GIRARD, Ohio – This spring, Biviano Carpet One will broaden its footprint and companies with the opening of a cupboard division that can complement its current product traces.
“We’re doing everything else already. The only thing we don’t have is cabinets,” says Jessie Popovich, co-owner of Biviano Carpet One.
The new 1,100-square-foot showroom shall be adjoining to the hard-surface flooring showroom at 1818 N. State St. in Girard.
“We’re going to knock a hole in that wall and that way customers can walk over,” says Jim Popovich, who owns the shop along with his spouse.
Their daughter, Grace, who has a level in inside design, will run the brand new division.
“We’ll be able to offer vanities and kitchen cabinets,” Jessie says. “We’ll be able to be involved from start to finish on the project and that’s very comforting for customers.”
Focusing on the client has been the precedence for the Popoviches since they bought the enterprise in December 2017.
Rocco and Rose Biviano opened the shop 75 years in the past. When they retired, their son David took over the enterprise along with his spouse, Lynne.
“We’re the first family away from the Bivianos but we’re smart enough to keep their name,” Jim says. “They had such a good reputation, and you have to keep your ego out of the business.”
Popovich has labored within the flooring business since he started serving to a buddy set up tile whereas he was in faculty.
“I’m a one-trick pony. I know one thing and I know it well,” he says.
Popovich grew to become an installer earlier than taking a job with McSwain Carpet & Floors in Cincinnati, the place he labored as a distributor consultant.
Jessie labored at one of many firm’s retail showrooms.
The two then moved to Chicago, the place Jim continued to work within the flooring business and Jessie went again to college to turn out to be a dental hygienist.
Eventually they determined to deliver their three kids again to the Mahoning Valley to be nearer to household, and Dave Biviano employed Jim.
“He said he hired me with hopes I would buy his business,” Popovich says.
At first enterprise was regular however quickly it started to develop. “Our numbers went up a little bit the second year and the third, and fourth year we had 40% growth,” he says.
An enormous assist for the first-time enterprise homeowners was that each one the employees underneath the earlier homeowners stayed on.
“Dave and Lynne had a lot of things in place,” Jessie says. “So, we stepped into something that was already working really well and everybody has stayed.”
But nothing might have ready them for the primary few months of the pandemic. Just as enterprise was gaining momentum, the shop was compelled to quickly shut.
“That part was super scary,” Jim says. “We would come here and get the mail. Then we would shut the doors and go back home.”
The Popoviches stored in contact with their prospects, usually dropping off samples at properties to preserve the enterprise shifting. Once they reopened, they are saying, prospects flooded into the shop.
“It seemed like people just ran in here. And they didn’t stop for about 18 months,” Jim says. “Last year’s numbers in October were unheard of. We had an exceptional, crazy October.”
He estimates enterprise in October 2021 was 40% larger than the earlier greatest month.
Eventually, enterprise started to return to regular. The Popoviches say wait occasions are again down and provide chain points have been resolved.
The retailer is a part of the Carpet One Co-op, the biggest ground masking shopping for group in North America with greater than 1,000 independently owned areas within the United States and Canada.
But Jessie says whereas pandemic-related points are largely gone, new challenges are beginning to put a damper on their enterprise.
“It’s definitely coming to a halt,” she says. “I think it’s inflation and the cost of freight.”
While the price of freight in September was down 2.9% month-over-month, in accordance to the Cass Transportation Index, it’s nonetheless up 4.9% from September 2021.
The Popoviches are trying to blunt the impression of upper costs with customer support and area of interest choices.
“Not a lot of stores in our area do full shower installs and bathroom remodels. It’s kind of a niche for us,” Jessie says.
Besides flooring, the enterprise additionally sells blinds, counter tops and tile.
As for customer support, the Popoviches say what units them aside is their information of the business and that they’re a family-run enterprise.
“You wouldn’t think there could be a lot that could go wrong with a floor but there’s a lot that can happen,” Jim says. “It’s crazy.”
In addition to Jim, Jessie and Grace, sons Luke and Logan additionally work on the retailer, dealing with installations and estimating. The household canine, Max, can be a daily face at Biviano’s.
“For many years, these mom and pop flooring stores were passed down and we’ve seen less of that over the years. So, it’s neat to see our kids want to be part of it,” Jessie says. “I want customers to know they’re in good hands and a family business does that.”
Pictured at high: Jessie and Jim Popovich bought Biviano Carpet One 5 years in the past from David and Lynne Biviano.
Copyright 2022 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
