Okay, let me tell you about this one time I had to track something down, and the journey ended at Mrs. B’s place, Nebraska Furniture Mart in Omaha. It wasn’t for furniture, funnily enough, but for flooring.
We had this small section of laminate flooring in our den that got damaged. Just a few planks, really. But the tricky part was matching it. This stuff was maybe 5 or 6 years old, and finding the exact same pattern and color turned out to be a real pain. I went to all the local spots, the big box hardware stores, even a couple of specialty flooring shops. No dice. Most places said it was likely discontinued. I was getting pretty frustrated, thinking I’d have to redo the whole floor, which I really didn’t want to do.
Then my neighbor, Dave, mentioned Nebraska Furniture Mart. He said, “If you can’t find it there, it probably doesn’t exist anymore. That place is huge.” I remembered hearing stories about Mrs. B and how she built that empire. I figured it was worth a shot, even though it’s a bit of a drive for me.
Heading to the Giant Store
So, the next Saturday, I grabbed the sample piece of the damaged flooring and a picture, and headed over to Omaha. Pulling into the parking lot, you immediately get a sense of the scale. It’s enormous. Seriously, you could fit multiple regular stores inside it. Walking in, it was kinda overwhelming. People everywhere, showrooms stretching out as far as you could see.
I had to ask for directions right away just to find the flooring department. Even that section alone felt bigger than some entire stores I’d been in previously. They had everything – carpet, tile, hardwood, vinyl, and yeah, tons of laminate.
- First step was just walking the aisles, scanning the samples. Lots of similar stuff, but nothing quite right.
- I tried matching my sample piece against the displays. Close, but no cigar. Different textures, slight color variations.
- Felt like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Getting Help and Finding the Treasure
After wandering for maybe 20 minutes, I spotted a service desk within the flooring area. There was a guy there who looked like he’d been working there a while. I went up, showed him my sample and the picture, and explained my situation.
He took the sample, looked closely, and said, “Yeah, I think I remember this one. Might be old stock. Let me check the system.” He typed away on his computer for a few minutes. Then he looked up, “Okay, looks like we might have a few boxes left in the warehouse section. It’s not on the main floor anymore.” Bingo! That was the best news I’d heard all week.
He gave me the SKU number and pointed me towards the warehouse pickup area, which is attached to the main building. It’s a different kind of operation back there – more industrial, forklifts moving around.
I went to the service counter there, gave them the SKU, and paid for the few boxes I needed. Had to wait maybe 15 minutes while they located it deep in the warehouse racks. Finally, a guy on a forklift brought out the boxes. I checked the label and the pattern through the plastic – it was the one!
The Takeaway
Loading those boxes into my truck felt like a huge victory. It took some effort, a bit of driving, and navigating that massive store, but I got exactly what I needed when nobody else seemed to have it. Dave was right. If you need something specific, especially for the home, chances are Mrs. B’s place has it tucked away somewhere. It’s just a matter of finding it, and sometimes, finding the right person to help you look. Quite an experience, really.
