The recession has created a new consumer and a new economy. While those two are constantly changing, it usually takes place gradually and over a long period of time giving economists, financial institutions, business owners, managers, etc., the ability study, evaluate and form strategies to... more

We all have competition. How you deal with your competitors can play a major role on your operation’s success—or failure—if you let them control what your customers are seeing and hearing... more

Coke. Nike. McDonald’s. Wal-Mart. When most people think of brands it is either the well-known products or nationally known stores. But when you think about it, your community is full of brands known to residents. With the advent and proliferation of the Internet and social media, even local citizens are... more

By Emily Hooper

GRAPEVINE, TEXAS—The principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, a holistic world view founded thousands of years ago, rang true once again, this time in retail floor covering. Highlighting its strength in solidarity, Carpet One focused on an often forgotten element of... more

By Matthew Spieler

Today’s distributor is far more than the order taker and credit giver of its predecessors; it is a barometer for what is happening in a particular region... more

Thanks to the regional markets hosted by the major mills and piggybacked by area distributors, Dallas has once again become a hot spot for the industry (see page 26 of the print edition for details of this year’s events). But there was a time when Dallas was... more

By Matthew Spieler

MOBILE, ALA.—Putting together an “open house” event at your store can be stressful in and of itself. Throw in a lingering recession, a rare Bengal tiger, a kangaroo and a kinkjous (a nocturnal tree-dweller from Central and South America) and the stress level rises exponentially in the hopes that... more

By Liz Switzer

With the 2008 amendment to the U.S. Lacey Act outlawing illegally logged wood products, Congress with the stroke of a pen forever changed the flooring industry and the seemingly unending demand for endangered, exotic species... more

By Steven Feldman

You know them. You love them. You have been selling their products for years, in most cases quite successfully. But you probably don’t know exactly who they are... more

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CALIF.— Max Windsor is taking the concept of supporting a cause to new levels with the introduction of the New Horizons Collection, which will be shown to retailers at the company’s Surfaces booth, B7938, in Las Vegas, Jan. 25 to 27... more