Fine Carpets Custom Rugs

Sandy Henderson opened her Rug Rats business in 1990 in an historic Main Street building that was previously a service station. One thing hasn't changed: service.

Henderson started a web site five years ago; now she does 40 percent of her business there.

"It doesn't matter what state the customer is in, if you talk to them on e-mail, pick up the phone and answer their questions, they're going to go with you as easily as they would someone down the street," she observed.

The Rug Rats owner had just received an order from St. Augustine.

"My biggest order came from Honolulu, Hawaii," she related. "He was an attorney, his wife was an attorney. He said he wanted a high-end stainmaster carpet in tan, so I sent nine samples from three different lines. It was a $6,000 order that I shipped to Hawaii."

Henderson believes that the secret of her Internet success is a continuation of the service she offers in her store.

"One of the things I hear most often is my response time," she noted. 'Twenty-four hours is too long for me. As soon as customers see that you respond quickly and give them more information than they asked for, they realize they have someone who might take care of them."

Henderson is encouraging her fellow Divas to use their web sites to fullest potential.

She designed a link page for all of their sites.

"You learn as you go along that the more a web site is linked up to other things, the more the search engines and spiders will pick you up," she said. "So it's good to get linked."

The Divas are also linking their sites with each other.

"There's a Scandinavian designer who hand-paints sheets; she also designs rugs which I carry," Henderson explained. "Rosa has the sheets — you can click here and go to Rosa's site."

There is also a link with Amish Originals for braided rugs, and Rug Rats recently installed a display rack with samples of hand-braided rugs available at the Amish store.

The Divas also use the Internet to discuss day-to-day events.

"We're all constantly emailing each other," Henderson related. "Some idea will come up, and we all e-mail each other — what do you think about this, or how should I handle this?"

It is a continual update on the weekly Diva breakfast meetings.

"Our meetings are like a support group," Henderson said. "We like each other, and we don't beat around the bush."

In spite of Internet success, Henderson, like the other Divas, would like to see more shoppers on Main Street.

"I think we need to bring more awareness of downtown to the local area," she said.

In the meantime, shoppers around the world are finding out that the Diva's slogan— "Small Town Service, World Class Quality" — means business.

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