Hardwood Floors August/September 2017

BUSINESS BEST PRACTICES MARKETING

Finally, growing tired of all the questions, the miller said, “If you think it’s such a good idea, why don’t you do it yourself ?” Thus, Real Antique Wood was born in 2011. According to Lisa, “What makes our wood special is the story. Most customers really want to know the history of the wood. So we get the stories, and then sell themwith the wood. FromCivil War stories to clashes with original settlers, we’ve amassed an eclectic history of these barns, many of which have been around since our country’s origin.” In keeping with their name, all of their wood is at least 100 years old. “A lot of our barns are from the 1800s. We’ve even reclaimed wood from a house built in 1747,” says Lisa. The crew also salvages all the tools, crates, baskets, pulleys, lights, buckets, and metal gears they can find. “We keep all the original items from the barns and incorporate them into future designs,” explains Lisa. “We also use them to decorate the showroom. We made a light fixture using a hay trolley.”They also salvage structural beams, planks, tin roofing, door hardware, farm equipment, barn doors, and whatever else they find while “barnstorming.” But their commitment to sustainability doesn’t stop there. “Our sawdust goes to a horse farm for bedding, and we burn scraps in our wood-burning stove. The leftover pieces are chopped up and

Sustainability Matters: Telling Your Story to Customers According to Global Industry Analysts, the green image of wood flooring is driving demand in the wood flooring industry. Further, the National Association of Realtors named reclaimed wood floors as one of the biggest trends for 2016. And it has continued into 2017. Homeowners, contractors, designers, and architects want to build stylish homes that are eco-friendly and help preserve our dwindling natural resources. Millennials just entering the housing market want rustic chic – a cross between traditional and contemporary. (Think modern, sleek lines with barn doors and reclaimed wood for warmth.) And they’re turning to wood flooring. Sustainability is good business. Just ask the Horvaths, whose reclaimed wood stories resonate with customers.

used for mulch,” shares Lisa. Because the Horvaths know sustainability is important to their target market, every communication reinforces this message. From their website content to pictures and videos on Facebook and Instagram to case studies on the blog – Real Antique

Real Antique Wood… Giving New Life to Old Barn Wood

For Gary and Lisa Horvath, owners of New Jersey-based Real Antique Wood, sustainability isn’t just a “best practice,” it’s in their DNA. When Gary was buying reclaimed wood

Wood tells their story. Appearing on CNBC’s

“Billion Dollar Buyer” didn’t hurt either. The show stars

Tilman Fertita, owner of Golden Nugget Casinos and Texas- based Landry’s restaurants. They left with a lot of great advice from Fertita and a nearly $610,000 order. (To learn more, visit realantiquewood.com/blog or watch Season 2, Episode 206, “Y’all Got a Problem,” at cnbc.com/billion-dollar-buyer.) Another shining example of sustainability is Goodwin Heart Pine. George and Carol Goodwin didn’t start out reclaiming wood, but it has become the heart of their business.

@Bigstockphoto

for his flooring business in the 1990s, he often asked his miller where it came from – but never got answers. Horvath suggested his supplier find out the wood’s history so he could pass it on to his customers who were curious. Gary believed the story was as important as the wood itself.

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