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John Staff - Tumultuous 2020
John Staff is the owner of Staff Carpet in Springfield, Illinois, a business that was started by his father Jim in 1971. John took over the business in 1988. He talks at length about the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the business. During the first few weeks of the state-wide lock-down, he and wife Debbie were stranded in Florida; they decided to shut down the business for five weeks, something that his daughter Kimberlie managed for him. Once Staff Carpet reopened, their business has been very busy.
Interview Links
Feature Excerpt
Returning to Springfield
Abstract
Interview Session 01 (Audio)
John Staff’s personal story and the 50 year history of Staff Carpet
Interview Session 02 (Audio)
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on John Staff family & Staff Carpet
Photos
Caption:
Staff Carpet’s initial location in the 1970s was on North 5th Street in Springfield, Illinois across from the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1970's
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
This sign had a prominent location outside Staff Carpet’s original location in the 1970s on North 5th Street, across from the State Fairgrounds, in Springfield, Illinois.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1970's
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
John Staff joins his father Jim and good friend Chee Cheung in this carpet warehouse photo.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
Unknown
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Jim Staff, who founded of Staff Carpet in 1971, stands in the carpet warehouse in the 1980s. He was increasingly turning the business over to John by the mid-1980s.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
1971
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Staff Carpet moved to a new location on Veterans Parkway in December 2013. The traffic flow on Veterans Parkway far exceeded what they experienced on North 5th Street, and the store’s business increased accordingly.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
December 2013
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Lindsey, John and Kimberly Staff took time for a photo at their Veterans Parkway store in 2015.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
2015
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
John’s mother Gerry, with John and Chee Cheung in May 2015 during Gerry’s first visit to Springfield after John’s father died. She was very proud when seeing the new store for Staff Carpet.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
May, 2015
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
John’s mother Gerry and John while he visited at her home in Ft. Myers, Florida in 2016. During that trip, Gerry shared stories about John’s father Jim and the early years of their marriage and the beginnings of Staff Carpet.
Where:
Ft. Myers, Florida
When:
2016
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
John, Lindsey, Kimberly and Debbie staff at their store during the store’s holiday party in December 2016.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
December 2016
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
John’s grandson Caden mans the phone in an office at Staff Carpet. At the tender age of three he was already being featured in Staff Carpet radio ads.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
Unknown
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
This was Staff Carpet’s first sign and logo for the family’s store in Springfield, Illinois in the early 1970s. This photo was taken circa 2020 when John was steadily turning over the day-to-day operation to his daughter Kimberlie.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
Circa 2020
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
John and Kimberlie Staff, two generations of Staff Carpet’s success story, took time for a photo in the store’s main Springfield show room at their new location off of Veterans Parkway in 2020.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
2020
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
John Staff flew home from their winter residence in Florida, passing through the Dallas Airport where John took a lonely ride on the airport’s shuttle on April 14, 2020.
Where:
Dallas, Texas
When:
April 14, 2020
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
The Dallas Airport was nearly empty when John and Debbie Staff flew home from Ft. Myers, Florida to Springfield, Illinois on the morning of April 14, 2020.
Where:
Dallas, Texas
When:
April 14, 2020
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Debbie and John Staff had an airplane all to themselves when they flew home from Dallas, Texas to Springfield, Illinois on April 14, 2020. They were masked the entire flight home.
Where:
Dallas, Texas
When:
April 14, 2020
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
John and Debbie Staff rode the nearly empty Dallas Airport shuttle on route to Springfield, Illinois on April 14, 2020.
Where:
Dallas, Texas
When:
Springfield, Illinois
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo