Home Remodeling with Chastity Baysa-Chun

Watch or Listen to the full episode

Interview Transcription

ATTILIO:
Our guest today was born and raised in Maui she took up marketing at the University of Hawaii in West Oahu. She is currently the Assistant Sales Manager of American Floor and Home please welcome our guest Chastity Baysa-chun.

CHASTITY:
Hi, everyone. Hello.

ADRIENNE:
Hi, chastity. Alright, we’re excited to have you as our main Yes, I know that you’d like to call in with your little tips and specials but we’ll get to spend a little bit more time on American Floor and Home the story and the different kinds of specials that you guys have going on

ATTILIO:
right now. She’s coming to us from her Mahna Mahna polar truck in Pune, Pune.

I always thought it would be cool to own a monopole a truck in Pune, Pune.

CHASTITY:
You been to their

classroom? But that’s the new.

ATTILIO:
That’s it. So Adrian, what was your question again?

ADRIENNE:
So So Chastity, I know. We, you’ve been our main guest in the past. And I know that American Floor and Home has quite the history and the story. So if you could just share with our listeners a little bit about how did it get started? How long have you guys been around? Just give us that? That origin story?

CHASTITY:
Yes. So we were actually making 40 years this year. We were in the sun Island access location since 1981. So we’ve been around American carpet while or originally what it was, in previous years. We are franchise but we’re locally owned. And we’re franchise with the name, but we’re locally owned an employee owned business. So we’re very fortunate to have that with our founder, Mr. Arita, allowing it to open up to the employees since 2013. So we’ve started off of course, as our DNA is carpet, but we’ve been doing flooring, luxury vinyl flooring, hardwood flooring, and then now since 2020, obtaining our general contractor’s license, and being able to do home remodels. So that’s when we rebranded as American flooring home. So we’re expanding amazing time to be part of this great company. And it’s amazing to see all of the work and the progress that we’ve come so far since 2020. I mean, just the two years yeah, in comparison to 40 years, so yeah, we have everything.

ATTILIO:
What, you know, when you guys went employee on does the employees walking around going? You’re not the boss of me. And I’m like, Yes, I’m the boss. So you you’re the boss of me. Yes, I’m the boss. So you

CHASTITY:
know, yeah, that’s what they told me now. I’m the boss.

ATTILIO:
I know. Everybody’s the boss. Everybody’s Boss Lady boss man over there walking around. But you know, if I tell you know, humor aside, what would the serious aspect of it is that people are all in in all aspects of the company that provide the highest level of service which is nice. They’re not just punching a clock because they’ve got you know, well, financial interest in the thing.

ADRIENNE:
Let’s talk a little bit about some of these services. Yes, you guys also had started something more recently as far as like the showroom on wheels. Talk to us about that.

ATTILIO:
It’s like the monopod truck for you know home remodeling

CHASTITY:
we’re gonna add Monica Lewis pretty sure make the bell

ATTILIO:
like I like that sound that they make you know when you know monopod truck is in area.

CHASTITY:
Anyway, Oh, get our marketing team on that.

ATTILIO:
Like he’s gonna come running out. Oh, just the carpet guys.

CHASTITY:
Doing candy. Call your parents now.

ATTILIO:
So yeah, talk about that mobile showroom.

CHASTITY:
Absolutely. So our shopping home. I started in 2020. And we started off with one van we now have done so three really amazing shopping homeplan advisors. And what they’ll do is since if you try to come out and make it into the showroom, they’ll bring the show Want essentially to use. So you will call in and make an appointment with our shopping home client advisor. advisor actually, and then they’ll send an appointment to come out and they’ll talk to you a little bit about your project, what are you looking for. So that way they can bring the right products out for you and I live down because otherwise, we can bring our whole showroom and be crazy. But they’ll dial it down, and then they’ll bring some samples to your home. At the same time after doing that, what they’ll do is they’ll measure your home. And after measuring your home, they will go ahead and set up a estimate for you. And if everything looks good, they can we can set up an installation date, you can pay for your deposit with them. It’s everything at that moment with them. So it’s a great service, especially for those who don’t feel comfortable leaving their home yet or if they’re just so far out in the Lord shore. And it’s, you know, or even for our kupuna to who are just like, I don’t want to drive. I don’t want to look for your showroom, could you please just come up to me? I think it’s just easier. You know, so I think this is such a great service. And it’s been doing very well for us so far.

ADRIENNE:
I love how you guys got creative, you know, with this with this service. Yeah. Yeah. And it’s, you know, it sounds like it’s really been a great move, and people are appreciative of you coming to them and being able to just take care of it all and get things started. So yeah, with that being said, I know you guys have a lot of services and support on your website, you got a pretty cool tool for us people that are not boring. Yeah, well, that we’re not so visual, you know, like, you know, like, I guess some people can like look at the floor, and they know, like those interior designers, they’re gonna know, they know what it looks like. But for the normal people, it’s kind of harder to visualize,

ATTILIO:
so it’s better to do it on the computer, then. Then already in the house, you’re like, oh,

ADRIENNE:
so tell us Chastity. How does that tool work on your website?

CHASTITY:
Yeah, it’s called Room visualizer. Such a great tool. Because when you like you said, I’m, I’m a very visual person, too. So when somebody is showing me this very small sample of a flooring, I’m just like, Okay, how is this gonna look in my bedroom with the lighting and everything. So what we would do is we will take a snapshot of the area, so if it’s a row, your living room, whatever area it is, take a snapshot of it, and then we’ll upload into the room visualizer will pick out the flooring. So and then we’ll basically show you what it’s gonna look like so you have a better idea of a theme in your home and then you can decide oh, yes, they do love it, or Oh, no, we need to pick again. But it only works right now for our hard surface. We’ve tried it it’s it’s very it’s not very detailed with the carpet right? So you can’t really see it with a carpet so but yeah, hard surface seeing our luxury vinyl flooring there and it’s for the items that we have in stock in store so it’s a great program to have on our website and it has helped so many of our clients really dial in and figure out what flooring that is gonna look best for them.

ADRIENNE:
Yeah even go so far as like the kind of flooring and versus like, do I want it horizontal or vertical? Like which way do I because it can give a totally different look, depending on how the flooring flows. So I mean, just Yeah, so I love that I love that tool and that service that you guys provide. And it’s it’s free, right anyone can log on to your website and kind of play around with the the different flooring types

ATTILIO:
while I’m doing it right now is wrong here and it’s visualizable you guys have a new word visualizable products visualizable and then it takes you to all the different products and then you just click on seat in my room. Very simple. If you don’t understand that maybe you should not be you should not be let out of your home. You don’t have that so simple instructions, maybe should be on the computer. But by Adrian like you were saying different sense of the room when the tile is running whatever vertical

ADRIENNE:
on a diagonal until it shows the different ways and it really gives a different feel to the room depending on the direction of the flooring. Yeah.

ATTILIO:
So I like I like being able to click on this stuff and transform your room in real time by up Oh, and you can upload a photo of your house your room.

ADRIENNE:
So this is all found on American floor and home.com And what did they got to click on? Is it just is it real intuitive on where to go until the flooring? Just go on flooring and the July’s visualizable see in my room. There you go. Oh

ATTILIO:
flooring visualizable products see in my room that’s it so i didn’t i It’s been a while since you’ve been on the show that I did it and within about a half a second I figured it out as you were describing it so

CHASTITY :
if you don’t want to do it yourself color shopping for you

ATTILIO:
just for the techies will walk you through it. You know tell Grandma get the get the grandkids on the thing get, you know, being grandma and the grandkids to the computer at the same time, but then they’ll have George George would come out to the house with the monopole truck and flooring and show you the samples.

ADRIENNE:
So So Chasity for the people that do want to venture out to your showroom. Where exactly is it and like what are we going to see when we come out to the showroom?

CHASTITY:
Yes, so we are off of Nimitz highway so very closer to the airport side. We’re on 302 Sand Island, Sand Island access road, very close to right across the road from New Hope church as well so it’s easy to find we’re on the right hand side and when you walk into our shoreline, we are in the middle of remodeling it’s been a long awaited remodel. So it’s an exciting time like I mentioned to be part of this and seeing it grow but you will be able to see luxury vinyl flooring, some very new products that we just got in waterproof hardwood flooring, our traditional engineered wood flooring, you’ll see carpet you’ll still see a smaller area of our kitchen and bath so cabinetry countertops. We do have three in house designers so everything that you would need to basically remodel your home we have it in the showroom so you can get a great snapshot of what your which needs to be placed in your home.

ATTILIO:
Gotcha.

ADRIENNE:
So are you guys ready any kind of specials this month or anything that our listeners need to know out?

ATTILIO:
I noticed on the front page you guys are doing a blood drive? I think it was September 10

CHASTITY:
it yes so please definitely come out. It is September 10 in the morning until about 130 we are we’re going to have the budget of Van there in the front parking lot. It is something that we do need to sign up for we have our QR code on our website or our website and to sign up for times. It is a wonderful thing that we like to take part of just to be part of the community you know, we never wanted to be just for American foreign home. This is what we do. We also wanted people to know that we are part of the community and for American for a blood drive I think it’s so touching that there’s so many people that we know or somebody that we know though somebody right that has needed blood transfusions so it’s very important especially nowadays that a lot of people are looking for a meeting blood transfusions. So we want to be a part of that, you know, it helps the community as much as we can. But yeah, the first one toners we’ve partnered with via gelato will get a coupon for a pint of gelato. Face your

ATTILIO:
blood and get some sweet treats.

CHASTITY:
And then with that you also get a coupon that you are able to use off of your materials for 20% off materials for American foreign home.

ADRIENNE:
Oh wow.

ATTILIO:
Listening to the show. You give the blood when chastity hands you that coupon for the for the gelato I want you to say

ADRIENNE:
sweet. And then what about for the 20% off your materials

ATTILIO:
that say the same thing. Wow. Yeah.

CHASTITY:
So it’s a great promo. And then for realtors Of course you have a great realtor special for when you’re flipping homes. It starts at 299 a square foot it includes carpet, we have cushion and installation. So it’s carpet for carpet will remove your remove and dispose your existing carpet. And we’ll place on the new one. So we have three different levels 299 319 and 349. And it’s basically different grades of carpet right so that’s our realtor special realtor and property manager special. And then we also have a new promo, free carpet with cushions. Installation purchase. No way. Yeah, I mean if you want to flip a home or you’re just looking for a rental and you want three carpet there is a minimum of course of 400 square feet. Basically a concentrate a bedroom and a living room. We’ll hit that 400 But purchase a cushion, pay for installation and then you’ll get the carpet for free.

ATTILIO:
So nice. Yeah, it’s a new carpet smell.

ADRIENNE:
Yeah, it’s like a brand new home kind of smell like it’s all about the senses and the presentation and having that new carpet in there really. I think that helps with that first

ATTILIO:
Yeah, you know we try to with the crunchy carpet doesn’t go Number two well no good no good with the country kind

ADRIENNE:
of like the new carpet. Luxurious like this special from American floor and home. Yeah,

ATTILIO: 45:11
you can go into an downward dog like a yoga move or something because a carpet smells nice and it’s all fresh and clean. But

CHASTITY:
something like that.

ADRIENNE:
Now I know that Attilio and I had come out and we visited this huge, huge showroom. And yes, we’re talking about carpet you know those little carpet squares? I remember sitting on them in kindergarten Yeah. How do you like I know you guys do some stuff with the carpet squares and the different schools and once you share with us about that, I thought that was kind of a cool

ATTILIO:
squares. Yeah. Today’s topic.

CHASTITY:
It’s like a doormat, right? We call it is like $3 for one but we do have schools who are need of you know just supplies and stuff and they want to have their their children sit on not just the raw flooring so they do ask for donation for area rugs. We’ve done smaller area rugs for them or and then for also the carpet squares, the doormat so it’s a really nice thing. Schools are able to just give us a call write a letter you know requesting for a donation for them. And then yeah, we I I’ve never I’ve never seen a say no to school or any school you know they they do need those supplies and we just want to be there again to support the community however we can so

ATTILIO:
so that’s your Oh yeah, at your local elementary you can you can have your crisscross applesauce, supported by American Floor and Home. Yeah. So

ADRIENNE:
if any of teachers are listening, I know school just started and you know, it’s like limited as far as the budget and what’s supplied in the classroom, please reach out to American Floor and Home. I love how much you guys give back to the community through the blood drive. And through the carpet squares and area rugs for the schools.

ATTILIO:
Five Star Review from Mrs. John foam Waipahu. She’s like, my kids went to school and they will call this was getting Nam sitting on the hard floor. Thank you to American floor at home. Their tissues are not so numb anymore. You can pay attention in school and then all squirming squirming around you know locally owned company employee owned. Been around for a long time you guys a

ADRIENNE:
larger story? Yes, largest warehouse in the whole entire State of Hawaii,

ATTILIO:
more inventory under one roof. In fact, Raiders of the Lost Ark the Ark is actually stored there. They have so much room with his warehouse. What you know, so what you know what else? We still got a couple of minutes. This is the you know, we you’re like the main guests. Adrian question. Chastity.

ADRIENNE:
Yeah, anything else that we we haven’t touched on yet. Any funny stories? Or maybe a success story? A funny one or a success story that you could share with

ATTILIO:
your story? Yes.

CHASTITY:
Well, I mean, for our company, we really do. Customer, one of our corporate corporate principles is always exceptional customer care, right. And I think as you mentioned, like in our Google reviews, if you really look at it, we have a very high rating, like nearly five stars and a lot of them. And we have over 800 reviews, wow, I think our success is really on how we, how we service our clients, I think when we are able to give that service and they’re happy that that just brings a lot of pride in all of us, not just for the client advisors, but our entire team, we have reviews for our installation team, which is in house. And we also have reviews for our warehouse team who worked so hard and our customer care team who take care of claims and, you know, getting products out to the clients all the time, every single day. So I think our success really shows when our clients are very happy. And we’re so grateful for the outpour of you know, people just sharing their experience. Yeah, we never have we don’t we ask we were, we do ask our clients, hey, if you’re really happy or not so happy late, tell us how we can improve, you know, always wants to feedback. But we’re so grateful for that. Great, great reviews that we’re getting on Google. And I think that’s what makes us so grateful and humble, that we’re able to get a lot of these referral businesses because of it. So thank you so much. I mean, that’s definitely our biggest success.

ATTILIO:
I think it’s what’s important for people to understand too, you know, you always hear the public relations commercials for the, you know, try buy local. And the importance of that is that you know, the economic there’s what’s called an economic multiple flier aging. Have you heard that term before? economic multiplier, I’ve heard you talk about this before. So when you spend $1, at some of the big box, you know, that profits going to the mainland and, you know, shareholders and corporate corporate, when you spend $1, with a local company, that you know, the employees, there’s employees at both, and both employees spend their money, their wages within the community, when the profit for the company is locally owned, then that profit also is being spent back in the community, because I don’t think the I don’t think you guys all go in Vegas every weekend to spend your money. And then you come back, back home on Monday to go to work right now you guys are there. So $1, an actual dollar spent in a local loan business business, will circulate through our economy and has much more better benefits than dollar spent at non local companies. And it’s not that the non local companies are bad, but that’s just the fact of what we call the economic multiplier. by local

CHASTITY:
Yeah, support local. Yeah.

ATTILIO:
And the fact that you’re, you know, you know, the family is not being big ballers, you know, living up diamond hit or anything like, I don’t mean anything, they earned it, they work, the recall is off, but they’re giving it back 4048 years, yeah. Are they giving them back to the employees so that they can, you know, be profitable profit, share owners of a company and say, they drive their kids over there. They’re like, Hey, look at my company. And so and so it’s great way to support you guys give quality service. It’s not just by local because you guys are local, you give good, good quality service,

ADRIENNE:
and lots of options. So many options. It’s like, it’s almost overwhelming. Yeah. That’s why you got someone like chastity there to like, help just, you know, navigate through all the options.

ATTILIO:
We’re coming down to the to the end of our show, we’ve got you know, if you wanted to recap it in a sentence or two, regarding your guy’s company, what would it be?

CHASTITY:
Wow, there’s so much explain about bring home but one sentence is definitely it is, as you mentioned, every day we tell our clients, thank you for supporting local thank you for supporting your local business, you know, and we’re, we haven’t, we aren’t in business for 40 years because just of our team, but we’re in business 40 years because of the service that our clients feel safe received from us. So we are a local employee owned company. And we’re so grateful for the community and supporting us and just being there for us and trusting us with their project. So thank you. We love doing what we do. And you’ll see it every day with the pride that all of us have in our jobs so, so much for keeping us around. We’re here for another 40 years.

ATTILIO:
We know it’s a cheat who experienced thanks yesterday.

ADRIENNE:
We’ve got to wrap it up. Thanks. All right, well, thank you for listening and thank you to our sponsor,

Follow Us On Social Media