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Pat Focuses on the faces behind our Local Businesses Kate and Gary Russell - CARPET HEAVEN
Kate, originally from Margate, met Gary who was born and brought up in Norwich, when they worked in the RAF together. Kate was a Police Investigator with the CID and child protection training, while Gary was a weapons technician. Kate travelled a lot for her work to places such as the Falklands, Belize, Cyprus and Bosnia.
After Kate and Gary both finished their careers in the RAF, they decided they wanted to do something different so in 2005 they moved to Spain and spent a year looking around and deciding what to do. During that time Gary worked for a friend and when they found their feet they made the decision to go it alone and open their own business. They started small and as the business built up they expanded, and finding excellent suppliers in Crevillente helped. They self taught about carpets and rugs from the internet and from professional carpet fitters who they have been very lucky to have on their
team.
Gary and Kate see their business as a full time hobby as they both enjoy it so much and have met lots of wonderful people on the way. They are both people persons and often help the public with more than just selling them a carpet. Lots of their customers are elderly so Gary takes on home visits, providing carpet samples for them to look at as many can't get to the shop on their own.
They have 4 daughters and 10 grandchildren who all live in the UK but they all take turns to visit along with Gary's mum who is now in her 80s and still travelling back and forth. They have 3 rescue dogs, one they have had for over 10 years and the other 2 were found as puppies by a river. Kate and Gary paid for them to go into intensive care and they are now fit and healthy. When they are not working, they love walking with the dogs and working on their house. They have never been self employed before or spent so much time together each day, so luckily measuring houses for carpets, deliveries and going to suppliers means that they don't have to spend 24 hours a day together!
The shop in Los Montesinos is open Monday to Saturday from 10am – 2pm, see advert below for further information or visit
www.carpetheaven.es.
QF Focus Magazine
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