What keeps retailers up at night?

Flooring retailers are a hardy bunch. They have navigated complex economic cycles, including high interest rates, inflation, supply chain disruptions and cautious consumer spending in recent years. The new year is upon us, and with it a fresh set of challenges that could keep dealers awake at night, tossing and turning.

To that end, FCNews polled a group of retailers to find out what concerns them in 2026. Here’s what some said keeps them up at night:

QUALIFIED LABOR

“What keeps me up at night the most is not having installation crews keep up with the install demands.”

Steve Conway, Conway Flooring
Albany, Ind.

LIQUIDITY

“Cash flow.”

Brian Hagewood, Southern Interiors
Sherwood, Ark.

MULTITASKING THE BIG THINGS

“The thing that keeps me up is always balancing new initiatives with the need to stay grounded in the day to day demands of running a business (or businesses in my case). I always want to go fast, but it’s not usually realistic. One day at a time!”

David Requa, Wildcat Flooring
Lexington, Ky.

SALES GROWTH

“I have a goal of a larger sales number for 2026. Just being able to get the work done causes a little stress every once in a while.”

John Steier, Steier Flooring
Algona, Iowa

MAKING MISTAKES

“Winning a commercial bid and wondering “what did I screw up?!” It’s not always bad, but your mistakes you will never forget.”

Bee Thorpe, Flooring Edge
Michigan

FIRING LONGTIME EMPLOYEES

“What keeps me up at night sometimes is when I have to fire or lay off an employee that has been with the company for a while. I know it is for the better for the company but it is still hard to come to terms with the decision because of the family atmosphere we have created.”

Don Cantor, Lake Interiors
Chelan, Wash.

MANAGING IT ALL

“The first issue is maintaining company culture, making sure that our team consistently delivers the values and message we want our customers to experience. The second is managing the deluge of day-to-day items without losing focus on longer term projects and future growth.”

Sam Locher, AJ Rose Carpets & Flooring
Burlington, Mass.

KEEPING THE CUSTOMERS HAPPY

“Early in my ownership it was worrying about covering payroll. Now it is customer jobs we are having problems with. I write down solutions on a legal pad from my nightstand.”

Bob Duke, Floor Magic
Damariscotta, Maine

ECONOMICS

“My primary concern is the potential for a prolonged economic downturn and the lack of effective government measures to address core underlying issues, such as affordability and restoring consumer confidence.”

Raffi Sarmazian, Sarmazian Brothers Flooring
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

INSTALLATION

“It’s not very often I have concerns at night. But if I do it’s mostly over installers and having enough highly qualified mechanics to cover the jobs we have scheduled.”

Mike Montgomery, Montgomery’s CarpetsPlus Colortile
Venice, Fla.

THE UNCONTROLLABLE

“On the front end I do everything I can to take care of my business. In that way, I am holding up my end of the bargain, therefore I don’t worry about things I cannot control.”

Don Lovato, CarpetSource USA
Albuquerque, N.M.

TIRE KICKERS 

“Aggressive price shoppers, which we’re seeing more of today. That’s why we try not to discuss price until deep into the selling conversation.”

Ryan Commerce, Indoor City of Lancaster
Lancaster, Pa.

WORKFORCE CONSTRAINTS

“Maintaining a skilled workforce with fewer younger people entering the industry. It is sometimes harder to retrain a flooring salesperson than to train a new person to our industry.”

Bob Gaither, Quality Carpet & Flooring
Akron, Ohio

CUSTOMER LOYALTY

“Keeping repeat customers at a time when shoppers are less loyal. That’s why is our policy to keep in touch with the customer—even if we do not have an answer—to let them know we are working on it and give them a date on when we will touch base with them again.”

Lou Morano, Capitol Carpet & Tile and Window Fashions
Boynton Beach, Fla.

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