It was a very small project that was a lot of work trying to track down the right carpet. But, I figured I would help her out...both because I wanted to help her (and felt badly about what happened) and I figured later if she had a client that needed flooring, maybe she would recommend … (12 comments)
As the weather gets colder, my cats instinctively know where to go...the cable box. It's the warmest spot in the house. Usually, there is only one there at a time - they take turns, but it's fun to find them both up there once in a while. Sometimes they snuggle up together in a ball. They are brother and sister and get along extremely well. … (22 comments)
Have you met Joanna yet? Over the last several years Joanna has become a very good friend of mine. She is an amazing decorator – her sense of style is so eclectic and on target. She amazes me in how well she can mix and match different fabrics and patterns and just make them work. This is a rare talent.
We’ve shared several customers over the last year or two and they always love her help and guidance. Her style is impeccable. Oh, and … (10 comments)
Preparing Your Kitchen When Selling: Before & After Photos When most people sell their home they either have way too much clutter, extraneous furniture and appliances out on the counter or they are stripped down to nothing but cold hardscape. For a kitchen to show its best in person and on MLS there is a happy medium. This is a recent … (3 comments)
I'm actually here for work...for our annual convention. Not a bad place to hang out. This is the same place as last year...they allow us to vote on locations. This one was nice and so reasonably priced, and it seemed to be generally convenient for people across the country - only 1 hr time difference for east coasters and 2 hrs for west and a lot of direct flights. The trip from JFK was non stop which was nice (vs. other years I've had to make connection stops). As … (16 comments)
ramblings of westchester shop at home flooring store: My thoughts on the point system
- 01/08/12 10:09 PM
In a word, it's BRILLIANT. Here's what the Community Guideline says: "The point system is intended to encourage and reward genuine effort." And, it does (for the most part). Here's what I love about the system: 1. It drives us to "do the right thing" to grow our business and create a friendly community - the blogging, the commenting, the reblogging, etc. It motivates us. For many, it was what got us going and got us hooked in the beginning. Now, many of us are self motivated by the business and fun this place provides. 2. It's fun. Plain and simple. … (90 comments)
ramblings of westchester shop at home flooring store: Networking for Women in Westchester - "Social Networking to Social Business" Mon 1/9/12
- 01/03/12 11:02 AM
"Social Networking to Social Business"- How it's done, who's doing it right and Trends for 2012 This looks like a wonderful networking event and seminar. The Professional Women of Westchester is a dynamic group, and I've really enjoyed networking and socializing with these entrepreneurs. I would definitely attend this event except that I will be away. Speakers: Rose Colonna of Tasteful Treats and Treasures gift baskets Jennifer Ross of W@tercooler Hub Jennifer Maher of Keller Williams Realty Moderated by Lisa Kaslan of Prosper Communications
$15 for PWW members $20 for Non members Includes appetizers and cash bar
Where: Ruth's … (3 comments)
ramblings of westchester shop at home flooring store: What improvements would you like to see Active Rain make in 2012?
- 01/02/12 12:50 AM
I seem to recall Nikesh witing a recent blog post about how Active Rain has made some major improvements on server capability, and now they will be able to make some enhancements. Let's assume this statement is true, and of course we all agree stability and being fast to load is paramount. After this basic requirement, what improvements would you like to see made? I believe that some of these may be underway. Here's my prioritized list. 1. Active Rain should make whatever enhancements they can to improve SEO to all of its members (esp as it relates to duplicate content) … (53 comments)
ramblings of westchester shop at home flooring store: 555.555 points and over 274,000 clicks oh and lots of biz...that's why I'm on Active Rain!
- 01/01/12 04:31 AM
Okay, the points are just fun, and my screen capture only shows 555,554 (I couldn't find any way to get that 1 extra point). Encouraged by David Popoff, I did some cataloguing this morning to see my stats...from a customer perpective, and believe it or not, I have over 274,000 clicks to the combo of my profile and my blog posts. I wanted to get a snap shot at the beginning of the year...so I can compare the results next year as well as see the progress I've made. So, I found that my blog posts have been viewed 254,421 times … (19 comments)
ramblings of westchester shop at home flooring store: My Top 10 posts for 2011
- 12/30/11 11:55 PM
It's always interesting to look back at which posts got the most traffic. Surprisingly, for 2011, many of my top blog posts were not about flooring...many were about SEO, social media and various stories. For 2011, I have 18 posts with over 1,000 hits and 2 that have about 3,000 hits. So here are the Top 10 sorted by # of clicks (meaning that someone actually opened the post
1. 7/10 3,024 Adding Google +1 button to your website
2. 1/26 2,908 I have hardwood flooring underneath my carpet. Should I refinish the hardwood or recarpet?
… (27 comments)
ramblings of westchester shop at home flooring store: Why Should The Buyer Be The Only One To Enjoy Your Updated Home in Westchester county?
- 12/16/11 10:35 AM
This is such a wonderful post from my friend Bill Spear. Over the last couple of years, I've had many smart customers who are thinking ahead...they plan to sell in 2-3 years and know they need to renovate. So, they are doing the work now...both to enjoy it for themselves + it will usually be less expensive if you do the work now vs. later. (base on how material prices keep increasing). If you are looking to update the floors in your Weschester home, give The Flooring Girl a call. Complments of Debbie Gartner, The Flooring Girl, 914-937-2950. Why Should The … (7 comments)
ramblings of westchester shop at home flooring store: My lead flow is down....And I'm proud of it! Thank you Active Rain.
- 12/14/11 09:16 AM
I was just starting to look at my full year results, and I made a happy discovery. In 2011, my leads went down by 25%! Yes, 25%...and this is GOOD NEWS...esp since part of this was by design. Now, what is more important to me than leads? The answer is appointments. This is when I go to someone's how and provide an estimate. And, what were the those results? Well, the # of appointments INCREASED by 16%! And, that's a number I care way more about than leads...these are converted leads. (By the way, the quality of these appointments and close … (47 comments)
ramblings of westchester shop at home flooring store: I may have given some BAD advice on backlink commenting - please read
- 12/13/11 12:44 AM
Many of you may have seen my recently featured post Getting more backlinks by commenting on blogs. In there, I suggested that we all try to reach outside of Active Rain and leave comments on others blogs. This advice is still good - both for backlinking and for learning and broadening our horizons. However, if you came early to the party, you may have missed 1 element that was a bit controversial...whether to use your name, your key words or both. Please see below for further discussion. This paragraph was added to my blog, but if you commented before comment #62, … (13 comments)
ramblings of westchester shop at home flooring store: Last call...Westchester Active Rain Meet up - Tues 12/13 7pm
- 12/12/11 11:17 AM
Looking forward to reconnecting with my Active Rain buddies this Tuesday 12/13 at 7pm at Uno's in White Plains. The address is 14 Martine Ave, and free parking at the Seasons at 4 Martine Ave (same building...get a ticket and get it validated at Uno's). So far, I believe the following are attending Debbie Phil Faranda Dagny Eason Ruthmarie Hicks Gay Rosen Sandy Fenton Karen Haas Joanna Cohlan and a few other maybe's.
… (16 comments)
ramblings of westchester shop at home flooring store: Getting more backlinks...easily...by commenting on blogs
- 12/10/11 11:49 PM
As many of my subscribers know, I've been trying to use December as an opportunity to gain some more backlinks to my website (actually 2 websites). My goal is to do 5 per day throughout the month of December (and yes, I know I should be doing it throughout the year...but hey, I've been a bit busy, so at least I'm doing it now.) Several have commented on my December challenge posts asking me "how do you do it?" so I thought I would clarify. So here goes. PLEASE NOTE: I'VE MADE AN EDIT RE: USING YOUR NAME VS. KEY WORDS. … (154 comments)
ramblings of westchester shop at home flooring store: Westchester NY - Active Rain Meet up 12/13 in White Plains
- 12/08/11 03:14 AM
Hey everyone. Looking forward to reconnecting with all the Westchester Active Rainers and hoping those nearby (Fairfield, Rockland, Orange, NYC) may be able to stop by. J Philip Faranda & I are organizing. It's at Uno's at 14 Martine Ave in White Plains. (free parking next door at 4 Martine Ave). So far, I know the following are planning to attend: Phil Faranda Ruthmarie Hicks Gay Rosen Dagny Eason So, we have great representation from the Top of Westchester. I have a few newbies that may join as well. I don't care if it's a small group or large group. I … (9 comments)
What is hootsuite? First, hootsuite is a FREE program you use to SCHEDULE your status updates on social media. This is a huge benefit because rather than going in every day or 3-4 times a day (whatever your preference), you can do it all at once. I don't know about you, but I'm rather busy so I'm always looking for ways … (79 comments)
ramblings of westchester shop at home flooring store: Westchester Active Rain Meet Up - Tues 12/13 7pm - Hope to See you there
- 12/01/11 04:20 PM
Hey Westchester/Fairfield counties (and surrounding areas of NYC, Rockland, Putnam< Orange) Phil Faranda & I are organizing a meet up in Westchester on Tuesday 12/13 at 7pm at Uno's in White Plains- 14 Martine Ave. (You can park for free at The Seasons at 4 Martine Ave...just get ticket and have Uno's validate). this is right off Exit 5 on 287...we chose this to avoid holiday traffic at the mall at Exit 8. Also, for any in NYC, you can take train - it's 2 blocks from train station. Dagny will have a CT meet up on Thurs at 4pm in … (8 comments)
ramblings of westchester shop at home flooring store: My Top Blog Posts for November 2011
- 12/01/11 08:17 AM
My Top Blog Posts for November 2011 Below are my top posts for November (sorted by clicks). This month, all of my top posts were featured (and some members only)...or said another way, my non-featured posts did not generate the level of activity of past months. Some of this is because I have a lot of local posts which individually do not generate a ton of hits...but over time and collectively, they do. Part of this is because I've been so incredibly busy (November is our busiest month), so I haven't had a much time to do educational posts (and I … (3 comments)
ramblings of westchester shop at home flooring store: I will be on TV...Extreme Sell This House...Sat, Dec 3rd
- 11/28/11 12:25 AM
Check out Extreme Sell This House this weekend since yours truly (aka The Flooring Girl) will be featured on it. As many of you know, we were lucky enough to get featured in 2 episodes of Extreme Sell This House in part due to my blog. One of my customers (who was selling her house) got picked up by the show. They liked our previous work, and by coincidence someone in Texas had also recommended us. They checked out my blog, and loved the idea of "The Flooring Girl."
They asked us to work on 2 houses in Yonkers, NY. … (127 comments)
My name is Debbie Gartner, and I'm known as The Flooring Girl. I blog about flooring - hardwood, refinishing, and carpet as well as painting and home decor. I'm also the Owner of Dynamo Marketers. I'm a blog stylist and coach.
Debbie Gartner is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. At no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission, if you purchase them.
A while back I wrote about a local real estate agent who got left high and dry by a contractor. I helped "bail her" out by finishing up her carpet job as the previous contractor left in the middle and stole some of her stuff. 
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