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Flooring and window covering store celebrating 30 years in Creston

Nufloors opened downtown as Drapes to Floor You in 1984, celebrating anniversary at Northwest Boulevard location on Sept. 12 and 13...
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Nufloors owners Ellen and Randy Samuelson in the warehouse of their Northwest Boulevard business

In 1984, Drapes to Floor You opened downtown as Creston's one-stop shop for floor and window coverings. Now, three decades later, the same owners are still at it, operating out of a vastly larger shop and warehouse.

But despite location changes, a new name, Nufloors, and an endless parade of new and improved merchandise, some things haven't changed — "Smart service, great product" is how owner Ellen Samuelson puts it.

She and her husband, Randy, own the business at 1518 Northwest Blvd., offering hardwood and laminate flooring, tile, carpet and blinds. And at 10,000 square feet, the store is a far cry from the 500 square feet it took up on Canyon Street, in the space now home to Summit Outdoor Sport.

"He ran it out of the back, and used the parking lot as a cutting floor sometimes," said Samuelson.

Up front, she had Summit Music for about eight years, offering the latest in cassettes, CDs, ghetto blasters and Walkmans. Eventually, Drapes to Floor You moved to the front of the building, before they packed up and moved to a larger location on the west side of Northwest Boulevard around 1990. They stayed there for a few years before a flood sent them packing again — fortunately, the current location was already in the works.

"We were in the process of buying this land and building this building," said Samuelson.

On that 15 acres, the building started out at 7,500 square feet when the showroom and warehouse opened about 20 years ago — guests at the grand opening signed a ceiling tile that hangs in the office — and was eventually expanded to 10,000 square feet.

Locations haven't been the only changes for the business. In 2000, Drapes to Floor You joined United Carpet, which offered group buying power. The association lasted for just a few years, though — a number of Western Canada retailers weren't happy with the eastern influence, and banded together about 10 years ago to create a new buying group, Nufloors, which now has 24 member stores.

While the store has always offered the same basic products it did in 1984, a few things are different. Drapes are no longer sold there, having been replaced by blinds and shades, and laminate flooring is slowly losing favour to luxury vinyl tile. Wicker, too, is no longer part of the store's inventory.

"That was kind of the in thing in the '80s," Samuelson said.

Many customers are now starting to develop outdoor living spaces, and Nufloors deals with all aspects, including Duradek, retractable awnings, and wooden and glass railings, even in some precarious locations, such as one East Shore home Samuelson visited this summer.

"It was 100 feet of rail going down and down and down," she said.

Retractable Phantom Screens products are also proving popular with anyone wanting to keep fresh air flowing through their home.

"They're starting to come out as meshes that block heat, as well," Samuelson said, noting that Nufloors has one that rolls down over the warehouse doorway. "You get fresh air — but it stops bugs and birds."

As longtime residents — Ellen moved to Creston at age five, and Randy's grandfather, Arvid, was a Creston Valley pioneer — the owners are proud to contribute to employment and the local economy, with about 10 people, both employees and subcontractors, on the payroll.

To ensure that customers make that possible, Nufloors offers competitive pricing, which brings customers back time and time again.

"So many are repeat customers," Samuelson said. "Truly the core of this business is repeat customers."

Beyond the prices, they return because of the service, a key reason the business has been successful for 30 years.

"We try to make it all so easy," Samuelson said. "That's what we try to achieve."

Nufloors will be celebrating its 30th anniversary from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sept. 12 and 13, offering coffee and cake by Crazy Cakes by Tracy on Friday, and a barbecue by Famous Fritz Meats and Deli and Rick's Iron Kettle, and music by Mike Stenhouse on Saturday.