The end of an era. The beginning of another.

the end of an era the beginning of another avonvale

For those of you who haven’t already heard the big news, my good friend and trusted business partner of more than 20 years, Jim Ironside has hung up his measuring tape and officially retired in December.

For me personally it really is the end of big era in my life.  Working without him by my side after all this time is certainly a huge change, but it’s a very exciting one too as a new era in the long and successful history of Avonvale Carpets begins.

The business was actually founded in 1972 by Peter Pink in the village of Frampton Cotterell.  A move to premises on the Lower Bristol Road followed soon after, before the business moved to its current location on Kingsmead Square, Bath in 1984.

When Peter retired in 1999, Jim and I took on the business as equal partners.  Neither of us wanted to be sole proprietors and it just seemed right.  Many say that a business partnership is like a marriage, it has its ups and downs but things work out in the end.  20 successful years together says we both made the right choice.

Importantly, in this time Avonvale Carpets has always been a close-knit family-run business. And this will continue, with my daughter, Anna-Louise, now taking on a more full-time role in marketing and front-of-house duties, having first joined the business after graduating in 2017.

And with a keen eye on the future and the new era upon us, I have already recruited a new trainee – Jake as a fitter -and a new Accounts Manager – Louise.  What’s more, expert local fitters Chris and Sam have just joined the ranks of our fitting team.  And further recruitment will happen as well.

For quite a while now ‘Beautiful flooring. Fitted perfectly’ has been Avonvale Carpet’s proud slogan, and it’s one I very much aim to stay true to for many more years to come.  You’ll just have to trust me Jim, happy retirement old friend.

Paul Ivory

Director

Avonvale Carpets