Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Startown Carpet team
[Conover, N.C.] As a leading flooring retailer in the Hickory and Western N.C. markets, Startown Carpet, member of American Home Surfaces Group (AHSG), has had to improvise like all retailers since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. But other than pushing back some scheduled installations at the beginning of stay at home orders, the retailer’s business has continued steadily. While traffic in the store slowed initially, the retail sales staff stayed busy fielding increasing numbers of calls requesting quotes and information from homeowners. After implementing safety measures such as employee masks, social distancing guidelines on the showroom floor and multiple hand sanitizer locations, showroom traffic has increased since reopening. Consumers receiving stimulus checks also contributed to traffic returning to the showroom
According to Startown owner Marty Lawing, new home construction business has never slowed down although the company’s sales team has had to communicate with builders more via FaceTime, Zoom and email rather than in-person. In addition, commercial business has been especially strong all year as the company has seen pent up demand from many businesses using the unexpected down time to make improvements. Restaurants, for instance, have been able to proceed with projects that had been previously planned but never started.
Although uncertainty remains, Lawing said he expects Startown’s business to continue to grow in all three segments for the remainder of 2020 and beyond. As an AHSG member, Startown will continue to leverage supplier relationships, incentives, new products and networking opportunities to assist in its growth.
For more details about Startown, visit startowncarpet.com
