Continuing the Port's Road to Recovery series, this week the Examiner looks at how COVID-19 has impacted the home improvement industry in Port Stephens. The Port's Road to Recovery series aims to paint a picture of individual industries and social issues, how they have been impacted and what the future looks like for them - as told by those on the ground.
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Port Stephens residents looking in their own backyard for services and products they may have otherwise sought in Newcastle appears to be one of the positives to have come out of the coronavirus.
Russell Treglow from Nelson Bay Carpet Court said staff had notice an increase in new faces walking into the Taylors Beach-based store or phoning them, particularly since regulations began to relax in June, which was good news for the flooring and furniture business which has experienced its share of tough times in the past five months.
"We've had a few people say to us that they didn't know we were here before they searched for somewhere local," Mr Treglow said. "I think people are looking for local places to shop now rather than making the trip into Newcastle or somewhere else, which is a real benefit to local businesses and the community in general."
The doors to Nelson Bay Carpet Court, located within the Shearwater industrial estate, have remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the team of 12 staff, including a carpet laying apprentice, have all been kept on by business owners Todd Hollingsworth and Maayan Mizrachi.
ABOUT THE SERIES: Mapping the Port's Road to Recovery
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Mr Treglow said customer service across all aspects of the business, from sales to tradies completing installs, had "gone to the next level" since the pandemic hit. The business is now offering free local delivery and options for customers on how they wished to interact with staff when they visited a property for a measurement or install.
"Our customers are everything to us," Mr Treglow said. "We wanted to find new ways to help our customers during this time, especially when they were supporting us.
"Carpet Court put out a policy which guides and helps to keep us and the customer safe. We ask some questions before we go out to a house, like if anyone in the house is sick or has been in the past 14 days, and if they want us to wear gloves.
"While this part of interacting with customers has changed, we're more focused than ever on delivering quality service."
Mr Treglow said staff were seeing confidence grow in the community and more customers reaching out for flooring advice and furniture. He added that he would like to see "locals continuing to shop local" as the community moves forward out of the pandemic.
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