THINKING “OUTSIDE THE BOX”:  MOHAWK COLORCENTER STORE

GENERATES TRAFFIC BY PROMOTING GREEN, STYLE

My Floors by Prints & Paints Uses Seminar Event To Attract Shoppers, Create Community Good Will

GALION, OH (May 1, 2009) — The event became so big that the store had to move displays from the showroom to its warehouse, just to accommodate all the people.  My Floors by Prints & Paint’s “Focus on Design 2009” seminar was a remarkable success.

This year’s edition of the annual event drew more than 250 shoppers, community leaders, and other residents into the Mohawk ColorCenter Elite store on March 26.  Gary Frankhouse, Jr., General Manager, created the seminar program as a new way to attract consumers during tough economic times.  “It was a way of thinking ‘outside the box’ to build traffic,” he said.  “It has been a very positive event for us.”

Frankhouse, Jr.  tapped into resources available to him as a Mohawk ColorCenter dealer to help stage the program.  He brought in Patrice White, a Mohawk Senior Colorist, to talk about upcoming color and style trends.  He also brought in Mohawk “handyman” Chip Wade, star of HGTV’s “Designed to Sell,” to talk about green home decorating products such as Mohawk’s SmartStrand carpet made with DuPont Sorona renewable sourced polymer.

And to reinforce the green theme, My Floors by Prints and Paints sponsored an art show featuring work from students in the Galion City Schools art program, which Frankhouse said was the event highlight.

The student artists were challenged to create their works using only recyclable materials.   “We were astounded at how clever the kids were in taking what some people might think of as junk, and turning it into things you’d be proud to display in your home,” said Frankhouse.  “We hope this show helped people understand the importance—and value—in recycling.”  Prints & Paints also donated $500 to support the school system’s art program.

Frankhouse said one of the most innovative art projects was the re-creation of famous glass sculptor Dale Chihuly’s work using recycled plastic bottles.  “That was very impressive,” he said.  “It stunned the people who were in our store.”

And he said the event created an atmosphere of interest and good will that is a strong addition to the store’s regular communications with customers through traditional advertising.

“We had a number of manufacturers’ reps attend, and they said they’d never seen such excitement in a flooring store environment,” Frankhouse noted.   My Floors by Prints & Paints teamed with local furniture and jewelry retailers, who also set up displays during the seminar to increase interest and provide more design appeal.  Frankhouse said that My Floors by Prints & Paints used its mailing list to invite existing customers, and also invited consumers who had seen the store at a recent home show.

When he realized the size of the crowd, Frankhouse said the decision was make to move store racks into the warehouse and created a “stage” in the showroom.  “This gave people more room to shop.  We kept the new Mohawk SmartStrand Rooms for Living merchandising display as the backdrop for the presentations, because it represented both the style and environmental messages we wanted to convey.”

And Frankhouse thinks he’s just beginning to reap the rewards from the event.  To sustain interest, he had the seminar videotaped and photographed.  Video segments are being posted to YouTube and linked to the store website so that people can continue to view them.  And he’s working to publicize the environmental message of the art contest locally, and tie that to green products like Mohawk EverStrand (recycled from soft drink bottles) and SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona carpets.

“We’re taking full advantage of new opportunities,” he said.  “In these times, you have to look at new ideas.”

One out of every four soft drink bottles recycled in North America goes into new Mohawk EverStrand PET fiber.  And because of the FDA’s stringent requirements for food packaging, the carpet fiber created from recycled bottles is as good or better as that manufactured from new stock.

Mohawk’s SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona represents a new fiber category called triexta.  SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona fiber replaces 37% of the petroleum in manufacturing with sustainable resources like corn sugar.  For every seven yards of carpet made, enough energy and resources are saved to equal a gallon of gasoline.  Better yet, research has shown that SmartStrand with DuPont Sorona fiber has superior stain resistance, resilience, durability, and inherent softness even when compared to premium branded nylons. 

Established  in 1977, My Floors by Prints & Paints was founded by Gary and Sandy Frankhouse as an independently owned and operated retail and commercial home center.  Currently, Prints & Paints has 15,000 square feet of showroom and storage with displays featuring carpet, ceramic tile, wood, laminate flooring, vinyl, paint and associated products, window treatments and ceramics.  In 2005, My Floors by Prints & Paints was named Mohawk ColorCenter Dealer of the Year..

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Mohawk is a leading supplier of flooring for both residential and commercial applications. Mohawk offers a complete selection of broadloom carpet, ceramic tile, laminate, wood, stone, vinyl, rugs and other home products. These products are marketed under the premier brands in the industry, which include Mohawk, Karastan, Ralph Lauren, Lees, Bigelow, Dal-Tile, American Olean and Quick-Step. Mohawk's unique merchandising and marketing assist our customers in creating the consumers' dream. Mohawk provides a premium level of service with its own trucking fleet and over 250 local distribution locations.

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