OK, I’ll give it to you straight: I’ve had enough of the words “tough economy” or “struggling.” Why? Because there’s still a lot of positive out there—you may have to look a little harder for it, but it’s out there. Trust me.

Here are a few examples of the good things I’ve stumbled across after being on the road for the better part of the last month. It starts in Omaha, Neb., home of Warren Buffett. He’s doing fine, but then again, he’s always doing fine.

The story here is a company called Snapstone. It has been quietly marketing a floating porcelain tile for the last two years. Yeah, I know what you’re saying: We’ve heard that song before with Edge Flooring. But this product takes the concept to the next level by addressing the issues that led to the latter ceasing operations. (See story on page 1.) Need evidence? One claim in two years, according to the company. And Gary Cissel, Nebraska Furniture Mart’s flooring guru, is a huge fan. It’s already his second or third largest tile line. The specialty retail line is branded Avaire and is coming soon to a town near you.

Next up is Dallas, where Wilsonart hosted a function with local distributor Adleta. Turns out its floor installed at the posh Lift Lounge has been holding up quite well after a year’s worth of high heels, drink spillage and every other type of abuse a club floor is forced to withstand. The story here is Wilsonart Commercial Flooring is both durable and stylish enough for this “place to be seen in.” Moreover, commercial is now about 15% of the company’s business and only heading north. Good story.

A little closer to home, Joel Lefkowitz has clearly put Hoboken Floors in the rear view mirror. His upstart Allstate Flooring has moved into new digs in Fairfield, N.J.—basically around the corner from the area’s number one wholesaler, Apollo—and the business continues to grow. He recently told me July was his best month since launching earlier this year, and he is up to more than 500 accounts. After Mullican and Lauzon, Allstate carries a bunch of niche brands that offer anything but me-too products. Lefkowitz has risen from the ashes like the mythical phoenix.

Speaking of New York metro area distributors, word comes down that Western Carpet is moving from its Brooklyn base, where it has set up shop since forever, to New Jersey. Where exactly? The old Hoboken space in Wayne, of course. Makes all the sense in the world. The Williamsburg area is a hotbed for development. Western was sitting on a gold mine with its facility. Sell high, buy low. Nice score.

See, four positive stories. Imagine how many more there are out there.