That old lady in Oak Park who taught me more about carpet than any course

Back in 2016 I was doing a bedroom for this older woman, maybe 80 years old. She watched me the whole time which usually drives me nuts but she kept it respectful. Near the end she just says "you're stretching that seam too tight for this pile height, it'll ripple in 6 months." I brushed it off at first but honestly she was right. Came back to fix it a year later and she didn't even say I told you so. Just handed me a glass of iced tea. Anyone else ever get schooled by a customer like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

mary_wells1mo agoMost Upvoted

My mom had a similar thing happen at a quilt shop once where the owner told her she was ironing her seams wrong and she got all huffy but then her quilts started laying flat after that. Funny how those little tip sessions stick with you, right?

king.ruby1mo ago

Used to roll my eyes at customers who watched me work and thought they knew better. Then an older guy about 75 showed me how to caulk a baseboard so it wouldn't crack when the house settled. He was dead right and I looked like a fool for not listening sooner. After that I started paying more attention to what they had to say, even if it seemed random. People who've been living with their houses for decades pick up stuff no YouTube video will ever teach you.