Bizwatch: Valley Vacuums, in Edwards

• Business name: Valley Vacuums.

• Location: Edwards right next to Cafe Milano.

• Date opened: May 1.

• Owners: Hank and Trish Esperon.

• Contact information: 970-446-6024.

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• What goods or services do you provide? We sell and service vacuums and extractors (shampooers). We carry several vacuum lines including Miele, Riccar, Sanitaire, Eluctrolux, and Mosquito. We sell canister vacuums, uprights, backpacks and shoulder vacs. We occasionally take vacuums as trade-ins as well so clients can upgrade. It also allows us to have used machines for sale. We sell all vacuum accessories including bags and belts.

Sewing machine service is another facet of our business. A variety of cleaning supplies that we stock for every area of the home is also available. Central vacuum sales and service are also a part of our business. We are glad to provide free estimates or bids for new construction projects or remodels. We are the only business in the county that offer the retractable central vacuum system called Hide A Hose. Additionally, we sell and install custom boot drying systems.

• What’s new or exciting at your place? We are glad to see all of our old friends and customers. It has been fun to catch up with them. We have lots of new inventory coming in daily. We have new vacuums in stock starting at $179.99. We carry a wide variety of machines from commercial to specialty vacuums that are safe to use on wool wall to wall and valuable area rugs.

• What strategy do you use to differentiate your business from your competition? Our goal is to form and maintain long-term relationships with our clientele. We want for the customer to be satisfied. Vacuums are not one size fits all. Different people have different needs. Our objective is to ask the client about their flooring and show them the options that would best serve their needs. We want our customers to be so excited that they tell friends about us.

• What philosophy do you follow in dealing with your customers? We feel that Benjamin Franklin said it best, “Keep thy shop, and thy shop will keep thee.”

• What can your customers expect from you? We will listen. We will provide the most comprehensive and prompt service possible. We will offer fair pricing that is competitive by matching any competitor’s advertised price, including Internet pricing. We will even ship vacuums for free to anywhere in the continental United States if customers want to buy them as gifts, or ship to their main homes. We want our clients to look forward to coming into our store and for them to be completely at ease and satisfied.

• Tell us a little about your background, education and experience: Hank began working at another vacuum store in the valley in 1997. Over the course of the next few years, he became the manager, then we bought that business after we got married. We enjoyed being business owners in our little valley.

Another person took over the other vacuum store in 2010 when we left to serve as therapeutic parents full-time for families who had adopted children with challenging behaviors. When we felt that our time of service was over we were excited to return to the valley to run the vacuum store. We offered to purchase the other vacuum store when we knew we were going to return, but the owner wanted to keep operating that store. Ultimately, we are grateful that our new location is in Edwards. It is more centrally located. We feel that long-term it will be a better fit for most of our customers. Trish’s background and education is in psychology and business.

• What is the most humorous thing that has happened at your business since you opened? We had a magpie fly into our store through an open window. It landed on the floor of our showroom and proceeded to walk around, cocking its head to the left and the right as if he was sizing up the merchandise. He rubbed his beak on the floor several times as well. Hank shooed it out the front door. Then it flew in two more times throughout the day through a side window before it stayed outside! Hank thought it was going to be our new mascot!