By Ken Ryan—There are so many reasons why flooring retailers gravitate to carpet. For starters, carpet offers good margins, can be easily installed and is made in the USA—meaning quicker turnaround times for specialty dealers.
Many veteran retailers recall fondly a time when carpet was their mainstay product—long before LVT emerged. These days, retailers are basking in the glow of carpet’s resurgence, with the residential sector growing double digits for the first time in recent memory, as higher-end goods, stylish patterns and vibrant colors resonate with homeowners.
Retailers chose some of their standout performers:
Dream Weaver
CONFETTI III
About the product: Confetti III is a residential textured carpet from Dream Weaver, Engineered Floors’ residential brand. Made from its proprietary PureColor soft solution-dyed BCF polyester, Confetti III features a lifetime stain- and fade-resistance warranty.
Retailer comment: “The PureColor [technology] of Dream Weaver’s Confetti (and Natural Wonder) resonates with the customer for performance and stain resistance.” —Doug Bertrand, Carpetland USA, Davenport, Iowa
Mohawk
SMARTSTRAND NATURAL ESSENTIALS
About the product: Available in 20 colors, Natural Essentials is CRI Green Label Plus certified and handles heavy foot traffic in style.
Retailer comment: “The SmartStrand fiber is incredibly soft and versatile with different looks. I particularly love that the stain resistance is not applied on the top but built into the fiber as in the case of Natural Essentials. Our customers love how it feels underfoot.”
—Typhannie Watson, Carpeting by Mike, Somerset, Wis.
Engineered Floors
WINNER’S CIRCLE I, II, III
About the product: From Engineered Floors’ ResistA SoftStyle collection, this private-label brand of Carpet One provides a super soft carpet feel with spill resistance.
Retailer comment: “No. 1 in the Carpet One branded program would be Winner’s Circle I, II, III. This product has value written all over it. From warranty, colors, style and performance, it is a worry-free product. Our customers love the feel. It’s a product where price isn’t the driving force to [making] sales.” —Cathy Buchanan, Independent Carpet One Floor & Home, Westland, Mich.
Shaw Floors
COLOR THAT SPEAKS TO YOU
About the product: Color That Speaks To You is the reimagination of the Colorwall, a 20-year showroom anchor responsible for more than 40 million yards of carpet sales. The display features Designer Picks, an array of top-selling products that coordinate with popular paint colors and other high-performing soft surface selections.
Retailer comment: “Color That Speaks To You has dominated here for some time. The display is extremely magnetic and draws customers to it. It offers extremely wide color choices, featuring solids, subtle tones and accents. Two different face weights at two different price points creates a price choice.” —Steve Weisberg, Crest Flooring, Allentown, Pa.
Anderson Tuftex
PARK HILL
About the product: The variegated speckles of color in Park Hill are achieved through a distinct process perfected by masters of the craft. Available in 18 colors.
Retailer comment: “Tuftex has a great new product [Park Hill] that gives customers that upgraded product at great value.” —Eric Langan, Carpetland USA, Davenport, Iowa
Stanton
Rosecore (Splendour Smitten)
About the product: This hand-loomed, 100% super-soft nylon product comes in eight colors, including denim, parchment and graphite.
Retailer comment: “This is one of the hottest carpets we have right now. This carpet looks like a Tencel/Viscose piece but is incredibly soft and is made from solution-dyed nylon.” —Joel Schreier, Home Carpet One, Chicago
