Charles St. Clair worked in marketing and advertising for more than 20 years before walking away with the dream of owning his own business.
He found the perfect solution in Floor Coverings International.
“I looked at a number of different opportunities, but I wanted something that would meet a real need for the customer,” he says. “No one calls me because they’re curious. They need a solution and that excites me. We’re not cold-calling people, trying to sell themselves something they don’t need or want.”
In addition, the national company that has been in existence for more than 30 years offers franchise opportunities (St. Clair covers the Louisville East area) and a different experience than the typical floor-shopping consumers have seen in the past.
“We come to you,” St. Clair says. “We want to make floor shopping as easy as possible for the customer. We’ll assess the problem, listen to what you are looking for and show you examples right there at home.”
St. Clair says this part of the process is important because the customer is able to see the flooring under their own lighting, paint colors and furniture.
Often, under the artificial lighting in a big-box store, the flooring can look different than it ultimately looks in your home.
Of course, the service is also convenient.
“It creates a different experience,” St. Clair says. “If we don’t have what you’re looking for, we’ll go find it and bring it back. We do all the leg work, and that really drew me to the brand. I could see the value that service added for our customers.”
Floor Coverings International offers a wide range of products from carpet to luxury vinyl and hardwood.
St. Clair only works with top-notch manufacturers and says he has to carry products he can stand behind. However, flooring doesn’t have to break the bank.
“The market changes over time,” he says. “A lot of people wanted hardwood in their bedrooms and now the trend is carpet. We saw hardwood flooring slow down a bit when lumber prices went through the roof during the pandemic, but truly, all different products are popular in the home.”
Even if the customer isn’t sure what they want, St. Clair and his team have seen it all and can help walk them through the process.
“We’re going to make the process easy for you, show you all of the options and all of the various price points,” St. Clair says. “We want to find the best solution at the best price, and what works for the customer.”
In addition to typical floor options, St. Clair also offers hardwood refinishing, custom rugs and stair runners. The company offers ceramic and porcelain tile options for your backsplash, tile shower and more.
St. Clair will be celebrating two years of business soon, and is excited to move to a new brick-and-mortar location in September at 12224 Aiken Road, Suite 309 in Middletown.
Visit their website at eastlou.floorcoveringsinternational.com
Phone number: 502-709-7727
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