I was asked by my boss to start a blog to increase Luv-A-Rug's web presence. I am not a rug expert, a wool expert, nor any kind of expert in this field. I write from my daily experiences and the knowledge I gain through reading, research and from my boss. If I write something that you may not like or that you know is untrue please leave me a comment. We cannot learn and grow if we are not corrected or challenged. Remember, also, that we all have our own opinions.
On that note I challenge the Canucks to win. Although watching them play gives me an outlet to channel my frustrations, plus a remote to change the channel!
We have had a lot of rugs come in for edge repair lately. Most of them have been machine repair either with a binding or a serge. I do prefer Chinese, British India and Pakistan Bokara rugs without fringes. They have a much cleaner look to them and the fringe doesn't make the rug look old and worn out.
Now that I have said that I don't like fringes I just had a lady come in and want fringes put on her machine made rug. She will be happy with a double knotted fringe and I am happy that we made her happy.
I had a brain storm this morning as I am biking into work. My brilliant idea is that every two weeks we should get a three day weekend. Now that doesn't have to be Friday to Monday, any three days in a row would do. We do not have enough time in our lives to get the little things done. It is amazing how relaxed I feel when I have crossed off one of those little annoying things off my mental to-do list.
I would love for someone to do a survey asking people that if they:
-could afford to work a 4 day work week would they?
-would they work 10-12 hours a day instead of 8 so they could have a 4 day work week?
I know that I would do both if I could, what would you do?
Thanks for reading, RugloverMary
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Goat Hair Rug
There hasn't been too much happening on the dirty rug front, except a lot of pet urine. If the smell doesn't get to you, telling the rug owner that the yellow stains are permanent does. From my experience all yellow stains on wool area rugs are Permanent. It doesn't matter if it was a bathroom for your pet or (cringe) baking soda as a spot remover. Just to let you know baking soda isn't recommended as a spot cleaner especially for wool.
Last week I had the wonderful experience of see my first all goat hair area rug. The warps, wefts and pile were all goat hair. When I told the client how special her rug is, she was a little embarrassed to say that she uses it as a front entry rug. I told her that is why area rugs are made is to be used. All I wanted was to let her know how special her rug is. I like goat hair more than camel hair rugs. I have a mental/moral reaction with touching a camel hair area rug.
The rug is 2.5x3 feet. What baffles me a little bit is that the brown/greyish fibers is blue on the back. I looked at the base of the fiber and it is brown/greyish all the down. I am sure there is a explanation, hopefully someone out there can let me know.
This shows the colour difference between the front and back.
The back.
Okay, that is all I have time to write today. Thanks for reading, RugloverMary.
Last week I had the wonderful experience of see my first all goat hair area rug. The warps, wefts and pile were all goat hair. When I told the client how special her rug is, she was a little embarrassed to say that she uses it as a front entry rug. I told her that is why area rugs are made is to be used. All I wanted was to let her know how special her rug is. I like goat hair more than camel hair rugs. I have a mental/moral reaction with touching a camel hair area rug.
The rug is 2.5x3 feet. What baffles me a little bit is that the brown/greyish fibers is blue on the back. I looked at the base of the fiber and it is brown/greyish all the down. I am sure there is a explanation, hopefully someone out there can let me know.
This shows the colour difference between the front and back.
The back.Okay, that is all I have time to write today. Thanks for reading, RugloverMary.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
How Much for the Rug on the Floor?
Today has been a busy day with lots of area rugs going home all clean and healthy. I have noticed lately that the phone calls are heavier in the mornings and in the last hour of our day. Some days the phone will only ring when a client walks through the door, whatever did we do before voice mail?
My topic today is how do you put a value on an area rug.
Almost daily at Luv-A-Rug we hear, "Why does it cost that much to get my rug cleaned? WOW! I can buy a new one for that price!" Or we hear, " I can get all my carpet cleaned for half that price!" Both are true, you may be able to get another rug for that price, but an area rug is more than just carpet. The kicker for me is some people will brag about how much they spent on the area rug and when you tell them it will be $100.00 to clean they have a little freak out. We do more than just a quick steam clean to area rugs. Most people don't know that 79% of the soil that is in rugs and carpet is not water soluble. When water is added the soil turns to mud and stays at the bottom of the fibers. Sand is a perfect example of insoluble soil. If sand was water soluble we wouldn't have beaches. That is why the rug badger is our secret and most effective cleaning procedure,www.rugbadger.com
A couple of rugs came in that were owned by the clients mother. The rugs had seen better days and were in need of some TLC. This situation is usually the most shocking to the client you are with. When they look at the rugs they don't see the sentimental view, usually just a dirty smelly rug and they don't want to invest much into them. These rugs were very lucky and loved, so they will see many more years. Mostly the mother is very loved therefore her rugs are loved.
I have found that we don't put a lot of effort into certain things. Everything, these days, is disposable or easily replaced. Most area rugs made and bought today are not very environmentally friendly, to say the least, and many are ending up in landfills unnecessarily. With a little education for the sales person and for the consumer the wrong rug wouldn't end up in the wrong situation. If more people knew that tufted or designer rugs are not good stain repellers, we would have less disappointed clients.
Pretty soon the pendulum will swing the other way and wall to wall carpet will be back in style. When that happens could someone please make a better under pad for rug on carpet that doesn't cost more than the rug itself and actually holds the rug in place.
RugloverMary
My topic today is how do you put a value on an area rug.
Almost daily at Luv-A-Rug we hear, "Why does it cost that much to get my rug cleaned? WOW! I can buy a new one for that price!" Or we hear, " I can get all my carpet cleaned for half that price!" Both are true, you may be able to get another rug for that price, but an area rug is more than just carpet. The kicker for me is some people will brag about how much they spent on the area rug and when you tell them it will be $100.00 to clean they have a little freak out. We do more than just a quick steam clean to area rugs. Most people don't know that 79% of the soil that is in rugs and carpet is not water soluble. When water is added the soil turns to mud and stays at the bottom of the fibers. Sand is a perfect example of insoluble soil. If sand was water soluble we wouldn't have beaches. That is why the rug badger is our secret and most effective cleaning procedure,www.rugbadger.com
A couple of rugs came in that were owned by the clients mother. The rugs had seen better days and were in need of some TLC. This situation is usually the most shocking to the client you are with. When they look at the rugs they don't see the sentimental view, usually just a dirty smelly rug and they don't want to invest much into them. These rugs were very lucky and loved, so they will see many more years. Mostly the mother is very loved therefore her rugs are loved.
I have found that we don't put a lot of effort into certain things. Everything, these days, is disposable or easily replaced. Most area rugs made and bought today are not very environmentally friendly, to say the least, and many are ending up in landfills unnecessarily. With a little education for the sales person and for the consumer the wrong rug wouldn't end up in the wrong situation. If more people knew that tufted or designer rugs are not good stain repellers, we would have less disappointed clients.
Pretty soon the pendulum will swing the other way and wall to wall carpet will be back in style. When that happens could someone please make a better under pad for rug on carpet that doesn't cost more than the rug itself and actually holds the rug in place.
RugloverMary
Friday, March 14, 2008
Rhythm lives here
Consistency is the key to a successful day and business. At Luv-A-Rug we aim to give every client the same service, but making it personal to their needs. I know that reads funny, I have tried to re-word it and I just made less sense.
The better version of that sentence is, we ask the same questions to every client, but not in a robotic manner. I am not having a good brain day, sorry.
To be the best at my job I try to remember to ask if the client needs pad, protective finish for their rugs, mention any repairs that can be done, and tell them a little bit about their rug, if they don't know anything about it. I do not do it in that order, obviously, but you get what I mean. These few questions shows the client I care about their rug, my job and it helps me make a little more money. Never a bad thing when you love shoes and accessories.
Every team member of Luv-A-Rug asks these questions and that establishes rhythm. Every company should have a rhythm and this is ours. Because it Friday and I am having an out-of-sorts day I am including a random picture.
Thanks for reading, RugloverMary
The better version of that sentence is, we ask the same questions to every client, but not in a robotic manner. I am not having a good brain day, sorry.
To be the best at my job I try to remember to ask if the client needs pad, protective finish for their rugs, mention any repairs that can be done, and tell them a little bit about their rug, if they don't know anything about it. I do not do it in that order, obviously, but you get what I mean. These few questions shows the client I care about their rug, my job and it helps me make a little more money. Never a bad thing when you love shoes and accessories.
Every team member of Luv-A-Rug asks these questions and that establishes rhythm. Every company should have a rhythm and this is ours. Because it Friday and I am having an out-of-sorts day I am including a random picture.
Thanks for reading, RugloverMary
Thursday, March 13, 2008
March-Lion or Lamb?
I am unsure of the where, when and whys of the saying for the month of March, "In like a Lion out like a Lamb" and vice versa. Another thing I just realized not every month has a saying. I believe it is just March and April; "April showers bring May flowers". I could keep going on the topic, but that is not why I write this blog.
The first week of March was pretty uneventful, Sunday brunch was great, but this week not so calm. Tuesday the weather wasn't that great. It was very windy and sunny with moments of rain/snow. The day started normal until 12:30 when the power went off. I had three clients just after it went out. They were very understanding and patience while I wrote everything out. The sun was shining just enough so I could show them their clean area rugs. Did you know that wool rugs make good blankets? I put a small rug pile side down on my lap and it did a good job at holding in the heat. The power was out for over two hours and then again at 4:00pm for a half hour. Oh what fun!
When the power goes out you really find out fast how dependent you are on it. I'm not happy that we are SO dependent on electricity, but again not a topic for my work blog. While the power was out I worked on a non-computer needed project and solved the worlds problems with my co-worker.
Daylight savings/spring ahead was on Sunday, that always messes me up for a few days. I much more enjoy daylight savings/fall back, even though I always stay up an extra hour and defeat the purpose of getting an extra hour of sleep.
This has also been the week of very large rugs. We have received a 14'x22' synthetic custom and a 10'x18' Persian Sarouk for cleaning. The Sarouk was delivered by courier, so as my boss and I were doing the visual inspection and discussing the rug, my boss is tell me what a good quality rug it is and then he looks at me and says, "Oh I apologize that you don't like good quality rugs." He was partly right, I am not a big fan of Persian rugs and it all has to do with the reds and blues that they use. I do not know why I do not like them, I just don't. I appreciate the workmanship and history of Persians, just not the natural dyes combination. We cleaned a 10'x13' Persian Kerman rug that I loved, it was light purple with mainly cream accents. The rug was not re-dyed it was probably a custom ordered colour. I am a visual person so colours are a big reason I like or dislike a rug and being a crafter I appreciate the workmanship of rug weaving.
So my quandary is has March started like a lion or a lamb? Or does it only depend on the weather? March 1st was sunny and warm, is that like a lamb? Does the saying have any relevance in the 21st century? Or did I just fall off the sanity boat?
Thanks for reading RugloverMary
The first week of March was pretty uneventful, Sunday brunch was great, but this week not so calm. Tuesday the weather wasn't that great. It was very windy and sunny with moments of rain/snow. The day started normal until 12:30 when the power went off. I had three clients just after it went out. They were very understanding and patience while I wrote everything out. The sun was shining just enough so I could show them their clean area rugs. Did you know that wool rugs make good blankets? I put a small rug pile side down on my lap and it did a good job at holding in the heat. The power was out for over two hours and then again at 4:00pm for a half hour. Oh what fun!
When the power goes out you really find out fast how dependent you are on it. I'm not happy that we are SO dependent on electricity, but again not a topic for my work blog. While the power was out I worked on a non-computer needed project and solved the worlds problems with my co-worker.
Daylight savings/spring ahead was on Sunday, that always messes me up for a few days. I much more enjoy daylight savings/fall back, even though I always stay up an extra hour and defeat the purpose of getting an extra hour of sleep.
This has also been the week of very large rugs. We have received a 14'x22' synthetic custom and a 10'x18' Persian Sarouk for cleaning. The Sarouk was delivered by courier, so as my boss and I were doing the visual inspection and discussing the rug, my boss is tell me what a good quality rug it is and then he looks at me and says, "Oh I apologize that you don't like good quality rugs." He was partly right, I am not a big fan of Persian rugs and it all has to do with the reds and blues that they use. I do not know why I do not like them, I just don't. I appreciate the workmanship and history of Persians, just not the natural dyes combination. We cleaned a 10'x13' Persian Kerman rug that I loved, it was light purple with mainly cream accents. The rug was not re-dyed it was probably a custom ordered colour. I am a visual person so colours are a big reason I like or dislike a rug and being a crafter I appreciate the workmanship of rug weaving.
So my quandary is has March started like a lion or a lamb? Or does it only depend on the weather? March 1st was sunny and warm, is that like a lamb? Does the saying have any relevance in the 21st century? Or did I just fall off the sanity boat?
Thanks for reading RugloverMary
Friday, March 7, 2008
Repair Queen
Friday is upon us once more. It has been a long week mostly due to the fact I am looking forward to Sunday brunch. Things in the shop have picked up, mostly people have been picking up their rugs. Tuesday was a busy day for dropping off dirty rugs and Thursday was a busy pick up day. Today sales are good because we sold a huge rug pad order. A gentleman bought 130 feet of twelve foot length of comfort pad for hard floors, they have a lot of big Persian area rugs. It is surprising how few people know about the benefits of using pad under their area rugs.
Rug pad holds your rug in place so it doesn't cause a slipping hazard, helps your rug from not stretching out of shape, pad can add a little bit of cushion; too much cushion is bad for rugs and helps your rugs last longer saving you money.
Today was the first day our new in-house rug repair lady worked. She is a from Iran and has been doing area rug repairs for many years. I am excited about this because it gives the shop a more authentic rug feel and clients can see her working. She has done fringe repairs on about 8 rugs today. Many of our clients, who came in today, were telling us about rugs they have in need of repairs. Before our rug repair Queen we had to send our rug repairs to another city (Vancouver, B.C.) to be done. It was time consuming and a little more expensive. Our clients will appreciate that their rug can be done in the shop.
A frayed fringe
Putting in a chainstitch
Good as new.
Our rug repair Queen is a great addition to our team.
Thanks for reading, RugloverMary
Rug pad holds your rug in place so it doesn't cause a slipping hazard, helps your rug from not stretching out of shape, pad can add a little bit of cushion; too much cushion is bad for rugs and helps your rugs last longer saving you money.
Today was the first day our new in-house rug repair lady worked. She is a from Iran and has been doing area rug repairs for many years. I am excited about this because it gives the shop a more authentic rug feel and clients can see her working. She has done fringe repairs on about 8 rugs today. Many of our clients, who came in today, were telling us about rugs they have in need of repairs. Before our rug repair Queen we had to send our rug repairs to another city (Vancouver, B.C.) to be done. It was time consuming and a little more expensive. Our clients will appreciate that their rug can be done in the shop.
A frayed fringe
Putting in a chainstitch
Good as new.
Our rug repair Queen is a great addition to our team.
Thanks for reading, RugloverMary
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