A staple in the Findlay community will be closing its doors after 42 years.
Lauger's Carpet One Floor & Home announced that they will be closing down the business Saturday, August 29th.
The business started with Larry Lauger Sr. back in 1978. Upon his passing 10 years ago, Larry Lauger Jr. was given the keys to the family business.
2020 came, and so did the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic brought a handful of negatives that affected Larry's business. According to Larry, customers were hesitant to have others in their homes, and social distancing limited how much manpower can be sent to install a project.
"Our overhead was about the same but our income was coming down," Larry Lauger Jr. stated. "I just see it keep going down and down... I'm thinking 'maybe, I hate to say it, but maybe its time to go ahead and close it.'"
The decision to close down has been on the mind of Larry since May of this year. It wasn't until consulting with family that the decision to close down was set in stone and that they will be taking their final orders as a business.
"I got jobs that were piling up, we had people who had been waiting a month to two months out to get their floor put in, which isn't fair to them," said Larry. "I wanted to make sure everyone was happy."
Once the decision was made, Larry began to worry if he was letting his family and the people of Findlay down with the decision.
"Am I letting my father down? Am I letting Findlay down?" said Larry. "But then I start thinking that I can't give them the great service that we are known for. Folks are just not laying carpet, laying floors... my youngest guy is 56 years old and lays carpet and he has no one helping him."
For now, Larry is keeping options open for what he will do next. But one thing is for sure, he is very thankful to the local community for their support.
"I am very proud that we were able to help you and make your homes beautiful. From my family, we all thank you immensely."
