http://iqfloors.com/Colorado_Springs/SmartstrandCarpet.htmlI was born in the carpet business, which makes me the life of any party. So long as everyone attending wants to hear about fiber strength and carpet claims. I bring this up not as a badge of honor, but to explain why very few products even catch my attention. Carpets are all the same, and same is boring. same feel, same look, same this, same that.
Smartstrand began to change all that a few years ago. Suddenly, a story was born, and carpet stores need stories. We love stories.
Okay, you take corn in lieu of oil and you make carpet out of it, BRILLIANT! If that's all there was, then the carpet would be a bestseller. Less energy consumption, renewable resources, and recycled content make this one of the more conscious carpet collections in the industry.
But, wait, there's more! Smartstrand carpet is the softest carpet in the industry. Without question, the touch of smartstrand is better than any other fiber by far. I have "posh origins" in my house. I installed it in 2009 when it first was introduced. It's still soft, still looks brand new, and has been amazing at cleaning common spills like coffee, tea, and juices.
When customers come into my store, I have a story that really engages them. Everything they are looking for is everything that smartstrand has to offer.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Bliss Flooring
I worked for Beaulieu Carpets for several years before I started my own business. Back then, Beaulieu was only known more making "run of the mill" carpets. We were the third dog in a two dog race, as they say. Mohawk and Shaw controlled the market, and the smaller mills picked up the scraps.
For the last couple of years, Beaulieu has been amazingly effective in marketing a new product campaign called, "Bliss." The entire collection is made of quality products with modern appeal, better warranties, and strong engineering (density, twist, fiber).
The program has two segments, which I feel is a strong addition to the carpet industry. First, Healthy Home is a collection of carpets with silver built into the fibers. This treatment allows the carpet to be naturally antibacterial. This Silver Release is coupled with their Magic Fresh odor treatment, which happens to be the other pillar of the Bliss program.
Magic Fresh has been around for quite some time. I tried it out with "Palm Springs" from Beaulieu about 10 years ago in my basement. For an average household, with kids, two dogs, and a lot of the older basement smells, the carpet was immediate in proving its claims. My basement smelled like nothing, a vast change and certain improvement from the previous carpet.
I am currently trying out "artful" in my house. For the last few months it has been perfect. Very comfortable over a memory foam pad, very soft to the touch, and very reliable in standing up to my kids' abuse.
The only question I would have for the engineers is the environmental impact of silver ions on the carpet. Does it walk off or transfer? and if so, what is that impact on people and environment?Bliss from IQ
For the last couple of years, Beaulieu has been amazingly effective in marketing a new product campaign called, "Bliss." The entire collection is made of quality products with modern appeal, better warranties, and strong engineering (density, twist, fiber).
The program has two segments, which I feel is a strong addition to the carpet industry. First, Healthy Home is a collection of carpets with silver built into the fibers. This treatment allows the carpet to be naturally antibacterial. This Silver Release is coupled with their Magic Fresh odor treatment, which happens to be the other pillar of the Bliss program.
Magic Fresh has been around for quite some time. I tried it out with "Palm Springs" from Beaulieu about 10 years ago in my basement. For an average household, with kids, two dogs, and a lot of the older basement smells, the carpet was immediate in proving its claims. My basement smelled like nothing, a vast change and certain improvement from the previous carpet.
I am currently trying out "artful" in my house. For the last few months it has been perfect. Very comfortable over a memory foam pad, very soft to the touch, and very reliable in standing up to my kids' abuse.
The only question I would have for the engineers is the environmental impact of silver ions on the carpet. Does it walk off or transfer? and if so, what is that impact on people and environment?Bliss from IQ
Monday, October 3, 2011
Recycled carpet pad
wwwiqfloors.com
Last night, at 3:30am, the phone rang and woke me to worry.
"Yes?", I said.
My heart sank when I heard, "This is officer Adam West..." I swear this was his name, and so my first reaction was to say, "Batman?" I couldn't, however, because of the fear that he was calling me to inform me a relative had been in an accident.
"Do you own the carpet store on Fillmore Ridge Heights?" he asked with a serious tone.
Now I was worried. "Yes."
"We have someone here that is stealing," he paused, "I think it's carpet pad, and we need you to come down and help clear things up for us." he said.
I was there in ten minutes, with sweatpants, sandals, and a baseball cap. I felt sick. Violated.
The closer I got, the more the police car looked like a security patrol car. The guard was waiting with flashlight in hand. He had the "suspect" sitting on his hood, arms crossed, and head down.
The beat up chevy was stacked eight feet tall in the bed with nothing but filthy, used carpet pad. I had stacked it next to the trash in hopes someone would take it. Someone did. At 3:30 in the morning.
"I thought you meant he had broken in and stolen pad from me, but this stuff is trash." I reasoned. "I'd pay someone to steal this from me. Should I thank him?"
It was obvious the security guard was disappointed. He wanted a catch and he couldn't understand that this guy was doing me a favor. "Well, did he have your permission?"
"Take a look at that stuff. Or, better yet, smell it. That is used, piss soaked, filth. For all of his work, he's gonna get four cents per pound. If you do the math, he's gonna make eight bucks."
He said a few comments to his perp and let him drive away. Then, with his flashlight still in hand, he looked at me. "You gotta a couple of minutes to look at your building?"
"I guess. But, I actually was hoping to sleep for another hour."
"Well, I noticed a number of security flaws with your store." he said in a demeaning way. He pointed at a rock and clicked his flashlight on. "See that rock? If I was a criminal, I could take that rock and smash your window, grab what I need, and run."
"But that's my forklift-stopper rock." I chuckled.
"Look here," he said, and pointed his flashlight into the window. "See those cups on your counter?"
"Yeah?" I said doubting this was going anywhere.
"If I was homeless, I would know you had water, and probably food in there. I could smash my way in and have a feast." He scolded.
"You mean with my forklift-stopper rock?" I chuckled again.
He started with another example, but I had to cut him short. "I really have to go."
Last night, at 3:30am, the phone rang and woke me to worry.
"Yes?", I said.
My heart sank when I heard, "This is officer Adam West..." I swear this was his name, and so my first reaction was to say, "Batman?" I couldn't, however, because of the fear that he was calling me to inform me a relative had been in an accident.
"Do you own the carpet store on Fillmore Ridge Heights?" he asked with a serious tone.
Now I was worried. "Yes."
"We have someone here that is stealing," he paused, "I think it's carpet pad, and we need you to come down and help clear things up for us." he said.
I was there in ten minutes, with sweatpants, sandals, and a baseball cap. I felt sick. Violated.
The closer I got, the more the police car looked like a security patrol car. The guard was waiting with flashlight in hand. He had the "suspect" sitting on his hood, arms crossed, and head down.
The beat up chevy was stacked eight feet tall in the bed with nothing but filthy, used carpet pad. I had stacked it next to the trash in hopes someone would take it. Someone did. At 3:30 in the morning.
"I thought you meant he had broken in and stolen pad from me, but this stuff is trash." I reasoned. "I'd pay someone to steal this from me. Should I thank him?"
It was obvious the security guard was disappointed. He wanted a catch and he couldn't understand that this guy was doing me a favor. "Well, did he have your permission?"
"Take a look at that stuff. Or, better yet, smell it. That is used, piss soaked, filth. For all of his work, he's gonna get four cents per pound. If you do the math, he's gonna make eight bucks."
He said a few comments to his perp and let him drive away. Then, with his flashlight still in hand, he looked at me. "You gotta a couple of minutes to look at your building?"
"I guess. But, I actually was hoping to sleep for another hour."
"Well, I noticed a number of security flaws with your store." he said in a demeaning way. He pointed at a rock and clicked his flashlight on. "See that rock? If I was a criminal, I could take that rock and smash your window, grab what I need, and run."
"But that's my forklift-stopper rock." I chuckled.
"Look here," he said, and pointed his flashlight into the window. "See those cups on your counter?"
"Yeah?" I said doubting this was going anywhere.
"If I was homeless, I would know you had water, and probably food in there. I could smash my way in and have a feast." He scolded.
"You mean with my forklift-stopper rock?" I chuckled again.
He started with another example, but I had to cut him short. "I really have to go."
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