,124 Now we're seeing these 1927 00:51:01,124 --> 00:51:02,526 kind of overall linen 1928 00:51:02,526 --> 00:51:04,461 or fabric type patterns 1929 00:51:04,461 --> 00:51:04,895 that again, 1930 00:51:04,895 --> 00:51:06,563 just have that nice little overall effect 1931 00:51:06,563 --> 00:51:08,665 or not a real strong pattern. 1932 00:51:08,665 --> 00:51:10,233 Seem to be growing a little bit 1933 00:51:10,233 --> 00:51:12,302 from a color perspective. 1934 00:51:12,302 --> 00:51:13,236 Things are warming up, 1935 00:51:14,471 --> 00:51:16,940 so, you know, grays or go and topia 1936 00:51:16,940 --> 00:51:19,142 and even seeing some gold accents 1937 00:51:19,142 --> 00:51:22,112 come in, in the neutral field, 1938 00:51:22,279 --> 00:51:23,380 on the high end, we all we 1939 00:51:23,380 --> 00:51:24,815 we really white 1940 00:51:24,815 --> 00:51:25,682 colors and off 1941 00:51:25,682 --> 00:51:28,452 whites are really, really strong. 1942 00:51:28,452 --> 00:51:30,153 So on our higher end brands, you know, 1943 00:51:30,153 --> 00:51:32,889 we do sell our white, 1944 00:51:32,889 --> 00:51:35,325 and then from an accent color, 1945 00:51:35,325 --> 00:51:37,494 we see in the trends, 1946 00:51:37,494 --> 00:51:39,830 greens, sages 1947 00:51:39,830 --> 00:51:41,398 and then kind of the terracotta 1948 00:51:41,398 --> 00:51:44,468 and you know, that that evolution of red. 1949 00:51:44,968 --> 00:51:45,869 It's in trends. 1950 00:51:45,869 --> 00:51:47,104 I wouldn't say that we're necessarily 1951 00:51:47,104 --> 00:51:49,172 seeing that in sales yet. 1952 00:51:49,172 --> 00:51:50,273 But we're seeing it in trends 1953 00:51:50,273 --> 00:51:51,641 and you start seeing those greens 1954 00:51:51,641 --> 00:51:52,843 and terracotta is infiltrating 1955 00:51:52,843 --> 00:51:55,112 some of our newest color lines. 1956 00:51:55,112 --> 00:51:55,545 It'll be there 1957 00:51:55,545 --> 00:51:58,215 from an accent perspective. 1958 00:51:58,215 --> 00:51:59,082 But it's foreign. 1959 00:51:59,082 --> 00:52:01,485 So we certainly do sell a lot of neutral. 1960 00:52:01,485 --> 00:52:02,719 But you got to have those pops 1961 00:52:02,719 --> 00:52:04,254 of, of color in there 1962 00:52:04,254 --> 00:52:05,822 to keep everybody excited and cover 1963 00:52:05,822 --> 00:52:08,091 some of those area rugs as well. 1964 00:52:08,091 --> 00:52:09,593 Yeah, I feel like this 1965 00:52:09,593 --> 00:52:10,861 the last couple of years, 1966 00:52:10,861 --> 00:52:13,797 the trend of bold colors 1967 00:52:13,797 --> 00:52:15,599 has really been at the forefront. 1968 00:52:15,599 --> 00:52:17,567 And I feel like with every brand, 1969 00:52:17,567 --> 00:52:19,202 every trade pro I've talked to 1970 00:52:19,202 --> 00:52:20,303 that's been top of 1971 00:52:20,303 --> 00:52:22,105 discussion is to the point, the bold. 1972 00:52:22,105 --> 00:52:25,509 And it's even exiting just the industry. 1973 00:52:25,775 --> 00:52:26,910 So the Wall Street 1974 00:52:26,910 --> 00:52:29,212 Journal had an article about color 1975 00:52:29,212 --> 00:52:30,280 room carpeting. 1976 00:52:31,381 --> 00:52:33,049 Vogue had an article. 1977 00:52:33,049 --> 00:52:33,817 Wow. 1978 00:52:33,817 --> 00:52:35,852 It's starting to hit like like, 1979 00:52:35,852 --> 00:52:38,054 you know, outside of the industry, 1980 00:52:38,054 --> 00:52:39,656 which is neat to see. 1981 00:52:39,656 --> 00:52:40,790 I mean, they weren't to your point, 1982 00:52:40,790 --> 00:52:41,625 it was really bold, 1983 00:52:41,625 --> 00:52:42,993 strong colors that they were, 1984 00:52:42,993 --> 00:52:45,462 that they were commenting on. Yes. 1985 00:52:45,462 --> 00:52:46,863 So yeah, totally. 1986 00:52:46,863 --> 00:52:48,732 There does seem to be something here 1987 00:52:48,732 --> 00:52:50,534 bubbling a little bit. 1988 00:52:50,534 --> 00:52:52,269 That's awesome. 1989 00:52:52,269 --> 00:52:54,371 So with the or carpets, 1990 00:52:54,371 --> 00:52:55,639 having the ability to select 1991 00:52:55,639 --> 00:52:57,007 a pattern as a rug 1992 00:52:57,007 --> 00:52:58,642 has added to their versatility. 1993 00:52:58,642 --> 00:53:00,377 So why is it so important for Gage 1994 00:53:00,377 --> 00:53:02,078 for us to offer that feature? 1995 00:53:02,078 --> 00:53:03,647 Yeah, I mean that, 1996 00:53:03,647 --> 00:53:04,481 rugs is an important 1997 00:53:04,481 --> 00:53:05,215 part of the business. 1998 00:53:05,215 --> 00:53:08,218 So the carpeting over the last 1999 00:53:08,385 --> 00:53:09,486 whatever is 25 2000 00:53:09,486 --> 00:53:10,720 years has just lost so much 2001 00:53:10,720 --> 00:53:12,522 market share of a hard surface. 2002 00:53:12,522 --> 00:53:13,990 And you think about today's home. 2003 00:53:13,990 --> 00:53:14,925 You got a hard surface 2004 00:53:14,925 --> 00:53:16,626 on the first floor. 2005 00:53:16,626 --> 00:53:19,162 Likely you have it on the second floor, 2006 00:53:19,162 --> 00:53:20,864 basements for the parts of the country 2007 00:53:20,864 --> 00:53:22,232 that have basements, 2008 00:53:22,232 --> 00:53:22,899 they'll have it, 2009 00:53:22,899 --> 00:53:23,700 you know, in 2010 00:53:23,700 --> 00:53:26,136 LVP product likely down there. 2011 00:53:26,136 --> 00:53:27,470 There's just so much more hard 2012 00:53:27,470 --> 00:53:28,805 surface in the home. 2013 00:53:28,805 --> 00:53:30,173 That wall to wall 2014 00:53:30,173 --> 00:53:31,741 carpet is not as dominant 2015 00:53:31,741 --> 00:53:33,176 as it used to be. 2016 00:53:33,176 --> 00:53:34,544 There's still soft covering 2017 00:53:34,544 --> 00:53:36,213 going down and on top of those, 2018 00:53:36,213 --> 00:53:37,047 those hard surface. 2019 00:53:37,047 --> 00:53:39,082 So having rug fabrication, 2020 00:53:39,082 --> 00:53:41,117 an important part of the, 2021 00:53:41,117 --> 00:53:42,285 the business 2022 00:53:42,285 --> 00:53:44,521 we have a more fashionable product line. 2023 00:53:44,521 --> 00:53:45,722 So a lot of our products 2024 00:53:45,722 --> 00:53:47,591 to lend themselves, 2025 00:53:47,591 --> 00:53:48,992 to some beautiful rugs. 2026 00:53:48,992 --> 00:53:51,194 So there's a nice little fit there. 2027 00:53:51,194 --> 00:53:52,128 And then what we found 2028 00:53:52,128 --> 00:53:55,165 is the consumer that's upgrading from, 2029 00:53:55,498 --> 00:53:59,603 like, the $99 Wayfair or Lowes rug. 2030 00:54:00,003 --> 00:54:01,771 They want some customization to it. 2031 00:54:01,771 --> 00:54:04,741 So they don't want an eight by ten. 2032 00:54:04,741 --> 00:54:06,977 They want an eight six by 12 2033 00:54:06,977 --> 00:54:08,211 because that's what actually fits 2034 00:54:08,211 --> 00:54:09,246 the dining room. 2035 00:54:09,246 --> 00:54:10,680 So working off a brand name 2036 00:54:10,680 --> 00:54:11,948 is the perfect fit for that. 2037 00:54:12,949 --> 00:54:13,750 And then just having 2038 00:54:13,750 --> 00:54:14,951 a a product line 2039 00:54:14,951 --> 00:54:16,920 that orients itself towards, 2040 00:54:16,920 --> 00:54:18,421 towards, you know, pretty 2041 00:54:18,421 --> 00:54:21,291 esthetics and pretty colors, 2042 00:54:21,291 --> 00:54:21,992 that's where it works. 2043 00:54:21,992 --> 00:54:22,225 Yeah. 2044 00:54:22,225 --> 00:54:24,928 It's an important part of dollars 2045 00:54:24,928 --> 00:54:26,162 as well as mouse and 2046 00:54:26,162 --> 00:54:26,696 and fabric 2047 00:54:26,696 --> 00:54:29,699 is having a rug fabrication business. 2048 00:54:30,000 --> 00:54:30,433 We do it. 2049 00:54:30,433 --> 00:54:30,934 We've had 2050 00:54:30,934 --> 00:54:34,070 multiple fabrication operations. 2051 00:54:34,771 --> 00:54:35,438 We make the rugs 2052 00:54:35,438 --> 00:54:36,039 right there 2053 00:54:36,039 --> 00:54:38,742 and try to have an easy process, 2054 00:54:38,742 --> 00:54:39,709 you know, for our customers 2055 00:54:39,709 --> 00:54:41,911 to, to facilitate that rug purchase 2056 00:54:41,911 --> 00:54:42,979 with carpet thickness 2057 00:54:42,979 --> 00:54:44,247 and blended materials 2058 00:54:44,247 --> 00:54:45,849 that have been on the rise lately 2059 00:54:45,849 --> 00:54:46,750 and loop carpet 2060 00:54:46,750 --> 00:54:48,551 being such a prominent line, 2061 00:54:48,551 --> 00:54:49,519 how have you seen that 2062 00:54:49,519 --> 00:54:52,422 trend evolve for the for us as a whole? 2063 00:54:52,422 --> 00:54:53,990 We've had actually two products 2064 00:54:53,990 --> 00:54:54,958 launched last year 2065 00:54:54,958 --> 00:54:56,493 that were solution 2066 00:54:56,493 --> 00:54:57,994 while they were nylon solution 2067 00:54:57,994 --> 00:55:00,430 and polyester blend products. 2068 00:55:00,430 --> 00:55:01,564 And we view it as a little bit 2069 00:55:01,564 --> 00:55:02,632 of the best of both worlds. 2070 00:55:02,632 --> 00:55:05,402 So you get the general performance 2071 00:55:05,402 --> 00:55:07,037 characteristics of nylon. 2072 00:55:07,037 --> 00:55:08,004 So you get a nice, 2073 00:55:08,004 --> 00:55:09,572 durable, long lasting product 2074 00:55:09,572 --> 00:55:10,807 because of the nylon, 2075 00:55:10,807 --> 00:55:14,177 the the accent of a polyester in there. 2076 00:55:14,177 --> 00:55:16,112 That's a solution to polyester. 2077 00:55:16,112 --> 00:55:17,080 When we put the nylon 2078 00:55:17,080 --> 00:55:18,148 through the dye process, 2079 00:55:19,382 --> 00:55:20,850 you get some good variations 2080 00:55:20,850 --> 00:55:22,952 in in color esthetics 2081 00:55:22,952 --> 00:55:24,654 because of that accent yarn. 2082 00:55:24,654 --> 00:55:26,523 So it allows us to do a really long 2083 00:55:26,523 --> 00:55:28,191 nylon color line 2084 00:55:28,191 --> 00:55:31,194 with these accents of high contrast, 2085 00:55:31,528 --> 00:55:33,930 color fleck because of the polyester. 2086 00:55:33,930 --> 00:55:36,900 So we used it as much for, esthetic, 2087 00:55:36,900 --> 00:55:38,702 you know, design esthetic perspective 2088 00:55:38,702 --> 00:55:40,270 as for anything else. 2089 00:55:40,270 --> 00:55:41,638 And again, kind of viewed 2090 00:55:41,638 --> 00:55:42,605 as the best of both worlds. 2091 00:55:42,605 --> 00:55:45,809 You get by one color line now durability 2092 00:55:46,109 --> 00:55:48,144 but some some design versatility 2093 00:55:48,144 --> 00:55:49,546 because of that polyester in there. 2094 00:55:49,546 --> 00:55:50,814 So two launches. 2095 00:55:50,814 --> 00:55:52,382 It was the first couple of blends 2096 00:55:52,382 --> 00:55:54,250 we did last year. 2097 00:55:54,250 --> 00:55:55,218 We've got a couple more 2098 00:55:55,218 --> 00:55:56,553 in the works for 2025. 2099 00:55:56,553 --> 00:55:58,488 So it's a different way to look at it 2100 00:55:58,488 --> 00:55:59,255 that that we view 2101 00:55:59,255 --> 00:56:00,690 as being successful going forward. 2102 00:56:00,690 --> 00:56:01,524 And that was my next 2103 00:56:01,524 --> 00:56:02,492 question was 2104 00:56:02,492 --> 00:56:03,660 what can we look forward to 2105 00:56:03,660 --> 00:56:05,528 in 2025 from Ditch Flaws? 2106 00:56:05,528 --> 00:56:08,298 What a good question decides that. 2107 00:56:08,298 --> 00:56:09,032 Exactly. 2108 00:56:10,200 --> 00:56:10,533 Yeah. 2109 00:56:10,533 --> 00:56:13,303 So so a couple bland products. 2110 00:56:13,303 --> 00:56:14,471 We're going to do another kind 2111 00:56:14,471 --> 00:56:17,374 of super heavyweight, polyester cut pile. 2112 00:56:17,374 --> 00:56:18,575 So, you know, again, 2113 00:56:18,575 --> 00:56:19,476 as we've been growing 2114 00:56:19,476 --> 00:56:22,479 our polyester business on a couple side, 2115 00:56:22,846 --> 00:56:23,480 a couple of things 2116 00:56:23,480 --> 00:56:25,148 that we've learned is one is these 2117 00:56:25,148 --> 00:56:28,385 these are multi-color low contrast 2118 00:56:28,385 --> 00:56:30,420 color combinations and compile 2119 00:56:30,420 --> 00:56:33,123 that give you those real natural, colors. 2120 00:56:33,123 --> 00:56:34,991 So whether it's, you know, 2121 00:56:34,991 --> 00:56:36,960 a stone or granite, 2122 00:56:36,960 --> 00:56:38,294 or wood type of 2123 00:56:38,294 --> 00:56:38,862 look where you get 2124 00:56:38,862 --> 00:56:39,763 really kind of 2125 00:56:39,763 --> 00:56:42,699 low contrast mottled colors, almost, 2126 00:56:42,699 --> 00:56:44,701 is a good color visual 2127 00:56:44,701 --> 00:56:46,202 and then go on heavier and face weight. 2128 00:56:46,202 --> 00:56:48,805 So basically we have a 90 ounce 2129 00:56:48,805 --> 00:56:50,607 polyester cut pile that was launched 2130 00:56:50,607 --> 00:56:52,642 big, huge, comfortable 2131 00:56:52,642 --> 00:56:54,010 as we started our conversation. 2132 00:56:54,010 --> 00:56:55,078 Big comfortable product. 2133 00:56:55,078 --> 00:56:57,247 Great for a bedroom. 2134 00:56:57,247 --> 00:56:59,249 So so that will just highest 2135 00:56:59,249 --> 00:57:02,252 and highest weight product we've put out. 2136 00:57:02,719 --> 00:57:04,254 We're going to do a couple other loops 2137 00:57:04,254 --> 00:57:05,889 that are blends, 2138 00:57:05,889 --> 00:57:07,424 some more patterned content, 2139 00:57:07,424 --> 00:57:08,525 continue to try to push 2140 00:57:08,525 --> 00:57:10,326 on that fashion side, 2141 00:57:10,326 --> 00:57:11,227 for the eight floors. 2142 00:57:11,227 --> 00:57:13,096 And again, it's a mix of some nylon 2143 00:57:13,096 --> 00:57:13,963 content 2144 00:57:13,963 --> 00:57:15,198 under the envision branding 2145 00:57:15,198 --> 00:57:16,499 and then some some Durso 2146 00:57:16,499 --> 00:57:17,467 polyester products. 2147 00:57:17,467 --> 00:57:18,868 So good, a little good, 2148 00:57:18,868 --> 00:57:19,769 a little assortment of things 2149 00:57:19,769 --> 00:57:20,703 across the board. 2150 00:57:20,703 --> 00:57:21,571 That's very exciting. 2151 00:57:21,571 --> 00:57:23,039 It seems like there's floors, 2152 00:57:23,039 --> 00:57:24,441 and the Dixie group as a whole 2153 00:57:24,441 --> 00:57:26,443 just continues to keep growing. 2154 00:57:26,443 --> 00:57:26,843 Yeah. 2155 00:57:26,843 --> 00:57:28,378 So there'll be a lot of growth in 2020. 2156 00:57:28,378 --> 00:57:29,746 So there is I mean, you know, 2157 00:57:29,746 --> 00:57:30,313 our carpet 2158 00:57:30,313 --> 00:57:31,181 business is probably 2159 00:57:31,181 --> 00:57:33,716 our most stable business. 2160 00:57:33,716 --> 00:57:35,618 We view the decorative side. 2161 00:57:35,618 --> 00:57:37,387 So the wall of decorative products 2162 00:57:37,387 --> 00:57:39,122 and the masking fabric brand 2163 00:57:39,122 --> 00:57:40,423 a lot of growth opportunity. 2164 00:57:40,423 --> 00:57:41,991 There are hard surface 2165 00:57:41,991 --> 00:57:43,159 business again 2166 00:57:43,159 --> 00:57:44,594 being a little bit of a younger business 2167 00:57:44,594 --> 00:57:46,196 growth growing 2168 00:57:46,196 --> 00:57:47,730 where you know, on our carpet 2169 00:57:47,730 --> 00:57:50,200 side, our core carpet business, 2170 00:57:50,200 --> 00:57:51,000 we're certainly growing, 2171 00:57:51,000 --> 00:57:52,068 but we're following the market 2172 00:57:52,068 --> 00:57:53,136 a little bit more closely 2173 00:57:53,136 --> 00:57:55,505 then then those other two categories 2174 00:57:55,505 --> 00:57:56,372 for serving. 2175 00:57:56,372 --> 00:57:56,573 Yeah. 2176 00:57:56,573 --> 00:57:57,941 Always looking to grow our business. 2177 00:57:57,941 --> 00:57:59,342 And, you know, one of the ways we see 2178 00:57:59,342 --> 00:58:01,177 that is through very good partners 2179 00:58:01,177 --> 00:58:02,779 like ProSource it's a good fit 2180 00:58:02,779 --> 00:58:03,980 with our product content 2181 00:58:03,980 --> 00:58:06,483 and what all the stores represent. 2182 00:58:06,483 --> 00:58:08,184 And so kind of we see some of that growth 2183 00:58:08,184 --> 00:58:10,053 just kind of riding with our 2184 00:58:10,053 --> 00:58:11,221 partners out there as well. 2185 00:58:12,422 --> 00:58:13,356 That's great. 2186 00:58:13,356 --> 00:58:13,923 Thank you so 2187 00:58:13,923 --> 00:58:16,593 much for coming on today, Chad. 2188 00:58:16,593 --> 00:58:16,993 Yes. 2189 00:58:16,993 --> 00:58:17,794 The Dixie Group has been 2190 00:58:17,794 --> 00:58:19,429 a great partner of ProSource 2191 00:58:19,429 --> 00:58:20,230 and we look forward 2192 00:58:20,230 --> 00:58:22,632 to continuing to partner with you all. 2193 00:58:22,632 --> 00:58:23,299 We really enjoyed 2194 00:58:23,299 --> 00:58:24,000 having you on today 2195 00:58:24,000 --> 00:58:25,235 to share your expertise 2196 00:58:25,235 --> 00:58:27,337 and insights with the force. 2197 00:58:27,337 --> 00:58:28,338 Awesome, I enjoyed it. 2198 00:58:28,338 --> 00:58:29,339 Thank you for having me 2199 00:58:29,339 --> 00:58:31,040 and I'm look forward to seeing everybody 2200 00:58:31,040 --> 00:58:34,043 at shows and things this, this winter. 2201 00:58:37,113 --> 00:58:38,348 Thank you for joining us today 2202 00:58:38,348 --> 00:58:39,816 on The ProSource Podcast. 2203 00:58:39,816 --> 00:58:41,551 Please like and subscribe to us 2204 00:58:41,551 --> 00:58:43,520 wherever you get your podcast. 2205 00:58:43,520 --> 00:58:45,722 Also follow us on social media, 2206 00:58:45,722 --> 00:58:46,689 check out our website 2207 00:58:46,689 --> 00:58:48,691 at prosourcewholesale.com, 2208 00:58:48,691 --> 00:58:50,460 and visit your local ProSource 2209 00:58:50,460 --> 00:58:52,161 Wholesale showroom for all of 2210 00:58:52,161 --> 00:58:53,429 your home remodeling needs.