Service, installation key to The Carpet Shoppe‘s business

Still at the same location on East Seminole Street, the business has grown into the largest floor-covering store in southwest Missouri with a 15,000-square-foot showroom and more than 20,000 square feet of warehouse space.

The Carpet Shoppe serves between 250,000 and 500,000 people in an enormous trade area around Springfield that includes cities as far away as Joplin and West Plains, Pearce said. Still, Springfield accounts for most of his business.

The Carpet Shoppe’s $1.5 million payroll provides for 40 full-time employees, two part-time employees and 78 installers who install carpet, tile, pre-finished wood flooring, laminates and vinyl – a product that Springfield native Pearce said “doesn’t hardly count” anymore.

Carpet remains the “floor covering of choice,” Pearce said, but ceramic tile and hardwood floors have become high-growth areas in recent years. Demand for the high-quality materials has been driven by the building industry, he said.

The Carpet Shoppe has three different divisions, one of which caters directly to contractors and builders who have certain specifications and need a cost estimate.

The residential division appeals to homeowners shopping for new flooring, and the six-person commercial division works with general contractors who hire the Carpet Shoppe to install flooring in a commercial setting, such as new office complex.

The Carpet Shoppe has installed carpet at several The Signature Bank branches in Springfield, most recently the new bank on East Battlefield Road. Bank President Rob Fulp said Pearce’s company excels in customer service, which also is a high priority for the bank.

“I can tell you it all begins with their people,” Fulp said. “They have done such a superior job. You like to do business with people with the same philosophy, and that’s what you get with The Carpet Shoppe.”

Pearce doesn’t dispute the emphasis on customer service, but he said professional installation of flooring materials is paramount to the company’s success.

“If the product isn’t installed properly, the floor won’t perform correctly,” he said. “The installation is vital.”

The installation process hasn’t changed much through the years, but the type of materials has, Pearce said. Vinyl flooring was popular in the 1970s, but the evolution of interior style has upped the demand for products like ceramic tile, he said.

“These other products are real popular right now,” Pearce said. “I’m not sure if it’s a trend or not.”

While stationed in San Diego during his years in the Navy, Pearce became a journeyman installer. After returning to Springfield, he launched a mobile carpet service that attracted numerous builders and contractors – clients who would later become Pearce’s first customers when he opened The Carpet Shoppe.

“It took off right away,” he said, adding that the business was profitable in its first year,” he said. “We were successful from the get-go.”

Today, The Carpet Shoppe has expanded its product line to include an inventory of more than 600 area rugs. Pearce’s wife, Pam, manages the selection and sales of rugs, which have become necessities in new homes with hardwood or ceramic tile floors.

“They have to cover it with something,” Pearce said with a chuckle.

The Carpet Shoppe

Address: 1827-1829 E. Seminole St., Springfield, MO 65804

Phone: (417) 883-6455

Web site: www.thecarpetshoppe.com

2005 payroll: $1.5 million[[In-content Ad]]