In the 1950s when the city of Wickliffe was pastoral and much less populated Jack Schneider knew that changes were ahead.

The late Schneider realized that much of Clevelands population was moving to the suburbs and that people would be looking for carpeting to install in their new homes.

Thus, in 1953 the insightful man established Location Carpet at 29334 Euclid Ave.

Location Carpet was founded in Wickliffe in 1953. Pictured is its second location at 171 Chestnut St. in Painesville.

Today the business continues to operate at the same site and in 2001 an additional retail store opened in Painesville.

Eventually, Jacks son John became the companys president and four of his five children along with other family members are currently part of the staff.

Ben Schneider, who is Johns son and general manager, said his on-the-job training took place early on.

In our house if you could pick up the toolbox you went to work with dad in the summer, he recalled.

Location Carpet is a longtime Lake County family business with stores in Wickliffe and Painesville. Pictured are John Schneider, center, and members of the Schneider family, most of whom work in some aspect of the business.

Other early memories include working in Wickliffe homes. In an email sent to The News-Herald, Ben stated that we did a lot of workthroughoutWickliffe which was heavily populated with Italian families. When we would show up in the morning they would be out in the garden picking fresh vegetables and they would prepare the most amazing lunchtime feast.

We would have to halt our work and sit down with them to eat lunch, talk and of course some homemade vino they would send home with us! Maybe this partly shaped how we are today with our customers, minus the heavy lunches that make you sleepy!

John said his best memory from years heading up the business was getting involved with Project Hope for the Homeless based in Painesville.

The facility was in dire need of floor covering, and Location Carpet stepped up by donating all necessary materials for the job. Upon seeing the needs of many families firsthand, all labor was done without cost as well.

I believe in my heart that we made a big difference, John said.

Location Carpet staffers participated in the Barstool Open in February. The annual event which raises funds for University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Childrens took place in Willoughby. Pictured are Jessica Schneider, left, Ben Schneider, Laura Schneider and Rachel Schneider Mullis.

The business continues to contribute to the community by supporting such events and efforts as Painesville Party in the Park, Keep Wickliffe Beautiful and the Wickliffe Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

Along with its strong community spirit, the company adheres to a solid business philosophy focusing on value.

Value is not just dollars and cents. I spend the time with each customer to explore what value is to them, John said.

To help determine the best value he not only asks customers about their flooring preferences but how long they plan to stay in their home. He noted that sometimes he even walks away telling customers that their best value is not doing a new floor.

I never want to lose a sale but I don't want people to spend their money for something thats not a value either,John said.

Ben added that the company strives to be easy to work with and for customers to enjoy working with them, while at the same time trying to be extremely thorough so that important details don't slip through the cracks.

Although the companys longevity speaks to its success, Location Carpet is no different than many other businesses which face challenges at various times.

One such challenge occurred during the stock market crash of 2008.

Rachel Schneider Mullis, Johns daughter and manager of the Painesville store, explained how the business survived the economic downturn.

We tightened our belts and powered forward," she said. "We adjusted the way we did business, putting more focus back on the retail and commercial side of thebusiness and reinvented Location Carpet.

A residual effect of the crash that still presents a challenge is the lack of available installers. Many left the trade during that time and no new installers entered.

So fast forward a decade plus later and we are still challenged and often held back by the need for skilled installers, Schneider Mullis said.

The pressing trial currently faced by Location Carpet as well as hundreds of thousands of businesses is tied to the effects stemming from the novel coronavirus.

The company is keeping limited hours and stores are equipped with Ring video doorbells so customers can drop off or pick up samples which are sanitized. Staff is willing to conduct virtual showroom visits, order samples to homes and provide ballpark estimates for potential jobs.

Continue reading here:
Location Carpet's longevity speaks to its success in Wickliffe, Painesville - News-Herald.com

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March 27, 2020 at 4:44 am by Mr HomeBuilder
Category: Carpet Installation