Today we’d like to introduce you to Bob Winston.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Bob. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My start in the carpet business began through a college friend. His family was a wholesale supplier in Georgia and he and I went into business together in the small Arkansas town we graduated from.
In 1982, my wife and I decided to move to Dallas for the booming economy. We had a few family members in Dallas, but other than that we knew no one. I interviewed with a great retail carpet store on Arapaho and got a strictly commission sales job. I worked there for 7 years and learned a lot but saw some things I thought I could do better. When my wife was pregnant with our third child, I went to work one day and the doors were closed. Through an unfortunate series of events, the store had to close and the options were go to work at another carpet store or try something on my own.
At the time, I couldn’t open a traditional store front without capital. I had some contractors, realtors and plumbers I was already working with who I thought would send business my way. I started working out of my house and developed the mobile showroom concept that we still use today. Now, we have a showroom but the same hands on, personal experience is what sets us apart. Sometimes it makes you better if you can’t have the big storefront. People could go anywhere to buy. The whole concept was one job at a time, give them good service and they will tell their friends. Nobody opens a store where they can’t find you- but because we really wanted to do it by appointment only that’s what we did. It’s all referral work which has led to a great online source of reviews and awards thanks to our customers.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t know if there would be any struggles it’s just the risk of doing it the way we decided to do it. If you have something out on 75 you have to babysit it- and you can’t make your own schedule. But the risk is 0 walk in traffic. It was just the risk of it being almost strictly referral.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We pick what we want to sell and do it better. Our philosophy is quality over quantity. Quality products and talented installers. We are fortunate that we have had the same team of installers for many years and by being smaller, we can control that better. Personal service is our strength. By appointment only means no interruptions for the customer and a good experience for the home owner they want to share with their friends.
You learn that people buy from people not stores. Instead of crunching and doing mass outreach- it’s more of a relationship thing instead of a number. We have customers coming back 3 and 4 times as they buy new properties. The most important customer is the one we are working with right now. It is rewarding to know that you have a customer for life instead of the highway 75, new one time customer.
What were you like growing up?
My parents were both school teachers and my dad was also the mayor of our small town in Tennessee. They both taught me the value of hard work, ethics and building relationships as a way of life. I grew up playing sports. I think it taught me the importance of being a part of a team and the value each person brings.
Contact Info:
- Address: Winston Floors + Countertops
3415 Custer Road,
Plano, TX 75023 - Website: www.winstonfloors.com
- Phone: 972-964-5500
- Email: kim@winstonfloors.com
- Instagram: winstonfloors_countertops
- Facebook: Winston Floors + Countertops
Image Credit:
Kitchen/Shower photos: Installs done by Winston Floors +Countertops.
Black and White photo: 1990 Plano Profile interview picture
Illustration: Plano Places 1993 poster (Winston Floors mobile showroom top left)
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
