Floor & Decor

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And welcome to Cindy Stampo tap his nails on WBZ
News righted ten thirty. And let's get something straight before
I introduce everybody. I gotta listen to that opening all
the time. I don't scream and yell people all day.
So accurate, okay, yes, but if everybody would just do
their job correctly in the field, I would not have
to be yelling and screaming.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
I agree with you on that, Okay.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Sure.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
If these guys just came to work prepared and way
to go, and don't take ten steps forward and twenty
steps backwards and three steps, I would never yell again.
And I would be wearing a hot watch on my
chest if I see be push it's getting one of
those feelings, right, But you were looking at it. What
is she doing? What is she doing? Grab some salt,
Grab some salts. It's all these guys were. Okay, So
in the studio, I have tonight Jesse Foster yet against

(00:43):
my fiance's daughter. She's training. So when Sammy's out of town,
because Sam's been doing a lot of work for us
in Florida and in Boston, flying back and forth. The
girl we have and we have Jesse, and who is
in the studio.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
Let's start, So, Rick Leo, I'm the pro manager at
the walt In location.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
You're the promm. Okay. First of all, we need to
say what you are? Flooring the Core my favorite place. Okay.
So you're the pro manager of Waltham right.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
Correct.

Speaker 4 (01:08):
Okay, I'm Tooley and I'm the store manager for the
Dorchester location for flooring the Core.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Okay, I'm Mike Pretzy.

Speaker 5 (01:16):
I'm the installation manager for Waltham, Florida Court.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
Okay, perfect. Do you want to bring up your chair?
You feel like a little person?

Speaker 3 (01:23):
He goes.

Speaker 4 (01:25):
Really yea lucky with the seat?

Speaker 1 (01:27):
Why'd you get the lone man's seat?

Speaker 2 (01:29):
I can help you figure it out.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
No, No, does your chair go up? Jess?

Speaker 5 (01:32):
It does?

Speaker 2 (01:34):
You have to press the lever?

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Okay he's pressing? Can you can you get Can you
give him your cheer? Can you transfer please? Because he
looks like he's hiding. You know, I like that. I
like Duncan munchkins. But I'm feeling like I got a
little guy next to me. That's not a little guy. Okay,
we're good now again, I'm feeling much more comfortable. Okay,

(01:57):
So before we go on. Everybody knows that I do
a lot of shopping at Florida Coor for sure. Okay,
we're running there all the time, we're having it delivered,
and there's you know, Florida Court. To me, is goes
back to the day, and I have to tell a
story because I haven't told him very in quite a

(02:18):
few years. I was driving through Avon heading to I
don't even know something a key or I was going
up that way for something correct and I see this thing,
Florida Court, and I'm like, oh god, you know, let
me just stop in here. It's gonna be another home
deep bowie type smaamic bah bah bah. I started walking

(02:40):
up and down those ausles. I'm like, there's my crystal
white that I'm paying twenty five dollars a foot four.
I'm gonna kill my guy. Tell same package and same everything.
Right now, I'm walking, I'm walking. I'm grabbing samples, okay,
about five samples of things that I was using pink

(03:00):
ridiculous amount of money with my boutique dealer. Right Oh no,
it's not the same thing. I go do, same package
and same tile. What are you talking about? So that
was my first going wow, because I went in there
thinking I'm going to see ceramic tiles, I'm going to
see cheap things. Not only was the place done stunning

(03:23):
and it was clean, and you could walk through the
aisles and you could stand back and you could see it.
You could step back, you could grab the pieces, you
could roll the samples around, you could roll one sample
to another sample and see if the two samples came
together and worked. And from that point that it was
love at first sight for me with Floridacre. Right. So
people were like, you buy a tile of Florida, Yes,

(03:44):
I do. And people like, but you build ten twelve
thirty eight, Yeah, okay, and they have tile that's the
same place that you're paying eighteen nineteen dollars a foot
because you're not using your brains. Go to Florida Core
them a visit because they're buying cheaper because they're buying
a mask wall quantity, and the little boutique is only

(04:06):
buying so much at a time. They don't have as
much buying power. So to me, and the other thing
that was so impressive. Every store that I've been in
floor at Florid Decor. Everybody's happy there. Now some people
move on, they open up new locations, but the majority
and some people just move on because it's time. They
were young and they want to try something else. You're

(04:27):
not going to stop that. But if you go in
there and you're and you're purchasing stock, and you're doing
things the right way, you spend your time there, and
they move you to another store, open up another store.
I don't know if the funny part is, with all
the business I do with Florid Decorp. I've never reached
out to the president to say or write an email
and say, this is one heck of a company. You

(04:48):
haven't no. And I've been meaning to do it for
a year after year after year because I've rather I guess,
I guess I'd rather I already see how everybody works,
so that says something about the head of leaders of
that company that's number one and number two. I'd rather
give these guys on the floor of the credit Truthfully.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
They're the ones because yeah, yeah, help you out.

Speaker 1 (05:07):
And you don't get this in there? Excuse me? Do
you know where twenty four by forty eighths? I don't know.
Do you know where the fifty forty eighty four I
don't know. I go in some of the big box stores.
They gotta be running down every I don't know. Instead,
they find it with you. Come on, I'll walk with you.

(05:28):
We'll find it all. My twenty four by forty eight's
over here. But every once in a while there might
be a couple over here. So let's just check the aisle. Now.
You guys got the big slabs right there. You've got
so much going on.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
But I've never ever and that's ever, Cindy Stumbo treatment.

Speaker 1 (05:42):
Listen, it's not because I send people and.

Speaker 2 (05:45):
Sent me there from my house and I can repeat
everything you just.

Speaker 1 (05:48):
Said on my social media. I've sent more people to
floor in the cores. That's insane. It's just insane. And
I've never got to complaint back, never got to come
went back because people take their time to help. I know.
My nephew Mikey comes into your store.

Speaker 3 (06:06):
Right, he's on speed dial with me.

Speaker 1 (06:08):
He's on speed down here, right, So you know, but
there was a time where we was just avon. That
was it. Right now, Mike goes to wal dam. I
trust Mike those what's doing. I don't have to run
there and then I run there just to see what's up,
what's new? What we can use that's new? But it's
you guys are one great group of people. And know
I have to say this. I've walked into straight you know,

(06:30):
new locations. No one knows who I am. People are kind,
people are kind. I've never ever met anybody like. Ugh,
I don't want to be here, So we're to take
it out on you today. I personally haven't, So talk
to me now, you guys, talk to me. Tell me
what's going on with Fi de.

Speaker 3 (06:46):
Cour Well, the newest thing, as I was showing you,
kitchen cabinets is our newest line that we're carrying quick ship.
I can get product to you in four or five
business days, Semi custom inside of two.

Speaker 1 (06:55):
Weeks, Semi customer in two weeks.

Speaker 3 (06:58):
Box box ready to go.

Speaker 1 (07:01):
Really, you guys decide to now venture into cabinetry.

Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yes, we've had the we've had countertops. Now we're going
to have the cabinets now for the full kitchen. They
can do vanities out of the same. It's new but
actually doing pretty good now. The pricing is very competitive
for anyone out there.

Speaker 1 (07:17):
You have to help there to do all the design
for them. Huh.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
We have a special team kitchen and bath specialist that'll
work with the pro or a homeowner just to design it,
lay it out and we can get a price for
you in a couple of days.

Speaker 1 (07:29):
Really, jeeps, I just sent my girl, my son's girlfriend
to national number, okay, right to work in the kitchen department.
They're public company out too. They brought out national number,
which was my number. Yet I never thought to call
you guys.

Speaker 3 (07:45):
What's the newest thing though, so less than two months.

Speaker 1 (07:47):
It's new yep, and the traffic's coming in for that absolutely,
or it's the traffic coming for tile.

Speaker 3 (07:52):
And then they realize, well, that's part of what we
do is Hey, a new introduction, a new product line.
Tell people about it. People are excited about it because yeah,
they have to supply it. But I turn around time
is probably the best thing off contract.

Speaker 1 (08:04):
Great things. I see that you guys are doing full
slab pieces.

Speaker 3 (08:08):
Now, the slab pieces. Yeah, so we have by twenty
five different skws available right now.

Speaker 1 (08:12):
Yeah, and you got some really cool colors. I was
pulling them out last two weeks ago. There was pulling
them out going Okay, they gotta make them taller for
my house.

Speaker 3 (08:20):
We know, so I have three skws that are ten
and a half feet tall. Now, oh you do, I
do very popular. That was that two year job sites
in the past two months. You have some book match ones.
I don't have just yet. I was at Woodland Road
and then Cabot Road by the way, so you were
I was.

Speaker 1 (08:35):
So you see what I built, and you see every
one of my chepers and my floors, right, but you're
still seeing. I love those white footing.

Speaker 3 (08:43):
I know you do. You But the last two palace
coming into the country.

Speaker 1 (08:46):
I know I did. So what am I going to
do next? Now we are like going hold on, this
is the second white hold I thought we gotta go
to break. I'm Sinney Stumbling. You listen to Toughest Nails on WBZ.
We'll be right back, and welcome back to Toughest Nails
on w BZ. We're all grooving in the studio tonight
and welcome back to Top of Nails. I'm Cindy Stumple
and we're here with.

Speaker 2 (09:05):
Jesse Foster and Rick Leo and Tuley.

Speaker 1 (09:09):
Mike Pretzy and you're all from ware floor in the course. Okay, perfect,
So you can buy finally some of my job sites.

Speaker 3 (09:15):
Very impressive.

Speaker 1 (09:17):
I do do good job.

Speaker 3 (09:18):
And the Harry Wooden Walk okay, beautiful. That was gorgeous.
It really was.

Speaker 1 (09:22):
So you were on whittled In on the marble house
lots two and three. Oh they're both so yeah, so
it was finished and then the other one you see.

Speaker 3 (09:31):
That his cabin was almost done at that point January.

Speaker 1 (09:34):
Those are some very expensive. Yeah, but the slabs, you
do have slabs that can. So we have seventy units
that will be building in Newton right townhouses, really beautiful ones.
They're gonna look like what you saw on cabin, but
a smaller version. They're going to run away from nineteen

(09:55):
hundred to thirty eight hundred square feet. It's going to
kind of have that modern but glamor. But the soft
woods in there if you noticed.

Speaker 3 (10:04):
Yeah, that was a semi Morden but really a cozy
feeling to that that. It really was a great.

Speaker 1 (10:10):
So the only thing I do is I use a
lot of glass.

Speaker 3 (10:13):
Yep.

Speaker 1 (10:13):
Then once you walk in, it does not feel like
a I don't like modern cold modern.

Speaker 3 (10:20):
It was clean, but I said you had it a
ring around the deck and you had at the main
staircase downstairs to you.

Speaker 1 (10:24):
Yeah, but you can see where we spend our money
right on the olt. You saw that outstand stone, it
was like this. It's just like the stonehouse. The stone
just didn't stop right. But you could be supplying me
with all of that. It's just communicating more and going
and say, okay, what do we have the exterior stone
that works?

Speaker 6 (10:42):
Right?

Speaker 3 (10:43):
The only thing we probably couldn't get just yet is
like the fire pit was being built that size, I
don't have the thickness.

Speaker 1 (10:48):
Of the Yeah, so that's outdoor blue mist. That's those
are those granite stones that we use.

Speaker 3 (10:54):
What everything else like patio pavers now, we do have
like three or four different skews now that you haven't seen.

Speaker 1 (10:58):
If you noticed the front of have it we used
twenty four by forty eight.

Speaker 3 (11:04):
Person out there, that's what I have now available.

Speaker 1 (11:06):
Right, you have it available now if outside start to
come in this spring, and I'm going to tell you something.
I was terrified this winter. It was a terrible winter
and it all sustained. We didn't have one pop good,
nothing popped. But again we have great installers too. I
don't pay penists, right, and I don't you know, we
don't pay penants. You don't hire monkeys, right, These guys

(11:28):
are good. My Masons has been with me for twenty
five years. My towel guys twenties, twenty years, some thirty
seven years. My guys just starting to age out. There's
the difference. But you see, if you're there, you saw
how good might absolutely installers are. If we could have
all installs like that, people would be all right, come

(11:48):
on and you know, change my bathroom.

Speaker 4 (11:51):
You know.

Speaker 1 (11:52):
But it's getting a little tougher out there. I did
notice one time when I was in Florida Core you
had some type of teaching going on there, right, which
was what.

Speaker 3 (12:02):
We do a quarterly. We just had a lot of
Creek training for their shower systems, different simmit of the
shooter system. Yeah, will be in next week actually demonstrating
their product as well. Next week.

Speaker 1 (12:13):
You know what, I need to come there because there
is some type of shlooter that you're using in the
showers that I don't use. I'm very old fashioned. Copper pans,
door rock, waterproofing. And then you guys got a whole
system that I really should wrap my arms around.

Speaker 5 (12:28):
The biggest advantage of that's gonna be warranty. I mean
they're gonna they're gonna warranty everything if you use their
products through and through the pre slopes, the walls. They
have all the waterproofing membranes. We can order custom sized pansy.

Speaker 1 (12:40):
So I'm gonna buy pants, right. So just remember I've
been doing this for thirty seven years. I've never used robbery,
and they've only used copper pans. And you guys have
had no situations with with this whole shlooter thing going
on with their peans and everything.

Speaker 5 (12:56):
Right, So it's not a it's not a rubber pant.
It's going to be like a composite material covered in
their waterproofing membrane. It's all structurally sound. You're just gonna,
you know, mortar this down to your wood frame and
then all the drainage can be set up. They've got
linear drains, square drains, all the different colors to match
all other trims.

Speaker 1 (13:14):
I need to know when that meeting is cooked, some
me reach out to my office. Let me know, because
I got to go take that class.

Speaker 3 (13:19):
That's definitely worth coming by next week.

Speaker 1 (13:21):
Yeah, it would, it would be worth mine my time
in Bond's time to come. Sometimes it's hard to teach
an old dog, nu tricks.

Speaker 2 (13:29):
No, not you, Cindy.

Speaker 1 (13:32):
I hate Bild electric houses. Now I can't have guess. Okay,
what are.

Speaker 2 (13:38):
Your trends that you guys are seeing this year? Anything different?

Speaker 1 (13:41):
No way? I had a question. Oh you did, Yes,
I took away my crystal white. You remember crystal white
forty eight?

Speaker 3 (13:49):
Yeah, you want to buy like a whole container. I
can ask the buyer about that.

Speaker 1 (13:53):
I thought we couldn't get anymore.

Speaker 3 (13:54):
I have to ask, have to go way up and
try to get it for you, but commit having committing
to a lodge, amunt. We can talk about that.

Speaker 1 (14:00):
But why did you remove the forty eight? By forty
that crystal white was the best.

Speaker 3 (14:05):
They just changed the color and three other developers like yourself,
I use it constantly. They just went to a different
color and off white and a little bit of an
off white. That's the color I have right now, and
a crystal white. No, it's more of a cream or
off white.

Speaker 1 (14:17):
But it's not that same crystally, So I thought they
stopped making They did.

Speaker 3 (14:22):
We'll see if they can make a production run just
for you. Have to ask that if you want to.

Speaker 1 (14:26):
So I thought I had heard that maybe Singapore was
going to start to make what the manufacturer just decides
we're not going to make it anymore.

Speaker 3 (14:34):
We just started bringing it in. We just we just
we changed skews to freshen things up every few years.

Speaker 1 (14:39):
And you didn't notice that was a big stell.

Speaker 3 (14:40):
It was a big sell for us. Not everyone else
was selling it to our success rate. So it's more
numbers across.

Speaker 1 (14:46):
The Listen how much sure that I was buying in
Florida more than anyone I go around. I did fifteen
thousand scrip forouse in Florida. We went to every Florida
court in Florida, and we finally gone enough to go around.
We had the shots out of stock, and then Massachusetts
I bought its. Then I had to go to.

Speaker 3 (15:08):
Have to chase down for you you know that.

Speaker 1 (15:10):
But then I then they can company left a tell
company of cors like a bootique towel company and foot
law deal and then I bought. They had like four
case left and I had to chip the towels. That
was it and I.

Speaker 2 (15:22):
Got to bring that skewback done.

Speaker 4 (15:24):
No, I just call it because Sydney, why you work
with the buyer directly.

Speaker 1 (15:29):
That way the thing is. It just had this crystal
and a shimmering shimmering. It was thick. I never had
any cracking with it. I never had problems with it,
and you took it away from me. I don't know
why you took it.

Speaker 2 (15:43):
Yeah, yeah, so.

Speaker 1 (15:44):
We can maybe trace it down. Then I buy a
container and I just stole it.

Speaker 3 (15:47):
That's why we can work.

Speaker 1 (15:49):
How much comes to the container.

Speaker 3 (15:50):
I'm gonna find out for.

Speaker 1 (15:51):
You, Okay, I'll use that. I like very Do you
notice everything I do is cleanly. I'm not adding forty
different colors together and walk in the bathroom habits seizure, right,
So everybody designs differently as far as you're concerned. What
makes your stores different from the usual big box spots
as you box spots box stores I call yeah.

Speaker 4 (16:13):
So the unique thing about flooring the core is the
micro assortment that each store is responsible for. So the
department manager work alongside with the store manager and obviously
even items that are being sole and wop them, which
is probably thirty five minutes from douts Chest or even Avon.
We sometimes have different selection. We obviously we hear the

(16:34):
feedback from the contractor that we work with, as well
as the homeowner that comes in every day and obviously
give us feedback and we take that into account. So
that way we obviously bring in the product. Unfortunately, your
case is the white tie that we can't get anymore,
but it's done. Yeah, I mean, we'll try and get
it back. But for the most part, a lot of
them is just based on trends. We try to keep

(16:55):
ahead of the trend we sat with before we.

Speaker 1 (16:57):
Become the So the other good thing that I like
about Florida Core I can see where the towel's made.

Speaker 4 (17:05):
Absolutely Yep, you have.

Speaker 1 (17:06):
Signs that says India, China. You list where the towel's
coming from. I think people like that.

Speaker 4 (17:14):
Yeah, it's the transparency in this day and age that's
so important. We list what you know made the tile
and where you can get it from because a lot
of our products we buy it directly from the manufacturer.

Speaker 1 (17:25):
Who do you think most of your products are coming from?
Right now?

Speaker 4 (17:27):
Right now, fifty percent actually come domestically. But everything going
on right now, i'll buyers and merchants doing a fantastic
job trying to bring every product back domestically. So which
is why your tile might not necessarily might not be
from Singapore or Malaysia, but we'll find the vendor that
can actually manufacture it over here.

Speaker 1 (17:46):
Really, that's really cool.

Speaker 2 (17:48):
See that's me. What's that they're going to special order
stuff for you?

Speaker 1 (17:51):
Listen, I deserve that. Thousands of people I've sent to
Florida Core.

Speaker 2 (17:57):
Hey, I want to Actually I've so I've sent two
people your way. I mean to hold people.

Speaker 3 (18:01):
But that's important.

Speaker 1 (18:03):
Wait, here's wass my buddy Anthony ROSSI buy from you,
come from you.

Speaker 3 (18:07):
Anthony by is a lot from us.

Speaker 1 (18:09):
How did you got Anthony?

Speaker 3 (18:11):
He works with my commercial rep and Mike.

Speaker 1 (18:13):
But how did you get Anthony?

Speaker 2 (18:14):
That's her right there to me?

Speaker 3 (18:16):
Yeah again, So he's my number one customer. You know.

Speaker 1 (18:19):
Cheap is creeper? Is Anthony? Go flip floor in the court,
Get away from you? No, no, I'm doing Just go
do what I said to do this people loss just
go this all my builders develop guys, just stop. Just
go in there and Wasssi pays fast. He's good. It's
all good.

Speaker 3 (18:36):
We appreciate that part of it.

Speaker 1 (18:38):
Right, Absolutely, money is good. So are you guys still
referring out contractors to people? Oh? I got the clock
in front of my face. Hold on, gotta go to commercial.
This is Cindy Stumpy's Toughest Nails on w BZ. Will
be right back and welcome back to Toughest Nails on WBZ.
And I'm here in the studio with.

Speaker 2 (18:59):
Just D Foster and Leo Toullie Hardman.

Speaker 1 (19:03):
And Mike Pretzy and where you people from flowind Core.
Thank you very much, Love Florine. Okay, so we already
know that if I'm sending you business, that says a lot.
If I'm buying product from you for all these years,
now it says a lot. Okay, because come on, how
many expect builders do you know? They're pushing out ten
eighteen fifteen, nineteen million dollar homes and walk into Florida Core.

Speaker 3 (19:28):
Not enough?

Speaker 1 (19:29):
Okay, there we go. So it's good enough for my houses,
it's good enough at anybody's houses, right, Let's call that
what it really truly is. And another thing I like,
and consumers should know that if they buy something and
they're not happy, the unopen boxes can be brought back.

Speaker 3 (19:47):
That's correct.

Speaker 1 (19:48):
You open the boxes. Sorry you almost, but the unopened
boxes can come back absolutely.

Speaker 2 (19:53):
So actually my open boxes they were they let me
send back as long as I had all the or
they counted each ye.

Speaker 1 (20:00):
Yeah, but you didn't have any mortar on the back
of it. You didn't use them.

Speaker 2 (20:04):
We didn't use them.

Speaker 1 (20:06):
Yeah, if you have pulled the box, that's fine.

Speaker 2 (20:08):
You use like fourteen of the twenty and the return
of the fifteen.

Speaker 1 (20:12):
The rectory policy is phenomenal, you guys, was wonderful because
now if we bring back a product, there's a different
skew number with a different dialogue, right, you guys got
to figure out you know, Okay, we don't have that
dialout anymore. So what do you do? Just kind of
throw down on the sale where I can see.

Speaker 3 (20:30):
Also, I'm like, I'm looking for I'm at the market down.
But we'll take care of it for you.

Speaker 1 (20:34):
And that's how that works. Okay, what's the what's new
in outdoor and waterproof flowing options? We started to talk
about that. Now let's go there.

Speaker 3 (20:42):
Well more of an outdoor paver. Yeah, so there's twenty
four by forty eight a couple of skews and I
think the twenty four by twenty four of the other
two that we have.

Speaker 1 (20:51):
So we have a few twenty eight by forty eights
that can definitely be used outside.

Speaker 3 (20:56):
How many I think there's four SKUs right now.

Speaker 4 (21:00):
We have four skew, but depending on which store because
of the micro assortment porcelain paver family where it's twenty
four by twenty four, twelve by twelve, and twenty four
by forty eight, so you can have them the kind
of mosaic look that most people are going for that's
coming in in the spring. I've already started getting in
a couple of skew for that.

Speaker 1 (21:18):
People like that mosaic look, huh they do. Yeah, And
I'm very clean. You saw how so again every designer,
I'm a design builder, so we just all build design
our own way. I know my product sell so I'm
not going to stop doing what I do. Right. It's
been working for me. But when you say I'll just

(21:39):
we have four, I got to go look at those
two because we need We have another one that we're
doing right now that we have not picked that out yet,
and there's like five thousand square feet out there, so
I want to come and take a look at that.
What else do we have going on? We have any
forty eighths by forty eighths coming in. We're staying away
from the larger formats.

Speaker 3 (21:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (21:58):
I mean these ones are all about three quarters of
an inch stick being the paper, So I think that
just becomes.

Speaker 1 (22:02):
No back and we're jumping back inside now, Okay, sorry,
that's my boss. I just I just pulled a I
ninety five. We went off eggsit thirteen on your go ahead.

Speaker 5 (22:12):
Forty eight by forty eights and we can bring those
in if you want. But the trend now has been
more towards the XL slabs. You know, it's basically just
two pieces of.

Speaker 1 (22:20):
Them, the big slab forty eight.

Speaker 5 (22:21):
Yeah, so we have the forty eight by ninety six
up to and then the sixth.

Speaker 1 (22:26):
Right, so you have forty let's go your forty eight
by one on nines. Right. They're averaging how much a
slab per slab?

Speaker 3 (22:33):
It's an average week five hundred, between three fifty and
probably seven hundred, okay.

Speaker 1 (22:39):
Which is a great number, guys, very competitive. I've been
paying two thousands anytime. I know, I've been paying two
thousand slab right, come on, think about before labor. Here's
my question. These people that are coming in and spaying
between three fifty and five hundred a slab, correct, who's installing.

Speaker 5 (23:01):
So our Installation Made Easy team does have a crew
that's equipped to do those now. So for all of
the stores locally they do have at least one where
they can just source it. If it's a homeowner, they
can source through the store through our installation company.

Speaker 1 (23:13):
Because that's not a normal child, Not any not anyone.

Speaker 3 (23:16):
Can do it half capable of doing the right equipment
to do it.

Speaker 1 (23:20):
Probably you do have to have the right equipment. You
have to know how to put that tile up. You
have to know what kind of board. Don't be hanging
that crap on blueboard. You got to take that blue
board off right like so, I guess some people in
the highway, but that's not your problem. You're you're you're
a song of the tile.

Speaker 3 (23:36):
That's one of our best demonstrations we did last year.

Speaker 5 (23:39):
Was yeah, and we try to educate the customer when
they come in about what's going to be required. I
mean tools wise, more expensive mortars, you know, just things
to make sure the job.

Speaker 1 (23:47):
Is full for thousand, thousand percent. But when you look
at and again let me repeat that, people, I'm spending
two thousand a slab before flooring. The core has now
brought them in and now I'm looking saying, okay again,
I've been getting price gouge for all these years. But
we've been using massive porcelains for ten years now, right,

(24:08):
So here's an opportunity for people to have this in
their showers. Believe it or not, The label works out
the same after they sit there and they cut every
piece for you and they get these two pieces up
on your Even if you're just using it on the
back of your shower wall to dress up your shower wall,
you don't have to use it everywhere shower.

Speaker 3 (24:27):
We do a lot of fireplaces with it now too.

Speaker 1 (24:28):
You're using it on fireplace. Any concrete ones, Yeah.

Speaker 3 (24:34):
There's a couple of stone looking ones yet, Oh.

Speaker 5 (24:37):
I think on looking ones with the matt finish. You
know a little bit of selection everywhere.

Speaker 1 (24:42):
No solid grays, no saw grays are bige yet, Oh
there is.

Speaker 5 (24:48):
No solid grade. We have is going to be a polished.

Speaker 1 (24:51):
So it's a polished saw.

Speaker 5 (24:52):
Base, just a little bit of marbling to it.

Speaker 1 (24:55):
Okay, so no concrete finish yet.

Speaker 3 (24:58):
That was a concrete not Well, we need to look
for those.

Speaker 1 (25:01):
You need to look to those. Do you remember when
you went to Cabot and you looked at the fireplace
that was concrete looking slabs, right, So I see a
lot of direction. Well, I've been doing that direction for
a while. We know what we know, what trends, what
trends you see in this For colors this year.

Speaker 4 (25:21):
It's definitely a lot of green, So people bringing the
nature stage a lot. There's also almost a revival with
so you're getting pink, a little pop up light, pink, pink.

Speaker 1 (25:34):
We we went back to the fifties exactly. Everything's papers coming
back back a long time. We have all papers went
back a long time, a long year ago.

Speaker 2 (25:44):
So I'm still learning. Actually it's almost two years.

Speaker 1 (25:49):
Do people need an appointment or they can just walk
in if they need to see your design team?

Speaker 5 (25:54):
We offer both. You know, we typically would like to
schedule so we have some context to the appointment. But
you know, I'll always try to accommodate. If a designer
is not available, one of our associates can work with
them till the designer frees up.

Speaker 1 (26:05):
So you don't really know when I'm in there and
I'm incognito, I'm your designer. When I walk down the
you know, the hallway whatever whatever you call walk away whatever,
waile and I'll thank you. And the husband wife are
fighting over something like guys, can I help you? Right,
And a lot of times they don't know who I am.
And then they get to the front desk like that
was Sidney Stumboy just helping us. You do know that, right?

(26:27):
The wife will say, well, the husban will say or
somebody else tells them right, and then the wife will
say that looks beautiful. Together, the husband's like, at this point,
just pick out anything. I don't care right you're to
in my life. But when I see a husband wife arguing,
I literally stop and go okay, guys, stop arguing, show
me what's going on here? And they're probably looking at
me like, who's this crazy lady right? Just helping us?

(26:50):
And then i'll you know, sometimes I introduce myself. Sometimes
they don't, but they're like, wow, that looks so beautiful.
Let me just go get other piece. Let's roll it
over here. And the husband's like, I can't go golf today.

Speaker 2 (27:00):
Now, right, So they don't bring you unless you're bringing
them for the paycheck or to pay them. But women
just go there pick it out because the guys are
gonna love whatever you pick out.

Speaker 1 (27:11):
Oh, they don't care.

Speaker 2 (27:12):
They don't care it, they know.

Speaker 1 (27:13):
They just care about the garage.

Speaker 2 (27:14):
Yeah, have the pro team at Florida Core help you
pick it out versus arguing with your spouse.

Speaker 3 (27:22):
Is I love being put in the middle of conversations.

Speaker 1 (27:24):
I don't know why are being asked this? Can you
really deliver straight to my job sites?

Speaker 3 (27:28):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (27:28):
The answer is yes. I'm answering that for that.

Speaker 3 (27:31):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (27:33):
Okay, here's always my big one. I always ask every this,
So I'm going to ask all for you, and I'll
start with you, boss. Why do you love working over there?

Speaker 2 (27:43):
Me?

Speaker 3 (27:43):
I get to talk to people all day and do it.
This is what I do all day is we go
meet contractors and people. I'm on the road more than
half the week.

Speaker 1 (27:51):
So you're outside stills too.

Speaker 3 (27:52):
Yeah, pretty much? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (27:53):
And you you're what you stop at job sites? Scan
to know networking out there exactly? Is there many developers
that flowing the course?

Speaker 3 (28:01):
That's my job out of it is business development, finding
new business to bring it in, just to show them
the store once our goal is to bring people into
the store wants to show them what we have, our pricing,
our selection, our availability. I can deliver five bathrooms to
your job site tomorrow. But everyone else can.

Speaker 1 (28:16):
Do that, No, they cannot. You're waiting three four weeks?
What about tell me something? Okay, let me finish. And
you do you like working there?

Speaker 4 (28:25):
Yeah? Absolutely so. I've been in retail most of my life.
But at the end of the day, the reason why
it comes to company is the opportunity. I mean, Cindy,
you mentioned it a little bit back when I first
met you and Waltham, I was a department manager, so
in the span of time I went from store manager
to operation manager and then now a store manager. So

(28:45):
the opportunity at the company is pretty much endless. It
really depends on how much you want it.

Speaker 1 (28:49):
Okay, hold that thought. You're listening to Tenfests Sales on WBC.
Will be right back and welcome back to Tefest Nails
on WBC. And I'm Sidney Stumpoint. I'm here with who
who am I here with?

Speaker 4 (28:59):
Oh, Toullie Hardman.

Speaker 5 (29:03):
And Mike Pretzy.

Speaker 1 (29:04):
Okay, perfect. So that's you're happy. You're happy and you.

Speaker 5 (29:09):
I am very happy with the company. So it's very
much like a family. The opportunities are endless. I was
a contractor for twelve years and personal reasons and an injury.
I just couldn't really be in it anymore. And I
found somewhere where my experience and my knowledge is valued.
So my my technical experience has been able.

Speaker 1 (29:27):
To think you're valued as a human being over there.

Speaker 5 (29:30):
Absolutely, yeah, yeah, I have to agree. Yes, yeah, yeah.
It's a very you know, especially at the store level.
You know, I mean we're very much like a family.

Speaker 1 (29:38):
So are there any more stores opening or we like
on hold now for a bit.

Speaker 3 (29:43):
In this area? Nothing in the immediate year.

Speaker 1 (29:46):
And what about other states? You're still opening in other states?

Speaker 2 (29:49):
You know.

Speaker 5 (29:50):
We just opened our most recent store in Alabama, I believe, yes.

Speaker 1 (29:53):
So you guys still love the opportunity if you want
to relocate Nobsta.

Speaker 3 (29:57):
That's absolutely every day.

Speaker 1 (29:58):
Every day he takes from his own, The company takes
from their own.

Speaker 5 (30:03):
Yeah, the company is huge. I'm promoting from within.

Speaker 2 (30:06):
Damn, maybe I need to switch company.

Speaker 1 (30:07):
That's but that's huge. Guys. What happened to my guy
I talked to I? Actually, I've got like Florida Court
this person. I have like twenty Florida Court people in
my phone right and some have moved to Texas. Some
have moved back to Florida, opened up a store there.
They Jared, I think, yeah, do you remember jaredy had
like reddish here, Jared used.

Speaker 4 (30:27):
To come up the Jared's now working at corporate.

Speaker 1 (30:29):
Yeah, he said that.

Speaker 4 (30:31):
Yeah, he's in charge of merchandising.

Speaker 1 (30:33):
Since and then my favorite was in Avon was Mike,
but he kind of retired and he's out finding himself
right now. Maybe found themselves. They found himself and come back.
I don't know, but great guy, great guy. But he
wanted to do hunting and all that stuff.

Speaker 3 (30:47):
Whatever.

Speaker 1 (30:48):
How's the Hodwood sales there?

Speaker 3 (30:50):
The howdware hot Wood? How would the big category of ours?
So let's be finished. We have quite a variety, a
very big election of that.

Speaker 1 (31:00):
Thank you. That's meet my body guard and driver. So
next time somebody wants to try to screw with me,
they got to deal with them. Like, right, he looks
like such a nice looking guy. Nice guy. Right, he's
a killer, but we love him. So you could welcome
to my crazy life, right. Can't make this, can't make

(31:20):
this crap up. So basically Hodwood has grown big in
your store too. What's your best sale right now? Tile? Okay,
so you have tile? You have hardwood, you have vinyl, Okay,
you are now brought cabinetry in and you've got tops

(31:44):
or you don't have tops, okay, So out of everything,
what's the number one sale still there? Tile?

Speaker 4 (31:51):
So for us, because we're in the New England area,
hardwood is dealing number.

Speaker 1 (31:55):
One hodwood really, so you're a lot more well again
average average is much higher. Really so if you're in Florida,
they buy more tie obviously, right, So you really dominated
the Harward market up here.

Speaker 4 (32:11):
That's that's come back to the micro assortment here. We're
traditionally a little bit older houses around the Boston area,
so you're you're getting a lot of people wanted to
match the or existing flooring. So that's where the hardwood
or even.

Speaker 6 (32:23):
I have finished attention to your natural You sell natural right, yes,
still kicking white oak right one species and a lot
of people are buying prefab The problem is I need
to still need that quarter.

Speaker 5 (32:39):
Inch and I have it yeah in three quarters.

Speaker 1 (32:44):
Well you have it in door Chester absolutely, but you
have it in wealtham you have it both?

Speaker 3 (32:51):
We can get a fire do.

Speaker 1 (32:54):
You have it on?

Speaker 3 (32:56):
Like?

Speaker 1 (32:56):
I can see it, but I have to go to
doort Chester sample.

Speaker 3 (32:59):
What size I have?

Speaker 1 (33:00):
Yeah, so it's sorry, laid out the three quarter three
quarter by what? Ah, that's the big one?

Speaker 3 (33:06):
A four inch wide or a five inch wide?

Speaker 1 (33:08):
Well, you know, listen, if I who's up to me
will be all three and a quarter. But I get
all clients that pre buy these homes, they want four, five, six,
seven eight. So I'm like, do you know this wood's
gonna move? We have a net zero. We're down to
net zero for hers radar, right, we gotta get the
thouse down to net zero. That means wood's gonna move,
so no one can blame the wood anymore. Sorry, folks,

(33:30):
homes are over insulated now and things are moving. So, yes,
you guys sell what fours and fives?

Speaker 4 (33:39):
We sew two and a quarter, three and a quarter,
four inch, five inch, and it go up to six
seven inches depending really, yes, so obviously the six seven
inch is probably more of a special order. But we
we have five inches available in the store for you
to take home. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (33:54):
Just white oak, white oak, yep, white oak, and red oak.
I don't use right. I use white because I use
a lot of staining. Right, So, by the way, white
oak's more my than red oak. Now, fifteen years ago,
red oak was more more than white oak. They wanted
red oak. It was cut because white oak not stained
look like yellow, and red had this like, uh, this

(34:19):
this little bit of a redy like and then you
would that we were staying with a lot of mahogany stains,
and so.

Speaker 2 (34:26):
They do look so similar they.

Speaker 1 (34:28):
Don't when you stay in there.

Speaker 4 (34:30):
Are you familiar with one of the skew is called morsel,
So it's actually a red oak that we've grown to
look like a white oak, so it actually pick up
the stain better. And that's the technology and direction of
we're heading because there's such a high demand for white oak.
I mean physically tree can I grow that fast? So
that's why we're trying to.

Speaker 1 (34:52):
How I'm buying a lot of out there right now,
like cabbagry, a lot of white rifts, a lot of
white quatus on right. So we all know that different oaks,
you know, get into different moneies. But is your white
oak cheaper than your red oak, or you're red oad
cheap and you're white or you're evenly on a three
let's just say three and a quarter on a three quarter,

(35:14):
red oak's gonna be cheaper yeah. See see, I'm no
dumb dumb I've been doing.

Speaker 5 (35:18):
This a long time, but we're very, very competitive.

Speaker 1 (35:21):
But do you know what's going to happen Right within
a couple of years, no one's gonna want white oak anymoever, it's.

Speaker 2 (35:25):
Gonna went back to red oak, and then it's gonna go.

Speaker 1 (35:27):
It's just because it'll just become a trend again. It's
just what it is, like white oak used to be
so cheap and then red oak is so expensive. I
don't think anybody really use the Brazilian sure anymore. You
guys still carrying that.

Speaker 3 (35:40):
Not in stock. People do request it once.

Speaker 1 (35:42):
In a while, do they really wh what of the
woods you're saying? And that I got to come in there?
You know what?

Speaker 4 (35:48):
I really acacia being getting more popular?

Speaker 2 (35:52):
Was it Acacia Asia?

Speaker 4 (35:54):
That is so it's a high variant type of natural wood.

Speaker 1 (35:59):
I don't even know to se see, I'm making a
point to ask you these questions. I spelled it, okay.
The reason why I'm asking you this is I want
people to hear right now how much you know about
your own product lines. Because you walk into big store,
big shop like the Lowe's and home depots the world
and no disrespect because I use them for what I
need them for, which is very little and very nothing.

(36:21):
But I can't do. I don't know, buddy, do you
know what the tree? It's Christmas time? I don't know.
Do you know what I can find? The locks need something?
I don't know. When I Junior, my girl Juliet that's
been with me for twenty nine years, has the best saying,
when I retire here, I'm going to work in one
of those stores. Because a I have to say is

(36:42):
I don't know. I literally, guys, this is what I
did a few months ago. I couldn't get any help.
So I literally picked up the phone in the kitchen
area and said, yes, it's a city stumple iole eleven.
Can I get some Helpia? Oh my god, to microsphone.
Just really do that? Did you?

Speaker 3 (37:01):
I did?

Speaker 1 (37:02):
And look we got two people helping us. They're like,
did just pick up it? I did? I picked up
West Roxbury. They really are kind to me. So I'll
walk around that store and I there's a guy like
I went to the protesting, there's the guy following me,
and then there's the They're like, yeah, and there's a
guy following him. Why is everybody following everybody? I don't

(37:23):
steal anything. And they said, Sydney, we're just having you.
We're gonna make sure you're safe here right now, Like
oh okay, yeah, so you know they're gonna jump. The
greatest thing about de cour nobody goes. I don't know,
and I don't want to hear. I don't know. They
really take you down the aisle and say, let me

(37:45):
show you. It's been like that from day one. The
only difference is I don't need I don't go to
Avon Hap all the way from Newton Brookline. Davon Waltham's
like right there for us. Right, so when you guys open,
Here's another question I have. Is the price the same
no matter where you go in all the states? Well,
the price is very depending state to state. Somebody asked

(38:08):
me that about flowing the Core, and I couldn't answer
that question because when I went online, the price are online.
So if I'm in Texas or I'm somewhere else, Atlanta, Georgia, whatever,
Florida Core, Florida mess, are the numbers the same everywhere.

Speaker 4 (38:23):
Really depending on the products because it worked out of
different distribution center. But For the most part. We try
to keep our prices very you know, consistent across the
whole country, but they're depending on certain wood. Certain places
in New England will have it for a little bit higher,
a little bit lower because we just have more of
the products.

Speaker 2 (38:42):
Also tax free state New exactly trouble cheaper. I still
made no I went to Nashville.

Speaker 1 (38:48):
Oh you went to Nashville. Yep, all that thought. This
is Cindy Stumpole. You listen Toughest Nails on WBZ. It'll
be right back and welcome back to Toughest Nails on WBC
News Radio ten thir and them sitting. I'm here with Jesse,
I'm here with Rick, Rick Boa, tou Lee, Hardman, bo
Pretzy off of floor into courp take us out, buddy, All.

Speaker 3 (39:07):
Right, well love you to stop buy any floor unto core. See.
We have probably the best selection of hot flooring surfaces
in the country, best competitive pricing in stock, ready to
go to get project started tomorrow, all sorts of finance
options for whether it's a homeowner or a pro, best
return policy. Our newest collection is kitchen cabinets. If we

(39:28):
have to offer a free design service for everyone, whether
it's the pro whether it's the homeowner, and that's a
great opportunity for anyone that's listening today as well. Just
you can shop online as well.

Speaker 1 (39:37):
And bottom line is, if you can make city Stumple happy,
you can make anybody happy, because I'm a hard one
to make happy. Everybody, have a great, safe weekend. This
is City Stumble Toughest Nails on WBZ. We'll see you
next weekend.