Friday, December 30, 2011

Happy New Year!

Image courtesy of a Google search via: http://www.santanarow.com/events/item/new_years_eve_on_the_row/

3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
Happy New Year!!
Before we get ready for the big countdown, we have to get ready for the big celebration!

DWP Carpet Binding will be closed by noon today.
DWP will also be closed on
Monday January 2, 2012.

We would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy, successful New Year in 2012!
-The Team of DWP Carpet Binding

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Ho Ho Holiday!

With the closing of 2011 approaching, there is much to celebrate.
1. We started our eighth year of business in November; statistics show most new businesses will be out of business prior to the seventh year.
2. Despite the down turn economy, we have been able to sustain our business numbers with the hard work of our customers & the increased business of walk-in customers.
3. Soon we will be in our new pajamas having a dance party with all of our immediate family present!
(A Christmas Eve tradition the Vice President, Bobbie has maintained since my youth!)
4. Time off!!

With that being said, here are DWP Carpet Binding's business hours for the next two weeks:
Friday, December 23rd, 8 am - Noon. 
CLOSED Monday, December 26th.
Friday, December 3th, 8 am - Noon.
CLOSED Monday, January 2nd.

Dan always says, "There's no magic elves that get the binding work done." Even though I work here, I don't believe it! During the mad rush prior to Thanksgiving, we were slammed with projects. Somehow Dan and myself were able to get all the projects completed. This holiday season, we were not as busy as most years in the past, however we are still slammed with "rush" jobs. Which, again, will be completed in the time frame our customers are requesting. Sometimes you spend the day feeling as if you haven't accomplished enough, if anything at all. Then you look at your billing & the amount of packaged goods waiting for pick-up and realize "we did all that!". It's a great feeling. Magic elves? Perhaps not. Though, I can't say what happens when I leave at 4 o'clock! 

I would like to share a story, it will certainly come off as self praise, however, sharing the story will showcase DWP Carpet Binding's service & quality of work. 
A woman contacted me some time ago asking about having a piece cut to multiple sizes & finishing off the edges with binding or serging. She currently resides in Maryland. Upon hearing that, I asked, "There isn't a local binding shop in your area?" She replied, "They told me they couldn't bind it, because it would unravel." I followed up by telling her that the piece could be latexed prior to being cut, which would prevent the unraveling. With many e-mails back & forth, along with phone calls. We get the job. She ships it to us & immediately I think "Why couldn't her local binding shop take care of this for her?!" It was no big deal knowing what needed to be done. 
Anyway, we completed the job. I had to e-mail her the final product to make sure she was happy with it. She was. This was her response:
  "The rugs look great. Thanks for your wonderful service and above par communication skills.
Looking forward to having the rugs nestled in their intended spots whenever they make their way home to me. It would only be courteous to shoot you an email and let you know when they arrive home. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday."

With her carpets on their way home, we are proud to have been a part of the solution for her binding needs. She took a leap of faith by sending them to us all the way from Maryland, even more so because she paid us prior to having received the rug! Although I would encourage for most people to stick with their local binding shops, DWP Carpet Binding is happy to serve anyone who has a void to be filled! Having received this project was a great joy & the customer was very easy to work with despite not having the ability to communicate face-to-face!
To Trish of Maryland,
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to help you! 
DWP Carpet Binding appreciates the business & leap of faith!
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DWP Carpet Binding is wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, a safe & happy Holiday Season and of course a Happy New Year!

We'll see you in 2012!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Gratitude:

This post will have nothing to do at all with carpets or carpet binding!

A few months ago, I was at my local watering hole with an acquaintance, discussing possible fund raising ideas for a mutual friend of ours. Our mutual friend had undergone an emergency heart transplant this past August. It was totally unexpected to needing one and everything happened very fast after he went to the doctor's just because he wasn't "feeling well". Upon doing several tests his doctors immediately had him flown to Yale New Haven and in a couple of days they had a compatible donor! Which, by the way, is probably the best luck he's had in the past few years.

As this woman and I discussed what we could do to help him, one of the bar's regulars had over heard our conversation & gently handed over a dollar bill. My friend said "Are you sure, because I see what it is." It was a one-hundred dollar bill. He didn't know our friend at all, nor did he know either one of us for that matter. 

Well, after a few months of making contacts and asking for volunteers, I was able to come up with a chili contest & comedy show event. When I knew that the show was a definite, I went up to the generous donor and told him, "When we have our comedy show, you will be a guest of honor!" He immediately shook his head no. I asked, "No?! We won't announce you or anything. We just want to give you free tickets and buy you a round of drinks." Again, he shook his head no. He said, "Everything should go to him. You both thanked me and gave me a big hug. That's all I need for the donation I made."

I was flabbergasted.
I said, "So, you won't accept gratitude for your gratitude?!"
He said, "You've already thanked me."

Over the past two weeks, any time I've seen him I let him know that despite "rejecting" the offer, he is still going to be a guest of honor. It has almost become an inside joke ... a never ending argument too!
The overall point of all this is that it is men like him who make fundraisers and the efforts to coordinate such events all worth it! The generosity & desire to help, just because you can, speaks volumes of a person's character. It's those little finds that really change one's perspective in life too! No matter how bad life can be or how hard it can get there are these quiet guardian angels everywhere just waiting to lend a helping hand!

The Chili Contest & Comedy Show is this weekend!
Pardon the expression, but we're calling it:
"Shits & Giggles: Jokes for Justin!"

It is being held at the Blackboard Cafe in Windsor Locks, CT on December 3rd, 2011. 
The start time is 5 pm  and will end around 7 pm.
 $15 will get you both chili & comedy. 

If you're interested in entering the chili contest, it is a $15 entry fee. You should arrive to prep your chili station at 4 30 pm.
A cash prize is being offered for first place!

The comedy show will begin at 5 45 pm.

The announcement for the chili contest winner will be after the comedy show.

We are also having a 50/50 raffle!

All proceeds after expenses are paid will go to Justin, the gentleman who underwent a heart transplant in August 2011. 

If by chance you have Facebook, you can join in the event page by clicking the link below!

Here's to our silent guardian angles & the gratitude they offer!

Monday, November 28, 2011

CYBER MONDAY DEALS!!!!

DWP Carpet Binding is joining in on Cyber Monday deals, by dramatically reducing the pricing of our custom pieces!
One day only!

Click on the link below to find a steal-of-a-deal on unique custom carpets!
(You can't find these at your favorite chain store!)

Friday, November 18, 2011

It's Friday ... But I'm Sure You Already Realized That.

This past week we were kept busy with some pretty intense orders from our regular customers. To who, we thank profusely! I usually take the time to "thank" our walk-in customers, yet I don't take the time to "thank" our regular customers. The truth is we would not be in business without them. We sincerely appreciate every piece of carpet (or carpet base) that comes in to DWP Carpet Binding. I learned in my Principals to Entrepreneurship class that most business won't make it three years, very little will see a profit before five years and you're lucky to make it to a seventh year.

DWP Carpet Binding proudly started it's EIGHTH year in business! The end of October/ beginning of November marks our anniversary. Granted Dan has been doing business with the same people for over 15 years, however, not under his name. The loyalty his customers have shown us is what has kept us in business and for that, we are truly grateful!

THANK YOU!!
To all of our loyal customers. 
With your business DWP Carpet Binding has defeated the odds of business success.
We will continue to provide the great service and quality workmanship that you and your customers deserve!


This week, we were given two pieces of carpet from a walk-in customer. One piece was a small woven rug in which the fringe was destroyed by a hungry dog. Believe it or not, hungry pets are usually the cause for a carpet that needs repairs done (so, for those of you who are wondering if you need to get rid of your pet, the answer is "no" , they are perfectly normal)! After assessment of the best way to repair the carpet and allow for longevity we got to work!

Before picture: woven area rug to be repaired.

Before picture: A hungry dog went to town on this one!
If you notice, there is a white perimeter. That is latex. Using latex on the perimeter of this carpet is going to give it a stable edge, which will allow for durability & longevity, preventing another repair any time soon!

After picture: latex perimeter and bound all four sides in blue.

After picture: just another angle of the finished product.

Although DWP Carpet Binding has done many repairs like this, this is probably one of the few times I remembered to take before and after pictures! It's an easy enough process, however using latex on the perimeter takes some time to complete. Binding it did not take as long.

The same customer also brought in a very unique piece, with a unique request. He and his wife had moved into a home that an elderly woman lived in. In the house they found this quite charming area rug that they ended up using. What they didn't realize was that is was a hand woven rug... legitimately home-made. There was a lot of discoloration on the front of the carpet, although it was all pretty even in tone they found the back of the carpet more appealing for use.
Hand-made woven carpet: front facing & backing shown.

Hand-made woven carpet: front facing & backing shown.
If you notice in the picture, there are obvious color differences between the front and back of the carpet. I assume the front was once the same sage green as the back is currently. It most likely was worn out from sun exposure and use. You may also notice around the perimeter a band. That is how I knew it was hand-made. It is a canvas material that was stitched to the back of the carpet (again, hand-stitched); whoever made this carpet put in a lot of time and effort. They also were very consistent in their hand-stitching. In any manner, what the request for the carpet was: get it to where the back can become the front. Easier said then done. Although Dan and myself spent a lot of time discussing with the customer what we would do, it turned out we decided to do something entirely different than what was discussed (at the same cost of course).

In order to keep the integrity of the carpet, we decided to undo the hand-stitched band. Originally we thought using latex on the perimeter would be the way to go, similar to their smaller blue area rug. Then we decided that if we did that it would compromise the charm of the carpet, on top of making the original front side incapable of being used again.

I went to work on it. It took me about an hour, but I was able to un-stitch the canvas band. Then I folded it over to the reverse side. At that point, I bound four sides with a matching sage green binding. What DWP Carpet Binding accomplished in doing this is maintaining the integrity of the rug. In the future, should they decide to use the front (for a look of neutral tones) they will be able to do so by removing the binding, flipping the carpet and having it bound with the canvas band on the back again!

This was a unique project for us. Not too many people have asked for this type of work. Although it took longer to bind, in general, we were able to keep both sides useful while providing the customer with a carpet that will have a completely different look (now sage green in tone).

Thank you to Pete & his wife for the interesting projects!
It was quite unique & interesting for us.
(I say "his wife" because I did not formerly meet her, otherwise her name would be posted too.)


Tuesday, November 15, 2011

...They'll Be Back ...

From the middle of last week and the beginning of this week, we have had two returning walk-in customers!

I am happy to report that one of the two came in and bought rug-hold product. She said, "I bought some from Home Depot and it doesn't work. My carpets are sliding all over the place. Your stuff works, though!"
This is music to our ears. It's always great to know without a doubt that the products we use or sell are top quality! If you need rug-hold product to prevent your carpets from sliding or moving out of place, you can trust that our rug-hold product is worth the money!

The title of this blog is "They'll Be Back" for a reason. Having returning walk-in customers come back to DWP Carpet Binding is a great compliment. One said, "I love coming in here." [He's actually in right now as I write this, just chit-chatting with Dan!]

A returning walk-in customer must come back for good reason. Perhaps, they enjoyed the expedient service or the quality of our binding materials.  Perhaps, they enjoyed working with two people who are typically happy, easy to work with and charming. Perhaps, they don't have any other options (which we already know, is not the case).

Whatever their reasoning, they come back.
Dan always said, "If you give the customer a good quality product with impeccable service, they'll always be loyal."  I believe our track record with returning customers and very low numbers in the complaint department, proves that Dan is correct. It means more to us to have loyal customers, instead of a higher number of customers who do not return for business.


Many thanks to our returning customers,
Paris & Kenneth! 
 Your loyalty shows us that we're doing something right; making our work days more meaningful!

*Paris repaired serging on a small area rug & purchased rug-hold product.
*Kenneth brought in three different types of carpet to have fabricated into various sizes and bound.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Thank You to ALL of America's Veterans!

I'd like to start this blog off by saying, DWP Carpet Binding has the privilege of  honoring two veterans everyday. Dan's father, Wally and his Uncle Jimmy. Both of their flags were given to him during the burial services for safe keeping. Both American Flags (which is also what we use as a logo symbol) hang proudly in our warehouse facing each other. They are Dan's "lucky charms" in business and he truly believes that both his father and uncle are not only looking over him everyday, but the business as well!


On this Veteran's Day there are so many options as to posting pictures or stories to spread the awareness of what truly happens when one is in any military service for this country. Yesterday I spent some time watching "Vietnam" on the Discovery Channel and was truly amazed by the MANY heroic acts that were captured on film, now being shared and discussed in further detail by the person who experienced it.

There are so many touching stories, not just on the Vietnam war, but in every act of service our military provides for us! Today I correlate two great stories that discuss history in war & recent events that occurred.

Flipping the middle finger was something that has been done throughout history, however, in times of war it is linked to the days when Archery was the greatest tool for weaponry. Opposing sides would purposefully aim for their enemies middle finger in order to handicap them and prevent them from being able to shoot a bow and arrow.  If the target was missed or if after combat battle, a soldier's middle finger remained, he would flip up his middle finger towards his enemy as if to say "Look, I still have my middle finger!", also showing that he still has the ability to fight in war!

As time passed the gesture has turned into an act more so of obscenity than anything else.

I present to you a great story that I find chilling, heroic and hilarious all in one.
 *Please note: I use the term "hilarious" because of the correlation between the history of "flipping the bird" with the following story. Not because I find any acts of violence or the seriousness of war funny. I suppose I could use the term "ironic", but still when  you read the following, I'm sure you too will have a smile on your face by the time  you're done reading it!

The following picture and story is something a friend posted on Facebook. DWP Carpet Binding does not own rights to the picture, nor the story that follows it. I merely copy & pasted what was posted on Facebook.



"Leading the fight is U S Marine Gunnery Sgt. Michael Burghardt, known as 'Iron Mike' or just 'Gunny'. He is on his third tour in Iraq .. He had become a legend in the bomb disposal world after winning the Bronze Star for disabling 64 IEDs and destroying 1,548 pieces of ordnance during his second tour.

Then, on September 19, he got blown up. He had arrived at a chaotic scene after a bomb had killed four US Marines. He chose not to wear the bulky bomb protection suit. 'You can't react to any sniper fire and you get tunnel-vision,' he explains. So, protected by just a helmet and standard-issue flak jacket, he began what bomb disposal officers term 'the longest walk', stepping gingerly into a 5-foot deep and 8-foot wide crater.

The earth shifted slightly and he saw a Senao base station with a wire leading from it. He cut the wire and used his 7" knife to probe the ground. 'I found
a piece of red detonating cord between my legs,'
he says. 'That's when I knew I was screwed.' Realizing he had been sucked into a trap, Sgt. Burghardt, 35, yelled at everyone to stay back.
At that moment, an insurgent, probably watching through binoculars, pressed a button on his mobile phone to detonate the secondary device below the sergeant's feet. 'A chill went up the back of my
neck and then the bomb exploded,' he recalls. 'As
I was in the air I remember thinking, 'I don't believe they got me.' I was just ticked off they were able to do it. Then I was lying on the road,
not able to feel anything from the waist down.'

His fellow Marines cut off his trousers to see how badly he was hurt. None could believe his legs were still there. 'My dad's a Vietnam vet who's paralyzed from the waist down,' says Sgt Burghardt. 'I was lying there thinking I didn't want to be in a wheelchair next to my dad and for him to see me like that. They started to cut away my pants and I felt a real sharp pain and blood trickling down. Then I wiggled my toes and I thought, 'Good, I'm in business.' As a stretcher was brought over, adrenaline and anger kicked in. 'I decided to walk
to the helicopter. I wasn't going to let my team-mates see me being carried away on a stretcher.' He stood and gave the insurgents who had blown him up a one-fingered salute. I flipped them one. It was like,'OK, I lost that round but I'll be back next week.'   

Copies of a photograph depicting his defiance, taken by Jeff Bundy for the Omaha World-Herald, adorn the walls of homes across America and that of
Col. John Gronski, the brigade commander in Ramadi, who has hailed the image as an exemplar of the warrior spirit.
Sgt Burghardt's injuries - burns and wounds to his legs and buttocks - kept him off duty for nearly a month and could have earned him a ticket home. But, like his father - who was awarded a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts for being wounded in action in Vietnam - he stayed in Ramadi to engage in the battle against insurgents who are forever coming up with more ingenious ways of killing Americans."


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This is why I enjoy this story so much; it's appropriate on so many different levels. Plus, who doesn't love "flipping the bird"?!


To all of our Veterans, 
We thank you for your services; past, present & future.
-The Team of DWP Carpet Binding

Monday, November 7, 2011

I Can't Speak for Everyone .... Or Perhaps I Can.

Well, after a weekend of a surprise snow storm followed by a week without power I was surprised to find out just how far (or short) my patience will go. As the snow storm started Saturday evening, here in CT, I was excited. My friends and I had discussed, perhaps 2 weeks previously, how it was supposed to "snow early this year", one in which predicted : "It will snow before Halloween!", to which we all cringed in high hopes that it wouldn't. Partly because we didn't want what the majority's favorite holiday was to get ruined and partly because we just weren't ready for the snow. We were experiencing phenomenal weather for the later part of the year, 60 degrees in October is wonderful. How could it possibly snow?!

Well, that friend's prediction was accurate. As the snow fell, the weekend of Halloween we watched as the huge snow flakes delicately placed themselves wherever the wind carried them. As the frosty bits of air became thicker and started accruing up we thought to ourselves, "How bad could this really get?!"

Then as the hours passed by and the snow didn't let up, we watched as the tree branches were weighed down with both their leaves and the accruing wet, heavy snow. Some of which were bending over power lines. "This can't end good", we thought aloud.

Little did we know we were facing a week's worth of life without power. No electricity, no preparation for the storm. As the storm passed we woke up to what looked like destruction of war, between Mother Nature and her minions, the trees. Neighborhoods filled with those who worked diligently to clean up the mess. First, removing the 6 - 10 inches of snow from their driveways. Second, branches that had fallen causing either major or minor destruction depending on the location. Third, a source of heat followed by ways to cook a warm meal for the evening. After all, after a day's of hard work a.k.a. manual labor, one needs to replenish with a good meal! The excitement of the storm quickly wore off within 24 hours. Although it was incredibly amazing to witness, it was soon learned of all the problems it caused. Gas lines miles long. The losses in property damage, food supply & access to the everyday perks we take for granted, such as a hot morning cup of coffee brewed at home.

At first, I believed that despite the length of time it would take for power to be restored, I was going to make the best of the situation & getting by would be a breeze. Who doesn't love camp fires on a brisk evening?! I could get by on a can of soup heated by fire for dinner. I could snuggle close with my significant other to keep warm at night. This seemed to be the life I would want to lead for the rest of my life. Simple. Every task having meaning, because it meant you were getting by without the need of luxuries that many countries don't have. It meant you were taking care of yourself (and loved ones) by any means possible.

Then it happened. A full seven days later, my patience ran out.
Not even over anything major. In fact, I lost it over something so trivial.... I couldn't find my trustee knee-high wool socks I relied on throughout the week to keep warm. As I rummaged in the dark, early morning (which is not at all my best hour), I quickly became angry that once again I was seeking what I considered "necessities" in the dark, unsuccessfully! It had been a really awful night's sleep, cold, damp and restless. I couldn't take the fact that the one article of clothing that was useful to me was "missing", lost to the shadows of a cold dark room.

It set the tone for my entire day.
I didn't care anymore. I wasn't going to spend one more hour without heat or electricity. I nearly felt homicidal, which really threw me off my game. While a few customers came in to work, because we indeed had power back, yet no phone lines, I gave them the stink-eye. "Are you serious? Someone needs a carpet bound when I've been freezing all week and now feel as though I'm catching cold because of this stupid power outage?!"

Then amidst my inner rage, I remembered, I was not the only one who faced this power outage. I was not the only person who was once amazed by an untimely storm, now disgruntled at the aftermath. In fact, I was merely 1 of 800,000 (if not more) to be experiencing such chaos. I remembered that I was at work; a job I am proud to have, proud to execute quality workmanship, also proud to be a part of a team that actually cares. Despite the lack of power and I'm sure a shortage of funding, customers were still seeking our resources and trade's ability to give them one more piece of comfort. They were still allowing us to be up and running as a business.

It was at that point that I knew I had to shake off the anger and frustration to continue my best workmanship. Otherwise, I needn't be here.

Dan too experienced a difficult week, as he was at home cleaning up the destruction two oak trees left in his front yard. By the seventh day he too had lost his patience with the cold and the "new way of living". It was that day that he set out to get a generator because there was no way he and his wife would go one more day in the madness. After a full day of searching, hooking up & finalizing the generator project, he was yet again defeated with the return of the power just 4 hours later. After a week full of frustration, chaos, unfinished goals, he had met his match. Yet, he found the will power to continue on with work and then worked TWO 12-hour days over the weekend at the flea markets.

This is the team of DWP Carpet Binding.

Despite our own personal set backs, frustrations, feelings of resentment, we know what it means to run a business and do it flawlessly. Despite not having phone lines & knowing that many would be working on cleaning up their own homes, we kept our normal business hours when we regained our power. We knew that it might mean sitting at an office for an eight hour period just to have one customer come in with a $9 project. Whether it was $9 or $9,000 (which didn't occur), we WANTED to be there for our customers, who were experiencing just as much frustration as we were. We could listen with an empathetic ear for five minutes, or offer a few minutes in a warm place. Something is better than nothing.

As we sit here, still with slow to no business activity, we feel the consequence of the snow storm that began with us in awe, ending with utter disgust. However, we are extremely thankful to be back up and running, both in our homes and here in our business.

With as much sincerity as one can give while writing a blog, we truly hope that everyone is going to get their power back sooner than later. Each and every one of us has been impacted in one way or another (or in several ways) and much like the proud Americans before us, we will persevere if we stick together ... Not just through the recovery of the storm, but in general. We'll share our horror stories of the week, or still growing frustrations for lack of power. Yet, in the near future, when all power is restored, we'll have the ability to look back and laugh at the trivial things that made us mad or success stories of determination while cleaning up the mess.

We will look back and say, "We endured this. Together."

Warm wishes of safety, comfort and the simple joys in life to you all!

-The Team of DWP Carpet Binding

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Back On & Running ... Sort of...

DWP Carpet Binding has power back on!
We're open however we do not have phones lines back on.

Come on in with your binding needs!

Stay safe & warm for the duration of the power outage thanks to the freak snow storm!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Buzzzz.... We've Been Busy!

I have not posted in a while, but for good reason:
We've been kept so busy in the warehouse, it's hard to write a blog AND bind carpet!

We have had projects galore in this past week or two. Many were projects of our regular customers; thousands of feet of carpet base, about 25 - 45 area rugs of various shapes and sizes and a handful of walk-in customers with miscellaneous requests. It has been a great couple of weeks, you would think that this awful economy was finally turning around! [Wishful thinking, I know.]

Unfortunately, we have not been able to thank those who have come in, so I would like to take a few minutes to do so now.
 Many "Thanks" to:
The Blanchards of South Windsor, who had an area rug cut & serged!
Steve, who was sent in by his wife to have an oriental carpet re-fringed for their upcoming Thanksgiving party!
Peggy, who had a gorgeous woven carpet cut down & serged on all four sides.
Sal, who brought in a couple of oriental runner remnants to have the ends serged after installation on their stairs.
 Ingrid, who just dropped off her woven carpet to cut off the fringe to be replaced with serging; there are also a couple of areas that need a little attention for repair.
Edita, who also replaced fringed ends with serging.

It is such a great feeling to know that we are helping people maintain the use of carpets old and new. All of them had different needs, none of which were an obstacle for DWP Carpet Binding to handle!  Thank you to all of our customers and walk-ins that have kept us busy, busy, busy these past few weeks. We have enjoyed being productive as well as a resource for ALL of your carpet binding needs.  


DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR WEB-SITE & ETSY STORE:

Monday, October 10, 2011

Thank You:


A big "Thank you" to everybody who purchased a carpet from DWP Carpet Binding, 
this past weekend at Stormville Airport Flea Market!
It was our most successful weekend & are so pleased with the results. 

See you next year!
-The Team of DWP

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Where's "Waldo" this Weekend?!

DWP Carpet Binding is excited to announce that we will be at the Stormville Airport Flea Market this weekend!  It is one of the Northeast's biggest flea market and a big deal to locals! We are hoping to hit a home run and diminish what is left of our old stock and our new stock!

We are making this announcement early for one reason:
If you're in the market for a carpet, NOW IS THE TIME! There might be limited pieces left after this weekend's big event! Last Friday a returning customer, Sandy, brought her daughter Kim in to us as she was looking for new carpets for her house. Sandy told Kim "Don't go anywhere, I've got just the place to get some great carpets..." then told Kim about DWP Carpet Binding. Kim bought 8 new carpets for multiple areas in her home! She also purchased a piece of non-skid rug-hold product for one piece. DWP Carpet Binding really was a one-stop shop for her needs!
Thank you for your purchases Kim!
Thank you Sandy for the reference, we really appreciate it!

Although I have mentioned our new stock several times, I have not mentioned the "golden pieces". Often times people are looking for oriental runners, which are hard for us to come across. However, in our last purchase of stock pieces we happened to come across these wonderful mats:
Oriental Mats: 30 inch by 2 foot

We have about 30 - 40 pieces, 30 inches by 2 feet. We also have a dozen pieces that measure 30 inches by 3 feet. They're being sold for $5 and $7 a piece! That is a steal! They may be used as scattered rugs throughout your home or the runners can be used in short hallways, etc. 

Get them while they're here, folks! Stormville Airport Flea Market will (hopefully) make a huge dent in our inventory. 

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR WEB-SITES:

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Sentimental Value:

Joan from Manchester came to us yesterday with very unique pieces. They were pieces that her mother-in-law had made for her quite a few years back. One piece was an actual throw rug, the other two pieces were cushion covers that matched the throw rug. She found them and thought: Why not put these to use?

The throw rug needed a little bit of work and she wanted to have it bound. The other two pieces needed a bit more work. Joan wanted us to make a secondary throw rug by seaming them together, after cutting off the additional material that would surround the cushion. Being that they were hand made, we had to first latex the perimeters of every piece prior to doing anything to them. This causes a rubberized edge which allows  you to trim the material, but more importantly, it acts as a stabilizer for the edges to prevent any further fraying!

Dan went to work on it. After using latex to stabilize the edges, he scissor cut back the edges to get them as cleaned up as possible. At that point he was able to bind the throw rug. He then started working on the other two pieces. After cutting back the excess material, he used extra latex where the seam would be made. He joined them together, using sheet rock scrim  tape and hot glue in replacement of seam tape.

The pattern of the pieces are sporadic and colorful, so the pattern match up was not important. After about 1.5 hours of work the job was completed!
Hand-Made Throw Rug: hooked with various yarns. Bound in black by DWP Carpet Binding.

Hand-Made Cushion covers, converted to a secondary throw rug. Bound in black by DWP Carpet Binding.

You can see the seam where the two cushion covers were joined together. Due to the differing shape and size of the custhion, it was difficult to get the piece completely square without compromising the loops, which may have caused fraying (despite the use of latex). Although it's not perfectly squared, the piece is completely useful for any space!

I think these are wonderful and unique mosaic pieces. They are over 40 years old and hand-made by a person with true talent! Joan has sentimental connection to these pieces and used DWP Carpet Binding to keep them useful to her. This was one of the more unique tasks we were asked to do. We are more than happy with the results, but even happier that we were able to maintain the use of pieces so valuable to another individual!
Thank you, Joan! 
This was such a great project to be a part of!

If you have pieces that are of sentimental value to you, consider bringing them to DWP Carpet Binding to see what you can make of them today!

***Side Note: Coincedentally, I had a fortune cookie today that read: "Don't scrap everything. See what you can salvage!" After having written this blog!***

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR WEB-SITES:
http://dwpcarpetbinding.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/KellyGreenCarpets

Friday, September 23, 2011

What You Can Do-

One of our UPS delivery men had been saying for months that he needs some sort of carpeting for a steel spiral staircase in his home because of an elderly cat that continued to slip on the stairs. Today, he and his wife came in to solve their problem!

He created a cardboard template of the stairs' shape & brought it to us. He and his wife chose a carpet out of our stock pieces that fit their needs, at which point DWP Carpet Binding fabricated 12 custom stair treads.

Custom Stair Treads for a Spiral Stair Case


We used two 4 ft. by 6 ft. stock pieces to cut and fabricate the custom stair treads, as well as a couple of narrow pieces that they will use to make an 11.5 ft. scratch post for their cats! These are two examples of clever ways to use carpeting to your advantage.
Thank you Ken & Libby! 
DWP Carpet Binding hopes that you and your cats enjoy the new treads and scratching post... we assume the cats will enjoy that more so than you.

In other news, we also were able to help two women out with a few small jobs. 

Christine from Meriden came in with two pieces that she has had for a while. Beautiful pieces, however one of them was fringed. She had hit a point of frustration with the fringe because it was "...always getting caught in the vacuum cleaner." She had us remove the fringe & serge both ends to match the existing serging that was on the sides. The second piece was cut to a custom shape then DWP serged the cut sides, blending everything in so that it looked as if she bought the piece as is. They both came out beautiful!

Ginny came in with remnants left over from a recent installation she had done. Instead of letting her pieces go to waste, she came up with multiple sizes to use as a hallway runner & a throw mat.

Thank you Christine & Ginny! 
It was a pleasure doing business with you both!

Jen & Tim from Tolland came to DWP Carpet Binding in search of a 6 ft. by 9 ft. Having just received three van fulls of carpet, we had a ton of stuff to choose from. They picked out a multi-colored Berber. Since it hadn't been fabricated yet, they decided they would go back home in case they wanted a custom size or larger than 6 ft. by 9 ft. They went home, measured, decided to go for a 8 ft. by 10 ft. , then Tim came back before we closed and picked up their finished 8 ft. by 10 ft. Berber! 
Thank you Tim & Jen-
You are the first to buy a carpet from our NEW stock!

Yes, at DWP Carpet Binding we make it that simple! Fast turn around, reasonable prices and capable of many custom fabrications.  
These are four examples of how DWP Carpet Binding can help you with any carpeting needs. Whether you buy carpet from our stock pieces & have us fabricate them or if you already have carpet that you would like to re-vamp , DWP Carpet Binding is happy to take on your projects.

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR WEB-SITES:

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

New Stock!

After a summer of flea markets, DWP Carpet Binding was pretty low on our stock pieces. Dan & Bobbie cranked them out at low, make that very low, prices to give us room for NEW stock!

Today, that new stock arrived. Although it has to be fabricated, we are pleased as punch to have carpet remnants on hand that are up to our standards of material! Berbers & plush carpets galore! Although most are neutral in color, we have a few blues & peaches to select from amongst other random colors here and there.

Are you in the market for a new carpet?
NOW IS THE TIME to buy from DWP Carpet Binding!

Although we do not have pieces to accommodate wall-to-wall carpet sizes (typically 12 ft. by 14 ft or bigger), there is plenty on hand if you were looking for a new stair runner, hallway runner or an area rug!

Come in with your desired sizes & we'll find something to fit your needs!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Pardon Our Appearance:

Well, much like any growing business, DWP Carpet Binding is experiencing "growing pains". We have out grown our space. Thankfully so. It's a sign of success, even in a terrible economy.

So, what are we going to do about?
Dan has began the process of "renovating". Although it won't be a full-out renovation, we are working towards maximizing our space! Reorganizing, cleaning and moving a lot of our products around has been the focus of our work days. Don't be too concerned, our binding jobs are still our first priority & as always, we're taking care of business.

By the time we finish we are hoping to have a completely new look in our office. Our warehouse will have a "walk-in" section as well as a new "drop off" area for our current regular customer base. The walk-in section will be rack displays of our remnant pieces for sale. The drop off area will be sets of rollers right next to our work table. There will be one place to drop off the work & another place for the "pick up" area. All with intention to prevent any piece from ever touching the ground... even the enormous pieces! This is another example of how DWP Carpet Binding keeps the customer's needs in mind. Although it's a rare occasion that a carpet will touch our floors, this new set-up will make sure they NEVER have to!

If you work with carpets, you already know that they create a lot of fuzz balls/dust bunnies. By lifting everything off of the floors, we can clear out the fuzz balls/dust bunnies even more than our allowance is currently. Maintaining a fresh warehouse floor is of vital importance to Dan.

Although we are eager to get the new set up complete, it is a process. Please pardon our appearance as we give DWP Carpet Binding a face-lift for a more user-friendly set up!

Friday, September 2, 2011

"Where's Waldo" this Weekend?!

DWP Carpet Binding will be closed on Monday, September 5th in observance of Labor Day!
However-

You can catch "Waldo" this weekend at:

Unbeatable prices this weekend!

Area Rugs:
9' x 12' 
8' x 10'
6' x 9' 
5' x 8' 
4' x 6'
3' x 5' 
2' x 3'
Hallway runners at various lengths & widths!

Prices lower than Ocean State Job Lot, Lowe's, Home Depot, Wal-mart & Target!

"Change the way you shag!"



Friday, August 26, 2011

"Just Married!" ... Almost

About seven weeks ago a customer asked if I was willing to make a custom carpet for his wedding. Of course I was happy to do it! He told me that the wedding was beach themed and was hoping to incorporate sand, the ocean and a sun into the carpet. My first experiment was seeing if I could accomplish a "surf" look using white and blue carpet with a rippled cut at the seams*. Honestly, it was cheesy looking. Yet, I didn't give up on the image right away. Instead I moved on to the sand. I thought that I should make a design where it looked as if someone had written in the sand. This is what I was able to come up with:

"written in sand" attempt

 At this point, I was at odds with how I felt about the look of it. I posted this exact picture on my facebook profile to see what the crowd would say. About  5 - 7 people commented saying it did look like it was written in sand or giving praise for the idea and look of it! So I continued, which led me to this:
*you can see the rippled/wave affect I tried to accomplish at the top of the picture!*



 Again, I questioned the aesthetics of the piece. Luckily, the same customer was in not too much later after I had this much finished. He looked at it & I could tell he was disappointed. Together, we picked out three different colored carpets and he instructed me to forget about the beach theme all together. He merely wanted me to produce a piece with the couple's names and the date of the big day! After completion, he would use the exact decorations from the wedding to adhere to the carpet. 
"Great!" I thought. "This has just become an easier & much less stressful project for me!" 

I did as I was told, using the carpets he and I picked out together. It took a total of 5 - 7 hours to complete. This is what the almost finished piece looks like:
bordered, custom carpet
He was delighted when I dropped it off to him! I was relieved that he was so happy with the finished project. He and his wife-to-be were then going to adhere their wedding decorations (sea shells, star fish & sand) to the left side (which I intentionally left space for) and send me a picture with the finishing touches on it! 

So, to Mark & Donna, Congratulations on your wedding this weekend! 
Hopefully Hurricane Irene is kind to you & your area!


Today's funny! 
(and a good reason to always read the label first!)

Dan was giving the glass-top desks a good scrubbing. After a few minutes, a pungent smell wafted through the air. I realized what happened, but double checked in case I was wrong:
"Did you use Windex or cologne?" 
Just as I suspected! 
As Dan looks at the spray body he reads, "Bod" (the body spray for men).  
"Oh, I thought it was mini Windex bottle." 
Understandable...

 Now we sit in the office, suffocating on the scent of cologne for the last hour of the day...
but maybe tomorrow we'll awake with "really ripped abs"!

Have a great weekend, everybody!
Stay safe while Irene makes her way past your areas!






Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Let's Be Honest: You Have Options:

Yesterday there were two instances when it became obvious that our customers don't always stick with us.

The first being when an installer came in to pick up a small runner that was dropped off the day before. He had given us a sample of the binding that we were supposed to match up our binding with. Well, it was not our binding material, which was red flag number one. Number two was when he admitted, "I'm sorry. It was taken to [enter competitor's name here]."

The second instance was when our "competitor" actually dropped off a job to us, because they couldn't get it completed. We are assuming that after they cut the carpet, they attempted to bind it with no success.
Hey no "tears in the beer" here, we look like super heroes cause we did COMPLETE the job!

What this translates to is this: you have options & that's ok! You may not necessarily contact our direct "competitor", but you may inquire at Lowe's or Home Depot, believing they are low cost providers. Let me explain why this isn't true.
  1. They do not use 1.25 inch polyester binding as their standard application, DWP Carpet Binding does!
  2. They don't have the same turn-around time we do. We offer while-you-wait service or same day service. If you can't wait or can't come back in the same day, most likely it will be completed by the next day anyway! I've been told by customers in the past that Lowe's or Home Depot's turn-around was 2 -3 weeks at the bare minimum! 
  3. Our competitors do not have the same passion for the work that we do! Dan, the owner, has taken on many difficult projects. In doing so, he has taught himself & learned quite a bit about how to get each job done properly. 

Part of the reason our "competitor" couldn't complete the job they brought to us yesterday is because they haven't taken the time to learn about various TYPES of carpet backing nor the problems they may cause while trying to bind or serge them. Due to this fact, they also weren't aware of how to find a solution to complete the job. Meanwhile, Dan & the Team of DWP Carpet Binding were fully aware of how to handle the carpet so that we could bind it. Although it was a difficult task, we knew what to do immediately upon receiving the carpet (sorry, I can't reveal any of our trade secrets [wink, wink].) At the end of the day, we got a job done that our "competitors" clearly were incapable of doing.

At this point, you may be wondering why I continue to use the term "competitor" with quotations ... well, if they could do what we do, with a turn-around as fast as us and with our reasonable pricing they would be a legitimate competitor. Yesterday was a clear-cut example that they're not even in the same league as us! You wouldn't compare a minor-league ball player with a major-league player, would you?
We wouldn't either.

Be smart.
Check out your options because you have many. Ask a lot of questions to make sure they know that they're knowledgeable about their work. Then make an educated decision about where to bring your projects ...  carpets or anything else.
 This only helps you in the long run!

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR WEB-SITE & ETSY STORE:
http://dwpcarpetbinding.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/KellyGreenCarpets











 

Friday, August 12, 2011

"Where's Waldo" this Weekend?!

DWP Carpet Binding will be seen at

Catch "Waldo" to find some GREAT DEALS on area rugs, hallway runners & small mats!
This weekend, Dan wants to sell all he has & come back home with an empty trailer, so he is doing special pricing for this weekend only!

3 ft. x 5 ft. - $7
4 ft. x 6 ft. - $10
5 ft. x 8 ft. - $15
6 ft. x 9 ft. - $20
8 ft. x 10 ft. - $50
9 ft. x 12 ft. - $60 
Runners- $1 per linear foot; 
12 ft. runner = $12
 He's seriously killing the market with these prices!
(It's less than the retail cost of binding alone, never mind the carpet AND the binding!)


Our prices CAN'T be beat by the big box stores. 
With the high quality materials used & the meticulous efforts of labor put in to complete each piece, you won't find a vendor with these goods at our prices ANYWHERE!

That's a promise!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Work We've Completed!

As mentioned in previous posts, there is work we do that does not involve ordering a brand new carpet and having the fabrication work done. 

For instance, Mark came in with two pieces. One was cut with 45 degree corner cuts, making an 8-sided piece of goods. The piece was cut & serged to match with the form of his living room walls. 
The second piece was made into two runners (out of a 5 ft. by 7 ft. 6 in. piece). 

Russell came in with a 5 ft. by 12 ft. carpet, which we fabricated into two circles, just under a 5 ft. diameter. 

In Mark's case, he had bought new carpet but didn't have the expenses to have it custom made. Sure he paid extra for the work that we did to those carpets, but it wasn't nearly as expensive as if he ordered a custom piece from the manufacturers. 
In Russell's case, he had used carpet that was no longer a usable size for him. Cutting the piece into two area rugs made them useful again, without the cost of buying a new carpet (or two)!

A special thanks to Mark & Russell for visiting DWP Carpet Binding and for trusting us to complete your projects! DWP Carpet Binding hopes you enjoy your "new" rugs! 

Today, a customer came in with a sisal/wide border binding job. His customer supplied the material, which is leather. Upon bringing this job in, he came up with a new nickname for Dan, the owner! 
"HouDani"!
(Think Houdini) 
Although we don't use magic tricks or illusions to get the job done, the impeccable services & the turn-around time would have you believe we have magical elves working for us ... or even that we're magicians ourselves! 

"HouDani" puts it quite simply, "We're not dissecting someone's brain here. We're just taking care of the business at hand and we never miss an objective."

Magic? No.
Good Business? Absolutely!

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR WEB-SITE & ETSY STORE:
 

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Celebrate Good Times!

On Saturday we celebrated the Vice President's birthday! 
VP of DWP Carpet Binding that is!
With the President's & Vice President's birthdays so close together, they're on a mini birthday vacation!

Happy Birthday, Bobbie!!

Kelly is in the shop running the show until Thursday.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Birthday Wishes!

The owner of DWP Carpet Binding is aging like a fine wine ... Today is his birthday!

Happy Birthday, Dan!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Did You Know?!

Happy Friday Everybody!

Did you know that right next door to DWP Carpet Binding there is John Paul's custom draperies?! Two doors down from us there is Simply Magic Chemdry, cleaning & restoration!

Why is this important?
Well, if you have an area rug that needs repair, you can have it cleaned at Simply Magic then DWP Carpet Binding can repair it as needed. When you pick it up, it's like you have a brand new carpet on hand! 

There's also the possibility of having custom draperies made to match an existing area rug you have to freshen up a particular room in your house. Perhaps you're looking to replace an area rug, you can pick a piece out of DWP Carpet Binding's stock then go next door to John Paul's to have custom draperies made up to match the new area rug!

How convenient! 

Three stores right next to each other, offering services that go hand-in-hand with one another. 
We "share" customers all the time. DWP Carpet Binding's interior designers use John Paul's services all the time. Our walk-in customers use Simply Magic Chemdry for cleaning all the time! 

It's just one more benefit to our location and services rendered!

Special Thanks to Marva -
for coming in today to have her oriental runner repaired with new fringe! 
DWP Carpet Binding hopes you enjoy your "new" rug! 

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR WEB-SITES:

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

For Sale!


Please check out a few of the pieces we have put up for sale!
This is just the beginning, there will be plenty more put up in time!


Friday, July 1, 2011

"Yea! Go America!" - Dan Kacir



In observance of Independence Day, 
DWP Carpet Binding will be closed
Monday, July 4th, 2011. 

(Image courtesy of : http://woodellcomputers.com/per4a/mmbwebfiles/fireworks.html; DWP does not own any right to this image & is borrowing it from a google search.) 

We will resume our normal business hours on Tuesday, July 5th, 2011.


Have a great holiday weekend!
From The Team of DWP Carpet Binding!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Slashing Prices!

If you are viewing this, I would implore you to check out our etsy store. We have just recently added new listings & took 25% off the original pricing structure!

If you're looking for a unique area rug or hallway runner, check this out:


DWP Carpet Binding also has stock pieces of all colors & sizes!
Area rugs, hallway runners & small mats.
 Special Thanks to Cindy for purchasing a 3 ft. by 8 ft. sisal carpet with sisal/wide border binding from DWP's Stock!


If you have remnants leftover from a previous installation, you may have them fabricated to your desired shape & size. 

Don't forget to top it all off with a piece of rug-hold, to prevent your pieces from moving around on hard surfaces, such as hardwood, tiles or linoleum flooring!
Rug-Hold may be purchased for $ 0.75 per square foot.
(The rug-hold does not hold carpet to carpet.)

Check out our web-site for more information on carpet binding:

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Not Just a Remnant Sale!

DWP Carpet Binding recently had a walk-in customer. Out of her remnant pieces she had left over from previous installs, she was looking to have one piece serged & two other pieces bound. She was hoping to get pieces in the sizes of : 1' x 3', two pieces at 2' x 3' & one piece at 3' x 5'. Unfortunately, her scrap pieces could not accommodate all of those sizes. She looked around at our stock pieces. The first piece she showed interest in was a 2' 6" x 4' piece. It was $10. The second piece that caught her attention was a custom piece from DWP's custom stock pieces. It was just under 3' x 6', a bordered carpet that was finished off with serging. The price was $150.

She had decided that she would take both pieces to see which, if either, would work in her living room and would return the second piece (or both if neither worked out) the following day when she picked up the rest of her order. To our pleasant surprise, she went with the custom piece! She said , "That piece looks like it was made for my room!" She did comment on how it wasn't $10, but it matched so perfectly, she didn't want to pass it up.

This is great news to hear!
When we fabricate our custom pieces, we never know if anybody would take interest in any of them. Sure, over the past few years we have received an endless amount of compliments on them, but without a buyer how valuable are they? This recent incident is proof that our custom pieces are meant for someone, somewhere. Maybe even you! The next time you're in the market seeking a unique carpet, consider stopping by DWP Carpet Binding to check out their stock pieces & custom bordered pieces! 

Thank you to Beth, not only for your business in having your scrap pieces serged & bound, but also for such a wonderful compliment in loving your new custom carpet!


DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR WEB-SITE:
http://dwpcarpetbinding.com/

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Closed on Memorial Day:

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies
- Moina Michael

DWP Carpet Binding would like to thank all service members,  past, present & future for your hard work & sacrifices. 

In observation of Memorial Day, DWP Carpet Binding will be closed on Monday May 30th, 2011.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Happy Birthday Wishes!

DWP Carpet Binding would like to wish the best looking woman in the office (ok, the only woman in the office) a very Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Kelly!