Rhodes Carpet celebrates 50th anniversary
Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter
Ken Rhodes, owner of Rhodes Carpet & Installation, stands in his South Main Street showroom with some of the flooring products available.
Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter
Rhodes Carpet & Installation is celebrating the half-century mark.
Courtesy of Rhodes Carpet & Installation
Rhodes Carpet & Installation, 408 S. Main St., Washington, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Rhodes Carpet & Installation has spent a half-century serving the flooring needs of generations of families as well as numerous businesses in the area.
Ken Rhodes owned the business without a physical location until the showroom opened in 1998 at 408 S. Main St. in Washington.
He actually got his start in flooring after seeing his brother do it.
“I felt if I could learn this business, I could make a pretty good living at it,” Rhodes said. “I wanted to learn everything, so I learned carpet, hardwood, ceramic, vinyl.”
Rhodes Carpet & Installation is a full-service flooring store, selling carpet, hardwood, luxury vinyl tile and luxury vinyl plank flooring.
“We do the full spectrum,” Rhodes said. “We’re the ones that go and measure it, we’re the ones that price it, and we’re the ones that install it. It seems we’ve been very successful.”
Rhodes, of Washington, chuckled a bit when he said that success has seen him serve generations of family members.
“We’re now doing the kids’ kids; three, four generations (of family members),” he said. “We have people come in and say, ‘My dad said don’t go anywhere else,’ or ‘My grandfather said don’t go anywhere else.’ That kind of makes us proud. It means we’re doing something right.”
Another source of pride for Rhodes is that the company has been voted Best Flooring Store for six straight years in the Observer-Reporter’s Best of the Best contest.
He is quick to credit his employees, which includes six crews and four office staff, as well as some part-time crews.
His daughter, Carly Jones, is the manager.
“If it wasn’t for my installers and for the people that work around me, Rhodes Carpet wouldn’t exist,” he said. “It’s been that way for generation after generation.”
Though Rhodes doesn’t install flooring any longer, he still handles much of the measuring and clerical work, and has no plans to retire.
Over the years, Rhodes has seen many changes in the flooring industry. One of the biggest is the emergence of luxury vinyl plank. The flooring is easier to clean and doesn’t stain as a result of pet accidents.
“We’re still selling carpet, but it seems like more and more people are tearing out the carpet and putting in luxury vinyl plank,” Rhodes said. “It’s waterproof. It’s easier to take care of.”
The business celebrated its 50th anniversary Saturday with refreshments and door prizes.
Rhodes says the key to being able to stay in business so long is doing the job right and caring about the customers the company serves.
“I always tried to do the best job I can,” he said. “I just love working with people. Every job is different. Even though we’re putting in a carpet, it could be a different layout or a different type of job.”