Today we’d like to introduce you to Cole McNabb.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Cole. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Show Carpet USA started in 2014 and is a family owned and operated business in Chicago.
When I graduated with my Master in Business Administration from University of Alaska Fairbanks, I wanted to start my own company and move closer to family. I decided to start a carpet store in Chicago, but I did not want to start just another carpet store, I wanted to a store that would help the environment. I have family that works in the trade show industry and they would always mention how much waste trade shows produce, I saw an opportunity and deiced to take the carpet from the trade show and sell it to the public. We also got into large office buildings that are throwing away carpet tiles, we are able to get tons of carpet tiles from these companies and resell them to the public. Most of the used carpet we sell is only used for a few days and show minimum wear, our carpet is priced lower than any other store in Chicago, by a long shot. We do sell new carpet too, and we stock it all in our warehouse in Franklin Park.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We have had several obstacles throughout the years. We had to figure out a lot of logistics on how to get the carpet from the trade show floor to our customer’s house. We have become really good at driving large trucks and operating forklifts. Another problem we ran into was how much space carpet took up, after our first year we had to open up another warehouse and it double out space.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My definition of success has changed over the years. At first it was to create a sustainable business. Now, I believe a successful business needs to keep their employees paid, have a fun work environment, and make the world a better place.
Pricing:
- Used Carpet starts at 19 cents a square foot
Contact Info:
- Address: 2450 Mannheim rd
Franklin Park, IL 60131 - Website: http://showcarpetusa.com/
- Phone: 8474473355
- Email: cole@showcarpetusa.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/showcarpetusa/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/show-carpet-usa-franklin-park
- Other: Auto Show Carpet Sales
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