Business Spotlight: Imperial Carpet Co.

by Laura Scott

SBJ Contributing Writer

sbj@sbj.net

In 47 years as owner of Imperial Carpet in Strafford, Ed Foley has covered and recovered the floors of his customers' homes and businesses.

Foley grew up in the Ozarks before going to work in St. Louis for McDonnell Aircraft in 1955, while still in his teens. "I worked there for two years as a flight-line mechanic," he said. "After two years, they wanted to transfer me to New Mexico and I didn't want to move."

That brought Foley to Springfield.

"My father-in-law at the time worked at Sedgwick Furniture Company in downtown Springfield. I was hired to work in the carpet department as a carpet layer's helper and was paid $40 a week," Foley said. Sedgwick Furniture, at the corner of South and McDaniel, covered an entire block and carried everything from furniture and appliances to floor coverings.

"Cecil Harmon was the manager of the carpet department, and we became very good friends," Foley said. "One day he asked me if I'd like to buy the carpet department. I told him I didn't have any money, and he said as I made money I could pay him off. I took him up on it, and within nine months I paid him off."

Foley purchased the truck, tools and supplies for $6,000 from Sedgwick Furniture.

"I went into contract laying in 1961 and opened a carpet store in Strafford, where the city hall is now. It had 2,200 square feet. Twenty-five years later, I bought this 5,000-square-foot building I'm in now," he said.

Foley expanded his business into televisions and appliances, but repeated break-ins helped him decide to close that part of the business. He now handles carpet, hardwood floor, tile and other types of floor covering, employing three installation crews.

Foley is very hands-on and said he offers his customers service, quality and price to set him apart from competitors. About 60 percent of his business comes from carpet sales.

"I've always stuck with rubber padding," he said. "Your cushion is the important thing. When you're shopping for carpet, always make sure the prices marked are installed with a 100-ounce rubber pad. We recently replaced a carpet that was 35 years old and re-used the rubber padding we placed there the first time. The padding is the life of your carpet."

Foley's daughter, Debra Lawson, 46, is vice president of the corporation and works the sales floor.

"She started helping at age 11," he said. "She's Dad's left hand."

Foley has two other part-time employees and the flooring installers are independent contractors.

They are now serving a third generation of Imperial Carpet customers.

"My repeat customers have been better than any advertising I could have," he said. Those customers want to buck today's trend of shopping in "box stores" or large chain hardware stores and opt for Foley's more personal service, he said.

Brady Williams is building a 6,200-square-foot home and has hired Foley to do the carpet and tile.

"Of all the different contractors I've had in my house, he's been the easiest to work with, the friendliest and fastest to get in and out," Williams said. "He laid down a bunch of ceramic tile, floor, padding and carpet and has done a wonderful job. I'd use him again. He's a good guy. He's honest, and he gave me a good deal."

About 40 percent of Foley's business is commercial. He has worked with Casey's General Stores Inc. all over the country and also does Family Pharmacy stores. "I do a lot of business in Springfield," he said. "I also do a lot around Ava and at the lakes."

Work has taken him as far as California and Colorado.

Foley also has attended "every installation school possible" to keep up with the trends. However, he doesn't use the latest technology available.

"You'll see I have no computers," he said. "We have voice mail and a fax machine and I have my cell phone. That's it. We have no computers and I don't want any. I've seen more problems from order departments with computers, and I don't want those problems in my business."

The self-professed workaholic works 80 to 85 hours a week and gets by on slightly more than over four hours sleep a night. He gets up at 4 a.m. and starts doing paperwork at home, he said. He likes to stay on top of things, even if that means not growing the business to its maximum potential. Foley said he would rather spend the time and effort with his customers, making sure each job is done correctly than trying to do business on high volume.

"If you get too big, you lose something," he said. "I want to be able to offer personal service and make sure that customers are well taken care of. I still make a good, decent living."

Imperial Carpet billed more than $500,000 in sales last year.

Foley has seen trends change over the years, from hardwood floors and tile to carpets, like the shag carpets of the 1970s, back to the hardwood floors and tile that are popular today. "We do a lot of hardwood floor and ceramic tile," Foley said. "We do specialties and custom work for people. If they bring the ideas, we work to make it happen."

Foley has learned to be creative in his business over the years. Ups and downs have forced him to make decisions, to add or to cut services, to survive. "I remember between 1974 and 1976, there was a downtrend of everything. I thought, What am I going to do?' Things were tough. I started hanging wallpaper to keep the income up. It was a hard time because I was raising a family." He's managed to survive the ups and downs and has no immediate plans to retire.