About Barrett Floor Covering

This month's Customer Corner article takes us to Kings Mountain, NC. Barrett Floor Covering was founded in 1976 by Jack and Ruby Barrett. Jack previously installed commercial flooring in Charlotte, NC and decided to open his own retail store. The store catered to customers in Gastonia, Cleveland and the surrounding coun­ties in the upstate of South Carolina. In the early days of his business, he was a customer of Peerless Distribu­tors, which he evolved into a Haines customer when Haines acquired Peerless in 1996.

Jack's son Stan worked during the summer months at the store and then formally joined the company in 1980 when he graduated from high school. In 1984 the company moved into their current location in Kings Moun­tain, which was formerly the Old Compact School. The Old Compact School is a historic site in North Carolina, as it was previously a pre-integration school for African American students. Post-integration the school sat abandoned for over 20 years until Jack Bar­rett purchased the property. By moving to the Old Compact School building, it allowed them to become the leading stocking dealer in the region. Barrett invested in truck­ loads of carpet and sheet vinyl, including all installation sun dries. Sherry, Stan's wife, joined the company in 1982. Stan and Sherry have two children, Heather and Josh.

Heather is an administrative assistant in Hickory and Josh is a senior at Western Caro­lina University. Stan began the process of taking over the business from his father Jack in 2004 and formally became owner in 2006.

Stan joined the Haines Loyalty Club in 2007 and has been a huge supporter of Haines in the last ten years. They enjoy working with Haines as we offer the most recognized brands in the industry, competitive pricing, and convenience of a one-stop solution for all their flooring products. The marketing support of the Haines Loyalty Club has also allowed Barrett to advertise in their local markets, which has helped them to effectively reach more customers. The Armstrong Elevate program through Haines has provided additional support to help expand their advertising and grow their business.

Stan continues today to stock large amounts of roll goods and installation products. In the last few years he has greatly expanded his stocking portfolio to hardwood and laminate. This year he added LVT and WPC prod­ucts. Over the last few years he diversified by adding rug binding. He binds all he red carpet for the Santa Land exhibits in shopping malls across the Southeast.

The company has fluctuated in size over the years but at its core has always been a family business with Stan and Sherry at the center. Stan has continued over the years to build on what his father began by continuing to stock large amounts of inventory and focus on cash and carry customers.