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Abbey Carpet Celebrates 25 Years In Business
0429 Carpet
to right, Les Troglin, Brenda Troglin and Darci Hock, the family behind 25 years of success with their business, Abbey Carpet, discuss the newest flooring their store offers, such as no-stain carpet, hardwood and granite. - photo by Kim Van Meter/The Leader
The best thing about mom and pop operations is that, often, when customers walk through the front door they’re not seen as just potential dollar signs — they’re seen as people and possibly friends.
For the past 25 years that’s the motto Leslie Troglin and his family have embraced with their floor covering business, Abbey Carpet, and it has served them well.
In a time when big box businesses are shutting their doors under the strain of a downward economy, Abbey Carpet has managed to keep a toe-hold on the ledge of success by continuing as they always have and that’s placing value on the loyalty of their clients.
“Customer service is No. 1. We’re not happy until the customer is happy,” Brenda Troglin said.
And it’s because of that dedication, Darci Hock, Les Troglin’s daughter, believes that customers continue to patronize their shop even when times have become tough for everyone.
“Our customers, they won’t go anywhere else. They don’t even shop it around because they know we’re going to do whatever we can to make it right for them,” she said.
And that loyalty is appreciated, Les Troglin said. “It makes you feel good and want to keep going. I’ve never seen the economy so bad as it is right now but we have a very loyal customer base. They know they don’t have to dial a 1-800 number and get zero.”
The Troglin family came to Oakdale 25 years ago with the idea of retiring but personal circumstances created a need to go back to work so the family opened AAA Interiors on South Fifth Avenue. Then, in 1989, the family decided to enter into the Abbey Carpet franchise.
“It’s a class act to be with Abbey Carpet,” Les Troglin said of his decision. “It fit our attire. They were professional with a well-known name, certified installers and licensed. It was a good fit for us.”
Les Troglin started in the flooring business as a young buck when his uncle pulled him aside at 17 to tell him that he needed a job that could support a family and flooring was a way to do that.
Fifty-five years later, Les Troglin said his uncle was right as he’s spent that time doing just that — supporting his family with the fruits of his labor.
Daughter Darci and his wife Brenda work for the business as do several other family members in various capacities.
And they love it.
“Part of the thrill of doing this is creating a piece of artwork in a customer’s home,” Darci Hock shared. “Because flooring really is an art and not everyone can do it well. Flooring can completely change the look of a room.”
At Abbey Carpet they enjoy talking with the customer to get a feel for what they need or what they’re looking for but one thing they do not enjoy and refuse to engage in and that’s high-pressure sales techniques.
“You’re not going to get that here,” Hock said emphatically. “We’re not going to follow you around the store just to try and get that sale.”
They also don’t sell to the customers what they don’t want or need.
“You know, this is not just a job,” Les Troglin said. “It’s about making the customer happy. I’ll give them nothing but good service and friendship from the minute they walk through the door.”
The Troglin family understands that times are hard for everyone. They’ve seen the effects of the depressed economy and they’ve had to make changes to survive, just like everyone else. But they’re determined to see things through because hard times must give way to better times eventually and they want to be there for their customers.
“We’ve had to cut all the fat and had to lay people off,” Les Troglin admitted. “But we’re trying to do things to work with the customers. Such as we take an appointment at any hour because sometimes that’s what you have to do to make it work for the customer.”
Hock agreed, saying, “You can’t give up. And you have to be willing to make changes and roll with them to survive and that’s what we’ve been doing.”
To that end, Abbey Carpet has added new products at competitive prices, such as the newest hot trends in flooring, granite and no-stain carpet.
They also offer tile/stone, hardwood, laminate, carpet and vinyl but they’ve even been known to help out the do-it-yourself crowd with advice on installation.
Abbey Carpet has been a long-time supporter of local youth sports, both recreational and high school teams, and continues to be an active member of the Oakdale community, just as they have for the past 25 years.
For more information on Abbey Carpet, call 847-7656.
They are located at 1530 West F St.