I’m a little long winded, but it is the 1st Entry….

In November 1996, I embarked upon a journey I would never have imagined.  As a former banker, office manager, airline employee and waitress, owning and running a small business was not in my plan. But here I am in 2017, just that, the owner of Tile Sensations in Knoxville, Tn.  2016 was a milestone for me, it marked 20 years working and serving the Knoxville area and beyond.  Cliché, this may sound, but in some ways it seems a blink of an eye, in another view, a lifetime of lessons.                    FYI – In addition to Knoxville we have clients in Florida, Maine, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Missouri and California. We would love to add a few more states to our list in 2017!

OIMG_5015ver the last 20 years, I have been challenged with finding the right path for not only my family, but for Tile Sensations as well.  While Tile Sensations is not the biggest tile store in town we offer the most complete tile selection, in all price categories from spec to boutique, and it is a place I am proud to call my own. We serve clients from all walks of life and thoroughly enjoy our interactions with each of them. My staff and I face the small business challenges of each new day as a team using the Kaizen Theory* as our guide.  My goal is to provide learning and service opportunities as a regular course of business.  At all times the question of what is good for the staff is as important as what is good for business, so yes we will be closed on holidays including Good Friday, we allow our staff a week off between Christmas and New Years to recharge and of course we are closed most UT Home Football game days. We will always be closed Sundays regardless of what our competition is doing.

We as a team provide the best and most heartfelt customer service we can.  Eat, Sleep, Design describes   the showroom team, we lean upon one another to create unique and appropriate design for each of our clients, always keeping the budget in mind.  Eat, Sleep, Track describes our office team. Where is that tile order? Is it the right color lot? They need it WHEN? We do everything in our power to meet a client’s time schedule too.  Sometimes it simply isn’t possible, but rest assured we have done everything in our power to meet those needs and we will keep you updated with any changes that affect your order.

 Clay DecorWe offer Made in the USA as often as possible, we love the selection of handcrafted tiles we offer.  If you can imagine it, we will find a tile artist to make it!
Shelton - Room View2Handcrafted One-of-a-Kind Art Tile Pieces and Sinks is one of our specialties.  We also offer a huge selection of Natural Stone and Porcelain Tiles for every tile need and style and our degreed designers love to help choose combinations that will make you smile for years to come.  Don’t want help with your selections? That’s ok too, come in a browse and let us know if you have questions, we understand the creative process is different for each person so we can stay out of your way if you prefer.  Are you one of those people that cannot imagine a room unless you see it?  We offer 3D Modeling and Rendering services to help you with your final decision.

Simply put, we strive to provide service second to none, just let us know how we can help and we will do our best.

Tile Sensations is also a place of service.20161214_102702

  •  We wholeheartedly support the mission of the Haiti Outreach Program and will continue to support their good works. Visit www.haitioutreachprogram.com for more information.
  • We support the design community by offering a drop off location for samples no longer needed. Fabric, granite, cabinet, books and samples of all kinds are recycled in our student library.  These samples provide inspiration and are given to students free of charge for their design projects.
  • We recycle everything we possibly can. We offer excess packing materials to Etsy and EBay sellers at no charge, we recycle pallet wood into wall coverings and all excess cardboard and paper is recycled locally.
  • Recently Tile Sensations has become a spot for local artists and artisans to sell their wares. Beginning in December 2016 we offered a Pop-Up Holiday Shop, emptying our store of tile and replacing it with some of the finest local jewelry, soaps, vintage items and art for our clients and friends to shop. We plan to offer this no charge event to local small businesses several times a year.

Over the next months and years I plan to share my favorite stories and insights into the world of tile and small business through this blog. If there is a topic you would like covered just send me an email Jennifer@tilesensations.net and I will see what I can do.  2017 will also be bringing other changes to Tile Sensations which we will announce as we unveil these exciting new changes!

May your 2017 be joyful, prosperous and fulfilling; May your good spirits influence those around you; May you find yourself in a position to share your blessings and may you act when opportunities are offered to you.

Jennifer – Tile and Design Addict

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*Kaizen Theory – Ever Changing, Ever Improving