Flooring retailer keeping seniors in mind with Jeanne Young's Carpet Outlet: As he continues his life in the flooring business with a new shop he opened in late May, Sandy resident Bob Young’s ultimate goal is to help residents who — like himself — have been around awhile. “Now that I’ve gotten older, I can relate so much more to them,” said Young, 83. “I’m trying to start a business here that’s going to bring the level of Sandy’s elderly to a better standard.”
Young’s newest business, Jeanne Young’s Carpet Outlet, 38590 Pioneer Blvd., held its grand opening celebration on Saturday, June 13. Young has been immersed in the floor covering business since he started working at 15 years old with his dad. Young now uses his lifetime of carpet-buying knowledge to offer it at lower prices to customers. After running his own carpet business, The Rug Bug, for 35 years, Young began working for D&R Associates, where he went on insurance jobs and often found himself in the homes of the elderly who needed improved flooring.
“They barely make it on their own, and it’s not easy for them,” he said. Young’s newly opened business is named after his wife Jeanne, who died in November. She worked with him in the business for 40 years, but stepped down to be a foster mom. “She was a beautiful person,” Young said. “I hope she’s up there in heaven having a good time now — a little upset because she took off before me. If I know her, she’s laying the road for me.”
Young’s daughters, April Young and Lisa Armstrong, are helping him run the business. Although not old enough yet, his youngest adopted daughters, Renisha and Veronica, both 15, will probably help out in the future. “We’re just a little family store, trying to do a service for the community,” Young said, noting seniors often need less padding in their carpet than the high-end product found in many homes. “When you’re older, your ankles can’t take that anyway.”
After his business gets up and running, he would like to work on providing better living environments for Sandy’s elderly residents. “It’s something they need to have done, and there’s nobody doing it,” Young said.
But Young’s discount carpet is not just available to the elderly. He’s hoping everyone will be able to take advantage of his knowledge. Young said his carpet sells for about 40 percent cheaper than a regular carpet retail store because he buys discontinued styles and other castaways from carpet mills. “My reason for buying it cheap was always (getting a good) price for the public,” he noted.
For now, Young is researching grants that would be available to seniors to help with affordable flooring. “It’s something that’s been eating at me for a long time,” Young said. “I think we can do a real good service to the community.”
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