Since 1966, House of Broadloom has provided customers throughout the greater Sudbury area with quality carpet, tile, laminate, hardwood, vinyl, marmoleum, LVP/LVT, area rugs and cork flooring options, as well as professional installation services. And now, siblings Larissa and Gavin have taken the reins as the third generation of the Stewart family to proudly manage one of the area’s true heritage businesses.
House of Broadloom first opened in 1966 under the management of partners Cam Stewart and Ron Lewis. Cam’s son Philip took over as President in 1992 with his two brothers Richard and Andy, and Phil led the company through further growth and success from 2005 until the end of 2022. Now that Phil has retired, management has moved on to the third generation with Cam’s grandchildren Gavin and Larissa assuming roles of President and Secretary.
As Larissa explains, both siblings have worked tirelessly to get to this point; learning the ropes of the industry, acquiring expert knowledge of their products and gaining a firsthand understanding of the needs of the local market.
Gavin Stewart, President: “Gavin started in the Carpenters Union straight out of high school,” says Larissa. “He worked ‘on tools’, installing flooring for years in Sudbury and the area as well as in Toronto. Wanting a change of pace, he moved into commercial estimating for HOB. Gavin worked with Phil to learn how to estimate. Having the experience of installing the products, gave him a solid background. He still loves to install flooring and will get his ‘hands dirty’ when he can. Gavin takes care of one hundred per cent of our commercial estimating now that Phil has retired.”
Larissa Stewart, Secretary: Larissa’s expertise combines vast product knowledge with a wealth of business savvy.
“I trained under Gary - one of our experienced sales leaders. Gary taught me a lot about the industry and how to sell.” After Gary retired, Larissa took over the position of Sales Manager; guiding the sales staff, teaching them about new products and keeping up with the trends and ever-changing industry. “Along with helping customers, I started learning the behind the scenes day-to-day: accounting, payroll, invoicing, all that stuff. My mother (Maxine) was looking to retire, so I took over that side of the business.”
Proven Product Expertise with Next-Generation Service
While there are no immediate plans for big changes to the company, Larissa is excited to welcome their customers to stop in and discover some fresh new products. “We are super excited about the new samples that are coming in for the 2023 season. Samples are arriving now and will be arriving over the next month or so.”
Other business enhancements include a revamped website that offers a comprehensive overview of House of Broadloom product lines, and includes a fabulous Flooring Visualizer tool that allows users to see how a product will look in their existing space. This easy to use app allows users to take a photo of the room on their phone, choose a product from the flooring selections available, and visualize how it will look in the space.
House of Broadloom remains at 68 Lorne Street in Sudbury. The showroom is open weekdays from 9 to 5, with evening and/or weekend appointments available request. Find them online here.