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Tuesday, 08 July 2008 |
By MARY BARGDILL
Staff Writer
ST. MARYS — After 25 years in business, one local company will hand the keys over to the next generation.
Carpetman, a family owned business since 1983, will pass the torch on July 15 — exactly 25 years since they opened. Owner operator Tom Knous Sr. said it is a day they have been easing into since January. “This year for the 25th (anniversary) I’m getting out of the day to day operation and my son will take over,” Knous said.
Located at 110 W. High St., Carpetman has been a fixture in the St. Marys community for more than two decades. With nearly 75 percent of their business based on repeat customers, it’s a tradition his son Tom Knous Jr. said he intends to maintain.
“I’m going to try to keep it the same — quality and service,” Knous Jr. said, adding that his father will still be on hand in the store to answer any questions customers might have. “The product knowledge is phenomenal, that’s why it’s so important to keep him in the store. For me the big transition will be from staying on one job until it’s done to multi-tasking.”
Knous Sr. got his start in the business with former owner Ralph Hotchkin, who ran two Carpetman stores — one in Wapakoneta and another in Celina. While working full-time at New Idea in Coldwater, Knous Sr. installed carpet on the side beginning in 1962.
In the late 1970s, Hotchkin moved the Celina store to St. Marys, at 702 E. Spring St., so the two businesses would be closer together.
“I installed for him for a while and we bought it July 15,” Knous Sr. said. “The reason we went with July 15 is my and his birthday are both on the 15th — that way we would never forget it.”
Knous Sr. said that for awhile he and his wife Barb juggled the responsibility of running the Wapakoneta and St. Marys stores. That all changed when a motorist ran a truck into the Wapakoneta store located at the corner of Blackhoof and Auglaize streets. Knous Sr. said they closed the store for repairs, but never re-opened at the same location.
Knous Sr. credits much of the success of the Carpetman in St. Marys to sound advice he received during his businesses’ the early days.
“Don’t get any bigger than you can handle,” Knous Sr. said. “Selling the carpet is no problem — installing it right is what is the work.”
Knous Sr. said when they first opened their doors in 1983, former head of the St. Marys Area Chamber of Commerce Mary Miller stopped in and asked him what she could do to help.
“At that time, the chamber was offering classes,” Knous Sr. said, adding he took advantage of the courses so he would have a better understanding of such topics as cash flow analysis. “The courses explained what was happening, and that was very, very, important to us.”
To the Knous’ delight, their business quickly grew, something they credit to the support of residents in the surrounding area.
“The success of the business is due to community,” Knous Sr. said. “The main thing we try to do is service and satisfaction and quality installation because it’s something they will have for a number of years.”
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Last Updated ( Friday, 11 July 2008 )
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