At Lewis Floor & Home we believe that it is extremely
important to support our community. When I felt that it was time to channel our
community support I looked to form a partnership with a local charity that
could truly provide a significant benefit to everyone in our community. While
it is important to note that there is no shortage of worthy causes that need
support I feel that our partnership with the Cancer Wellness Center of
Northbrook is extremely special.

The Cancer Wellness Center of Northbrook offers featured
programs and events to members of the community at no charge. They use
professionals from various fields, including physicians and healthcare workers,
to provide the most current and useful information possible at their events.
Some examples of these programs include Meditation at the Botanic Garden, Music
as Therapy for Cancer Survivors, Reiki for Self-Healing, Dealing with
Lymphedema, An evening of Wellness, Myeloma Update, Hypnosis and Healthy Eating
Habits, Understanding the Many Faces of Grief.

While Lewis Floor & Home supports many other charities
in the community I know of no other disease that affects more members of our
community than Cancer. For the last 12 years we have donated a portion of our
sales during the month of June to the Center. Our continued support helps to assure
that members of our community continue to have the opportunity to get the
information and support that is so vital –  not only for the patient but to their family
members as well without having to worry about how they are going to afford the
services.

I believe that every business in the community (when they
are in a position to afford it) has an obligation to look for a local worthy
non for profit organization to support. It doesn’t have to always be in the
form of money but it might be something as simple as providing the manpower for
a special project or volunteering time to help with events.

With more and more business being diverted to the internet
everyday it is more important than ever that local businesses maintain as high
a profile as possible in their community. Keeping business local not only
provides tax dollars for the community but jobs and the ability of local
businesses to step up to the plate and support local charities. Personally, I
find nothing more rewarding than being able to provide support to worthwhile
organizations like the Cancer Wellness Center
in Northbrook. Next time you think about
ordering over the internet ask yourself what that business is doing for your local
community.

DuPont believes that comfort is a primary reason consumers choose carpet as a floor covering. SmartStrand Silk is clearly the softest synthetic carpet fiber ever brought to market. But softness is not the only reason to purchase carpet made of SmartStrand Silk.

SmartStrand carpets offer permanent stain and soil protection that will never wear or wash off or need reapplying since the protection is built right into the fiber, not chemically applied after production. With no added chemicals, SmartStrand Silk naturally resists all food and beverages, even strong staining items such as mustard, red wine and the dreaded Kool-Aid. In addition SmartStrand Silk withstands constant everyday soiling from tracked-in grit and grime.

Another advantage of SmartStrand Silk is that it is made of a renewably sourced polymer
which makes being green an easy choice. This carpet is made with Bio-RDO, the key Sorona ingredient, which is produced from corn sugar. In fact 37 percent of the carpet fiber is made from renewable resources instead of petroleum based ingredients.  Every seven yards of SmartStrand saves enough energy and resources to equal one gallon of gasoline.

SmartStrand cleans up easily with just water or mild detergent. No harsh cleaning agents or chemicals are required which is healthier since it doesn’t require cleaning products that emit fumes. Furthermore, since the soil and stain protection is part of the fiber no reapplication of topical anti-soiling in necessary.

While Lewis Floor & Home sells from the face of the carpet and not its back it is nice to know that SmartStrand Silk comes with lifetime coverage for stain and soil resistance, full cat and dog coverage, static, as well as 25 year warranties for fade resistance, abrasive wear, texture retention and manufacturer’s defects. At Lewis Floor & Home we strive to bring the latest technology to market. Clearly SmartStrand Silk proves this point.

Their new advertising promotion that kicks off soon featuring the phrase “You can’t touch this” only proves one thing. No really does mean Yes!

As a business person there is nothing that upsets me more than people who don’t step up to the plate and take responsibility for their actions. Excuses and blaming others only adds more discourse to what is already an uncomfortable situation. While no one wants to hear bad news or that something that they expected to happen will not, I believe that a straight
forward explanation of the issue at hand can go a long way toward accepting the reality of the issue and working to move past it.

Bad news and mistakes are part of doing business. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t experienced the disappointment of a supplier, customer or employee not doing what was expected. Sometimes it is the result of bad or no communication. Often it is that someone was depending on someone else who didn’t perform as expected. Bottom line is that once the issue are identified if people step up and take responsibility the issues will not fester
and energy can be shifted to other areas that can be beneficial to the business.

All too often what happens is that fingers are pointed in various directions. Junior level employees hide behind their supervisors and the relationships that are so important to successful business are damaged. The idea is to learn from the mistakes and not make them again. Take responsibility for them and fix them as soon as possible and move on.

If I have learned one thing in all my years of business, it is that while it might hurt to tell the truth is always hurts more to not do so. People might not like what you have to tell them, but the truth is the truth. I personally am not smart enough to lie to people and then
remember what I said. In fact my memory is suspect enough that unless I tell the truth with everything I am trying to deal with during the day I wouldn’t have any chance of remembering to whom I said what. Therefore, I have found that taking responsibility for my actions and telling the truth is one way I have found to help separate myself from my competition. In this regard I expect everyone I deal with, whether customer, supplier or employee to do the same. After all is said and done it all comes back to having integrity which in my mind is my most valuable asset!

In the home furnishing business, I believe there is a fine line between having enough options for the customer and having so many that the end result is customer confusion. Customers can easily be overwhelmed given the number of choices in the market. At Lewis Floor & Home we strive to shop the world over and cut out products that do not offer the best value in their category. In reality there is so much duplication that I believe it takes
almost twice as long for our buyers to do this then it did only five years ago.

Items that were literally ground breaking five years ago are in most cases obsolete today. Technology continues to improve in all areas. Carpet is more stain resistant and new fibers and manufacturing equipment are helping to improve both the look and durability of carpet. Porcelain tile looks more like real stone everyday and large format tiles that were almost impossible to find five years ago are the rule as opposed to the exception. Wood floors have better more environmentally friendly finishes and engineered floors have been dramatically improved to the point they are outselling solid wood flooring.

Add to this glass tile, metal tile, leather tile, tile with recycled content, new styles in window treatments, luxury vinyl tile, quartzite countertops, brushed finishes, leather finishes, honed finishes, frameless kitchen cabinets, floating floors and thousand of new area rug designs.

Given the above it is easy to see how keeping up with today’s best offerings is a real challenge for a home furnishing retailer.

At Lewis Floor & Home we attend major markets around the world in order to keep our merchandise not only fresh but to make sure that it offers the best design at competitive pricing. This has become a twelve month job. What I will promise you is at Lewis Floor & Home we will continue to search the world to bring back the very best suppliers have to offer and support the best brands in our industry.

Brands like Karastan, Mohawk, Shaw, Masland, Fabrica, Stanton, Nourison and Godfrey Hirst in carpet. Mannington, Tarkett and Amtico in luxury vinyl. Peverco, Shaw, Mohawk,  U.S. Floors, Hallmark and  Haro wood, Hunter Douglas in window treatments. Showplace and Cuisines Laurier in kitchen cabinetry, Caesarstone and Hanstone in quartzite countertops. All these brands are leaders in their markets and together with our stocking programs of products from overseas will help make Lewis Floor & Home a destination that customers can count on for the selection they need to assure that their homes represent all
the value and style they expect.

Why wool carpet? First, wool carpet recovers very well from crushing because it has natural permanent crimp in the yarn. Second, wool carpet resists soiling and is easy to clean because it has a natural scaly outer surface which keeps dirt on top of the carpet. This makes vacuuming easier. Because wool has a natural protective membrane most spills sit on top of the carpet making cleanup easier. In addition, wool carpet is naturally flame retardant and will not melt. Third, wool carpet is environmentally friendly because it is a renewable resource and is biodegradable. Finally, and most importantly wool fiber makes beautiful carpet!

Wools of New Zealand has put together, with leading wool carpet manufacturers, a tremendous sale through its network of leading flooring dealers. Wool premier partners have all Wools of New Zealand carpets on sale now through December 15^th. Carpets from the very best manufacturers including Couristan, Fabrica, Godfrey Hirst, Hagaman, Hibernia, Masland, Nourison, Prestige, Radici, Royal Dutch, Stanton, Weave-Tuft and Woolshire. This makes now the time to buy Wool carpet.

Lewis Floor & Home is a premier partner that is proud to feature all of the above brands at outstanding prices. Finally, our installers are independently certified by Karastan Carpet so you know you will get the best installation.

No Black Friday here just beautiful wool carpet.