Happy New Year!

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

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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

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!

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!

Chili Contest & Comedy Show!

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

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!)

Custom Carpets!

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.)

...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.

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