Chatbug Karen

Beginning our 35th year of running a floor covering business started a recollection of memories and changes in our industry. It seems surreal that we could have passed the 35 year mark! I still remember the day we decided to become our own bosses. I had a migraine that day. I have learned more about yarn, petroleum and customer service than I ever thought possible. I feel fortunate to be in a business that sells products that are mainly produced in the USA.

Things have changed a lot over 35 years. From the types of floors we sell to the use of a Honeywell Barcode Scanner. Times change and we have to flow with them or get run over.

Thirty five years ago, inlaid vinyl was our bread and butter. We rarely sell vinyl sheet goods these days. We sell vinyl tile and laminate more and have added area rugs to the mix. We install all of our own products and that means a lot of training for my husband and our installers. I am constantly reading trade magazines and brochures to keep abreast of new products. Floor Covering Weekly is a great source of information. I have recently learned of a new yarn approved by the FTC. It is rare that a yarn is allowed its own entity. Yarn has always fallen into three major categories; polyester, nylon and olefin.

The new kid on the block is PTT (Mohawk’s Triexta). This new fiber is as tough as nylon and cleans like polyester. Triexta was originally classified as polyester which made it a difficult yarn for us retailers to promote. The creation of the triexta subclass gives retailers the ability to emphasize and focus on the outstanding features and benefits of the product, instead of defending the negative perceptions sometimes accompanied with the word polyester. Triexta needed a classification of its own. Mohawk and DuPont realized this and went to bat for the retailers. The following excerpt from an article at Floor Covering News by Steven Feldman, explains the difference in the yarn and why the FTC agreed it deserved a class of its own. This is the first time that the FTC approved a new classification since nylon was classified in 1959!

After a near three-year process, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has determined that PTT, the fiber used in Mohawk SmartStrand carpets and previously classified as polyester, merits its own subclass. The ruling comes in response to a petition jointly initiated by Mohawk Industries and DuPont in 2006.

Going forward, the fiber of which Mohawk’s exclusive SmartStrand carpets is constructed, will be referred to as triexta, which is marketed by DuPont under the trademark Sorona. The two companies petitioned the FTC to establish a new fiber subclass for triexta after independent testing and retailer and consumer testimonials revealed it takes durability, stain resistance and softness to a new level and shares with polyester little more than a chemical structure.

The ruling is significant, not only for Mohawk and DuPont but for the carpet industry as a whole. This is the first extension approved by the FTC for textiles in five years and the first for residential carpet since nylon in June 1959.

Mohawk said it filed the petition in response to retailer feedback that it was difficult to clearly communicate the benefits of SmartStrand when it fell into the same category as traditional polyester products. “There did exist some real world confusion amongst retailers, sales associates and consumers on this product,” said Tom Lape, president, Mohawk Residential.

Good things are happening in the floor covering industry!

Sewing, carpet business, sewing, carpet business. I keep going back and forth because I am excited to get working on the projects we learned in quilt class yesterday. However, duty calls and I must get something done in our business. If I quit letting distractions get the best of me, I might get to sew later this afternoon.

One of the best things we did for our business was to install wireless security cameras that show us when customers arrive. I found it hard to concentrate on bookwork when hearing noises coming from the store. I would check the showroom but sometimes find that it was the wind and not a customer making the noise. Now, I can watch the security camera projection on my television screen and concentrate on ordering floor covering.