The Product 20 Year Club

The integrity of Vacuum Cleaner Hospital products has long been one of the hallmarks of our reputation during our 30 years in business.  I was recently telling a customer about how long we carried a particular product and it occurred to me that there are many products we have carried for 20 years or more.

Here are the other products of the 'Over 20 Year Club': Miele vacuums, Hoover, MD central vacuums, Sanitaire Commercial Uprights, Bona Hardwood Cleaner, Wool Shop dusters, Tech Stain Remover, Kleenco Chemicals and Hoky carpet sweepers.  Almost making the club is IQ Air purifiers at 18 years.

Surprisingly, the item we have carried the longest is the Eureka Mighty Mite compact canister; it's been part of vacuum cleaner line-up since we opened in March 1986.

Having products in the 20 year club means three things for our clientele:

• You can buy with confidence that we will continue to support these products because we don't want to carry products that are a 'flash in the pan'.  The three key people on our staff have been here as long as some of the products so they have a unmatched knowledge base of each product.
• We can match your particular lifestyle and cleaning needs to combinations of these products and other 'Essentials for Clean Living'.
• We carefully hand pick which products we feel are unique and you will benefit from. Case in point, we debated almost 3 years about bringing in the Lampe Berger air freshener lamps from France but they're doing very well in the 5 months we've carried the line. We should have done it sooner! Of course we've had a few picks that turned out as well as we hoped but that's retail!

We welcome your suggestions about what you'd like to see us carry. Our guiding principle correlates to our slogan 'Essentials for Clean Living'. If we feel a product would delight or improve someone's ability to clean their house, then we would certainly consider it.

Celebrating 30 Years of Business

When I opened Vacuum Cleaner Hospital 30 years ago in March 1986, I never thought I would outlast many of the big box stores that were my competitors.  Those of you who have lived in the Research Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) area a long time may remember Brendles, Ivey’s and Lechmere in Raleigh.  All were formidable competition but are no longer around. 

The retail landscape has changed dramatically with the advent of internet retailing.  What hasn’t changed is our dedication to providing the most informed product information and the best customer service.  Treat people with respect and honesty; they will reward you as loyal customers and great word of mouth.

Our success wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of our employees over the years, particularly Jody Witt and David Vandergriff.  David, our service technician, just entered his 26th year with the company.  His attention to detail yet quick turnaround time for repairs is unmatched by anyone I’ve ever met in this industry. Jody, our store manager, is the ‘glue’ that keeps everything running smoothly.  Among her many talents, she continues to be a mentor for all of the employees both new and long term including being an advisor to me for key decisions in a changing environment.

Nearly from the start we found the local need for commercial cleaning support for cleaning service businesses, institutional maintenance and for now long term clients who provide retirement and assisted living facilities such as Carol Woods Retirement Community, a customer for over 25 years.

By 1995, Vacuum Cleaner Hospital installed central vacuum systems on a regular basis, therefor, we created a new business division named Central Vacuum Experts (CVE). CVE is a regular vendor at the biannual Southern Ideal Home Show in Raleigh.

On March 12th, 2016 we celebrated our 30th in our parking lot with a bouncy house, a large tent with lots of seating for wonderful food from Pittsboro Roadhouse and General Store, and blues music by Near Blind James and Harmonica Bob band.
 

As we embark on our next 30 years, local support is more important than ever. With so many products available online, ‘buying local’ isn’t just a catch phrase, it’s absolutely necessary for local retailers to survive.  We will continue to offer the highest quality products whether it’s portable vacuums, central vacuums, air purification products or other ‘essentials of clean living’.  We appreciate our customers continuing to recommend us to friends, co-workers and family members. We will continue to do whatever we can to earn their trust every day.