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 Magazines:
FL International
(July
/ August 2000)
Louis
Shuster
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Philadelphia native Louis Shuster, president
of Shuster Design Associates in Fort Lauderdale, has been
a Florida designer for two decades. He notes that Florida
allows for more creativity in design than other regions do,
because many of the homes here are not primary residences.
"Florida
is a service state," he says. "Many people with discretionary
income - retirees, second homeowners, business people - come here
and they want to be serviced." Showrooms in DCOTA, like Stark
Carpet, help him accommodate even his most demanding clients. DCOTA is also his top resources for long-distance projects.
"If
there is a problem with a carpet, even out of state, Stark
will have a representative out there the next day," he says.
"I was doing a job in Old Westbury N.Y., which had a free-formed,
curved staircase. The carpet had to be hand-cut, hand-sewn
and tied on the job site. These guys are artisans. Most companies
are not doing that today. You could be the greatest designer
in the world, but if you don't service the client, forget
it, I surround myself with companies that do the same."
Service
is the main reason Stark Carpet, now with 27 locations in
the United States and London, has remained in business for
65 years, according to regional manager Mark Gobitas. "I think
we have fantastic products with a lot of history," he says.
"There are tapestries describing things that happened 400
or 500 years ago. The designer can count on us to be able
to explain where the carpet comes from."
With
smiling eyes and a quick wit, Shuster conveys immediate trust,
and he follows through on that first impression. Evidence
is his long list of highly satisfied, high profile clients,
including the CEO of Home Depot, for whom Shuster has designed
seven homes. Shuster's approach is "soft and livable, with
a lot of custom work." Among his 17-member staff is a
full-time librarian who manages the firm's extensive collection
of catalogues, samples and resource materials. Nevertheless,
Shuster often brings clients to DCOTA to get better idea of
what they like, "and, more importantly, what they don't like."
"You
could be the greatest designer in the world, but if you don't
service the client, forget it, I surround myself with companies
that do the same."
LOUIS SHUSTER
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