Speaker 1 (00:56):
welcome. Today’s episode. Today we are talking about all things flooring, and we have none other than Nick Castello from Thornton Flooring here in the Sioux Falls area. So welcome. Thanks for being here.
Speaker 2 (01:09): Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:10): Yeah. Okay, so to start things off, who are you and what do you do?
Speaker 2 (01:16): My name is Nick Castello. I’ve been at Thornton Flooring for five years. I’m a sales associate, pseudo assistant assistant manager. So whenever there’s a manager not there, I’m the guy to take over. Yeah, I don’t know how official that role is, but
Speaker 1 (01:33): Nice. Okay. So how did you get into flooring?
Speaker 2 (01:38): My brother-in-law was in the business for years, and he referred me to Matt and Mike and they interviewed me and I had nothing to do. I knew nothing about flooring and they trained very well there. So by no means am I an expert, but I’m enough to be dangerous.
Speaker 1 (01:57): Nice.
Speaker 2 (01:57): Yeah,
Speaker 1 (01:59): So the new building is how old?
Speaker 2 (02:02): We started there March 4th, 2024. So it’s not even a year old. It’s 110,000 square feet and just a pleasure to work there and go to work every day.
Speaker 1 (02:13): Yeah, it’s a really great facility, really great displays. Yeah,
Speaker 2 (02:18): I would like to hear that.
Speaker 1 (02:19): I still get a little bit lost. I know where that is in the old showroom, but I’m getting better.
Speaker 2 (02:25): Yes, it’s planned very well strategically, so we’re not on top of each other looking at different products.
Speaker 1 (02:33): Yeah, organized in like materials.
Speaker 2 (02:36): Yes.
Speaker 1 (02:37): So speaking of materials, what sort of materials do you provide at Thornton? Flooring,
Speaker 2 (02:42): Wood floors, luxury, vinyl plank, laminate floors, sheet vinyl carpet, of course, tile, you name it. We’re actually doing countertops now.
Speaker 1 (02:53): Yeah, really great. Cambria display.
Speaker 2 (02:55): Cambria display. We do MSI quarts, and it’s been very good since we’ve started doing that.
Speaker 1 (03:01): Nice.
Speaker 2 (03:02): Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:03): Okay. So what goals do you and or Thornton have for 2025?
Speaker 2 (03:11): We continue to try to be the leaders in the market and get our lion’s share of the sales, whether it’s residential, remodels, new builds. We have a properties division, we have a commercial division, so we’re just trying to do better than we did last year.
Speaker 1 (03:31): Okay.
Speaker 2 (03:31): Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:32): Any new exciting things that you’re working on?
Speaker 2 (03:36): So we have Surfaces coming up in Las Vegas, so I call that the Super Bowl of flooring. So that’s when all the new stuff comes to market. So our management team goes out there and they are in looking at everything that’s new that’s out there. So we’re excited for some of that. We like to turn over products every year around this time to see what sold last year, what didn’t sell last year, and then act accordingly with the new selection. So we’re exciting. So to be honest with you, I don’t know yet what is out there, but we will know when they come back soon stuff soon. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (04:20): So with Surfaces, so the High Point Market for furniture and decor, they do, some companies do pre-sales and some companies wait until market to see what everybody is loving. So is that the same thing with surfaces where companies will do pre-sales or wait to see?
Speaker 2 (04:42): So our strategy is we hold off on a lot of purchasing until surfaces because that can determine what we’re going to bring in new for stock. So instead of bringing in a lot of the stuff that we’ve had in the past, it’s not a buying freeze, but we basically kind of slow down the process and then see what’s out there and then bring in the new stuff.
Speaker 1 (05:11): Makes sense.
Speaker 2 (05:11): Freshen things up.
Speaker 1 (05:12): Absolutely. You don’t want to allocate all of your spending for inventory. That could be the new greatest amazing thing.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Exactly. And I think that’s their strategy and it’s worked so far. The five years I’ve been there, usually February the month of February, mid to late February, the new introductions start rolling in and it’s just really, it’s exciting. I mean, it’s flooring. I don’t know how exciting flooring is, but it can
Speaker 1 (05:41): Be really exciting.
Speaker 2 (05:43): It can be, definitely can be. But we’re anxious to see what’s out there.
Speaker 1 (05:49): That’s good timing too, because February is at the very beginning of the spring rush where everybody’s doing something. So that’s really great timing.
Speaker 2 (05:58): As a matter of fact, people looking to build when they come in to look for selections around this time of year, I let them know surface is coming and people look and they get an idea of what they like, and then they may not make their final decision until the new products get introduced.
Speaker 1 (06:17): Nice.
Speaker 2 (06:18): Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:19): Okay. Let’s see. What different materials do you have that are new and fabulous? I know we’ve talked about a few things, but what are some of your favorites?
Speaker 2 (06:37): Obviously, LVP has been very popular for the last five years. They make enhancements every year, whether it’s the rolled bevel that gives it that natural look. We’re selling a lot of thicker floors now, just the materials because of the waterproof factor. However, with that said, laminate has always been around and the waterproof protection that they’re giving laminates these days, and it has superior scratch protection. We’re starting to see the sails of laminate going up a little bit.
Speaker 1 (07:15): Well, they’ve come a really long way too. It’s not like the fake looking plastic. It just doesn’t look very good product. And now it’s almost, you can’t really tell because they have really, they’ve really brought it to the table.
Speaker 2 (07:33): When you put laminate down with the way they can resemble wood, whether it’s like a hand scraped look, feeling the knots and stuff, luxury vinyl plank has that to an extent, but laminate just has a much more realistic look to it. So we’re excited about that as well. As far as the new introductions of laminate,
Speaker 1 (07:56): So for people that don’t know, what’s the difference between a laminate and an LVP?
Speaker 2 (08:00): So an LVP is vinyl, and this is the selling point. It has either a plastic or a stone composite core, which is impervious to water. So if you get water inside the joints or whatever, it’s not going to swell. Where laminate has a laminate top, which is superior scratch protection, and an MDF core, which is a wood-based core, so susceptible to water, but the way the locking mechanisms are made these days, the water can set on top of that joint and not penetrate it. So making laminate even that much more lucrative for people to choose.
Speaker 1 (08:43): Nice.
Speaker 2 (08:44): Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:45): Okay. And let’s see. For carpet, what different carpets are there?
Speaker 2 (08:52): You’re always going to have the plush carpet or frieze, as they used to call it back in the day. We’re starting to see a lot more LVPs, which is basically a combination of loop carpet with the plush on top to kind of give it a sculpted look, and the polyesters, which are the least wearing of the fabrics of the fibers, they’re starting to use new technology to strengthen those. So polyesters, you can get more vibrant colors. It’s a little softer. Nylon and smart strand are still going to wear. Excellent.
Speaker 1 (09:32): Super great.
Speaker 2 (09:33): Yeah, they’re great products. And Matt has brought in quite a bit of wools now for stock. And I know you love wool. You’re a designer. Yes. So we’re excited about that. They are constantly changing, but you’re always going to have your plush with the variegated colors through it. We don’t sell as many solids. It’s probably got sold in the past, but yeah, carpet is still carpet. There’s only so much you can do.
Speaker 1 (10:06): There’s some really fun patterns with carpet.
Speaker 2 (10:10): Yes, yes. We’re seeing a lot of them, and that’s a bold statement. A lot of the pattern carpets that have those really, really intricate designs we put on steps. People are still, look, that’s a really great place to make a statement. Steps are, especially in a two story house area, rugs, they make really good area rugs. A lot of people are reluctant to put those in the whole area just because they are. So they’re either busier or they’re just sculpted in a way that might not be for every day walking in your living room, so to speak.
Speaker 1 (10:48): Do you have a favorite?
Speaker 2 (10:51): There’s so many.
Speaker 1 (10:53): Depends on the application.
Speaker 2 (10:55): Depends on the application. I know that we sell through multiple vendors. We have really great relationships with the top vendors out there. The Shaws especially, which Anderson tough. Texas is their luxury arm as well as Karastan’s, Mohawk’s luxury arm. We sell a lot of that stuff and they have some really unique looks to ’em. So those would be the two main ones that we sell. But Stanton does a great job, as you well know. They have some really good looks that you really can’t see anywhere else. And some of the other vendors that are more niche vendors, I would say, not the everybody walking in the door. There’s a small minority of people that will gravitate towards those racks. Designers especially, you are guilty.
Speaker 1 (11:49): I am guilty as charged!
Speaker 2 (11:50): We love it. We love it that we get to show that not everybody in town has the vast displays that we have to show all the different products.
Speaker 1 (12:00): And so talking again about the showroom, so you have displays of special order, but then you have a large selection of in stock as well.
Speaker 2 (12:09): Yes. I think, I don’t know. There’s things that I feel, and I’m biased that sets Thornton Flooring apart from our competitors, is the amount of in-stock products that we carry. We have over a hundred vinyl plank floors in stock. We have over 150 carpets that we stock. We have have a pretty good tile display that we stock, and then we also partnered with some vendors in the region where we get trucks every week. So we’re able to, the downtime or the lead time on those is reduced significantly, but the special order stuff is always there. If you can’t find what we stock, we definitely have options. We’re very fortunate. It’s a great place to work. I love it.
Speaker 1 (12:55): Yeah, yeah, just having all of those options that are in stock. So if you’re working with a client who has an immediate need for whatever it might be, maybe they’re selling a house or maybe something happened and they have to change their flooring in a fast way, then you have more than two options to look at. It’s really great.
Speaker 2 (13:18): Yes, it’s very beneficial for us, especially when you mentioned people selling their house. We have immediate needs. We have openings this time of year. It’s usually we can get you in quicker just because of the nature. After the holidays, people still have that little holiday hangover, but we’re starting to see it pick up and when it picks up, it’s hitting the ground running and it’s our installs start moving out, which is a good thing. Not for the consumer, obviously, if they want something done right away but we try to fit them in as best as we can. We have probably 45 to 50 crews that run through us as far as installation. So we have a lot of options.
Speaker 1 (14:01): Installers for tile and laminate and wood and carpet, all of the things.
Speaker 2 (14:06): Yes. So carpet and hard surface, especially tile. We do have a list of preferred tile installers that are handpicked that we hand out to consumers for that.
Speaker 1 (14:19): Nice. Because tiling is, it’s an art form really.
Speaker 2 (14:23): It’s an art form, and there is a handful of tile installers and everybody’s so busy, so it’s hard to try to get them on the schedule for something like that. A lot of people, I guess when we stopped officially doing tile installs for residential remodels, everybody thought they can set tile, and we found out that not everybody is created equal in that regard.
Speaker 1 (14:51): No, not true. Tile is a very, it seems like it would be so easy, but it is not. There’s a lot of prep that goes with it.
Speaker 2 (15:07): A lot of prep. And the biggest thing obviously is waterproofing, especially if you’re doing a tile shower. So those would be the one to have somebody that’s definitely qualified and they know what they’re doing. Exactly.
Speaker 1 (15:20): Okay. So speaking about prep, what do clients need to think about if they’re building a house or if they’re renovating a house when it comes to flooring, what things do they need to think about and plan ahead for?
Speaker 2 (15:31): Yeah, so we’re seeing a lot of people that are wanting to do hard surface everywhere. They’re replacing carpet. With that comes height changes in the floor. So it’s kind of, do you build up the floor? Do you tear it all down to the subfloor? Then there’s other things that kind of go into a place with that. Your trim level, your door jams, stuff like that. So the biggest thing when people come in, which is really good for us, is if they have an idea of what they want, that helps so many floors. It could be very overwhelming when you walk into our doors because when you see a hundred options, you’re sitting there. So if they have an idea of coloration, a lot of people bring in a door or their cabinet colors. That’s so helpful. So I would say when the consumer has done some of that or have an idea of what they’re wanting, it narrows the focus down for us as salespeople to find that floor that they’re looking for faster than just starting from scratch with no idea.
Speaker 1 (16:37): And I would say for any consumer, bring all of the things to all of the places. If you’re not working with a designer, bring all of the things so that you can color compare in the showroom, but most importantly, do it at your home because the lighting in the showroom is going to be drastically different than what they have in their home.
Speaker 2 (16:56): Yes. I say the hardest thing I think you can do is try to light a flooring store because of all the different aspects of lighting. And the best thing to do is to, we provide samples of everything that we carry, and even the special orders, you can check the boards out. We will order samples from the vendor straight to the customer’s house as well, so they can get an idea of what it’s going to look like in their house with their lighting, with the natural light at night with the lights on,
Speaker 1 (17:29): Rainy day, sunny day. Yes.
Speaker 2 (17:29): Cloudy, sunny, all that. So I mean, it can change what the carpet looks like from looking at it in our showroom to going home to even walking outside in the parking lot.
Speaker 1 (17:41): I’ve had that at the showroom. I’ve gone to my office and then I’ve gone to the client’s house and I like it in the showroom. And then I pick a different one when I’m in my office and then I go to the client’s house. And maybe it’s completely different because the lighting is just, it can change drastically.
Speaker 2 (17:58): Yes. I mean, it’s just like paint. When you’re looking at paint, you turn it a certain way, it’s going to change what
Speaker 1 (18:03): It looks like. Yeah. All right. Anything else we haven’t discussed that you’d like to talk about?
Speaker 2 (18:13): I don’t know. I think we covered a lot of the aspects of flooring. Come on down to Thornton Flooring on the T exit. We’d love to have you.
Speaker 3 (18:23): Yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:24): But yeah, I think speaking just of designers, we deal with a lot of designers that come in there and we try to work with them hand in hand samples. We try to service the design community. I think when Matt built that building, we have these little design coves.
Speaker 1 (18:49): Those are so great
Speaker 2 (18:49): Where you can put the finishes up on the board, we can put our laptops up, go over the floor plan with the customer, show the direction of the plank and how the tile and the shower is going to look. And so there’s a lot of advantages with the technology, but he made sure it is easy access. So any designers that come in, they’re very welcome to come in and go through our library and the gals at the front desk are always so happy to see anyone who’s coming in. They’re so great. It starts there. I think the thing I love the most about working at Thornton’s is from Matt’s office, has always been open, the front desk gals to the warehouse guys, to the guys making deliveries, to the people, scheduling to our measure and estimating team, and obviously my fellow salespeople, it’s a family.
I mean, we have our Christmas party in our store and it’s just a comfortable setting. And I love it because we all know we’re like a clock. So if one part of the clock doesn’t work, there’s hiccups in there and It happens. And it’s what we do and what I think we pride ourselves at Thornton’s is putting flooring in is a construction project. So there’s going to be stuff that’s going to happen during that construction project. It’s what we do to handle some of those situations, which I feel sets us apart personally, is taking care of the customer, making sure that first of all, their flooring is incorrectly. There’s no hiccups there. If there are any issues, we have a quality control team that we send out fairly quickly to look at the situation. I think that comforts the customer too, knowing that when they call in, it’s documented because customers sometimes are reluctant. And I think it’s like with us, if it’s not in the flooring industry, if you have an issue with your dishwasher or whatever, you’re kind of reluctant to call, wondering if they’re going to come out there. And when our guy show,
Speaker 1 (21:03): We’ll be there between eight and five.
Speaker 2 (21:05): Yes, we narrow our focus down a little bit better than that. We’re not the cable company by any means, but I think that is probably one of our biggest strengths is handling adversity, because there will be times we would love it if everything went smoothly, but unfortunately, I don’t know what world that is.
Speaker 1 (21:25): That’s not construction.
Speaker 2 (21:27): That is not construction. Absolutely. Yeah. So it’s all the way around. It’s great.
Speaker 1 (21:34): Yeah. Alright, so where can people find you again?
Speaker 2 (21:37): People can find us on the T exit, 2300 North Bakker Landing Avenue in Tea, SD. You cannot miss the building. You cannot miss it from the interstate. You can ask for anybody to help you. And we have, gosh, I think we have 20 salespeople now on the floor at any time, and it’s just a wonderful place to work. We’re open to anybody that wants to do, they want a tour, we offer those as well. And just try to show the dynamics and how the building is set up so people can navigate. It’s very intimidating when you’re trying to pick out finishes, and we try to make that easier for the customer.
Speaker 1 (22:26): Awesome. Well, great. I’m glad you could be here.
Speaker 2 (22:29): Well, I’m glad I’m here. Thank you for asking. I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (22:32): Yeah, thanks Nick.
Speaker 2 (22:33): Absolutely. You’re welcome.
Leave a Reply