Location/phone: Inside Kensington Furniture, Northfield/609-241-0072 Hours of operation: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Number of employees: 10 Known for: High quality flooring, more than two decades of experience. Lou Pitale has been in the flooring business for the past 27 years and has owned The Flooring Gallery for the past seven along with partner Michael Trivers. Glory Days Magazine publisher Dave O’Sullivan caught up with Lou recently to discuss the flooring business, as well as high school football. Lou’s son, Louie, was a member of the Cedar Creek team that won the state championship this past fall and plans to continue to play football at Susquehanna University. Pitale on how he got into the business: Well, I was looking for a change back in 1991 and a sales position opened up at a carpet company. I worked my way up to a management position there, and when I went to the Flooring Gallery in 2001, I worked there for another 10 years as a manager. 
Lou Pitale, who owns The Flooring Gallery of Northfield along with business partner Michael Trivers, has been in the flooring industry for more than two decades. (Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan) On what a typical day the business is like: Well, there really is no typical day. A customer comes in, we find out what they are looking for, find the right product for their need. At that point, we’ll go out and do an estimate, give a price at the home, and in about two weeks their flooring can be installed. On finding the right product for the job: Most of the time, people come into the store and they let us know what areas they are doing, what kind of traffic the floor gets, if they have pets. From there, it’s just finding the right product. On the most rewarding part of the job: Getting back and seeing the finished product, or getting a call from a customer who says the guys who did the installing were great and they appreciate it. And then you start to see the referrals. About 60 percent of our business is referrals. On why The Flooring Gallery supports high school athletics: Just to stay in touch with the community. It’s just to stay in front of the consumer in any way possible. On son Louie winning a state championship at Cedar Creek: It still gives me chills to be a part of that. It was the first in school history. Just seeing him enjoying himself and doing his thing, and getting compliments from other coaches and parents, that’s always a great thing. I went to a customer’s house the other day and she said that my son always inspired her to never give up. So it’s pretty cool to see that he impacts people and doesn’t even realize it. [adsense]
Glory Days Magazine MVP business profile: The Flooring Gallery
