At some point, it just becomes impossible to get that carpet clean. Or it develops wrinkles. Or maybe the homeowner just gets tired of the same old look.
Generally, a carpet that is more than 10 or 15 years old is probably a good candidate for replacement.
That’s when homeowners (or businesses or even the owners of boats) pay a visit to Carpet Concepts, which has two locations: 1421 3rd St. South in Jacksonville Beach and 4144 Herschel St., Jacksonville.
John and Alva Stone opened the business in 1966, arguably making it the oldest flooring company in Northeast Florida. Today, it’s still family-owned and -operated, which appeals to many local residents.
“I was 5 years old when my parents started our business,” said current owner Mark Stone. “Now, my kids are in it, too, so the third generation is here.”
Even much of the customer base is multigenerational.
“I’ve got third- and fourth-generation customers,” said Stone.
In fact, about 90% of the company’s business is repeat, and the other 10% is often due to referrals from repeat customers. This, and the fact that Northeast Florida is a growth market, may account for some of Carpet Concepts’ continued success, but its products and services probably have a lot to do with it, as well.
“We have a really good reputation, and we do everything we can to maintain that,” said Stone.
Carpet Concepts specializes in wall-to-wall carpet, pre-made area rugs and custom area rugs.
“You can come in and pick out any piece of carpet that you like, and then we can make it any size that you would like,” Stone explained.
The business has a workroom, which means the cutting is done onsite, and it also delivers. As a result, customers only have to work with one company.
“You don’t have to arrange to get somebody to come and lay it for you,” Stone said. “You don’t have to send it to some workroom somewhere to have it finished. We’re doing all this ourselves.”
Carpet Concepts stocks about 800 to 1,000 rugs at any given time, and thousands of carpets. It carries everything from low-end, inexpensive carpets to high-end-very expensive carpets.
“We have carpets imported from all over the world, from all the major hand-weaving rug centers of the world,” Stone said. “We get machine-made rugs from domestic and international manufacturers.”
Most of its inventory is wool, though Carpet Concepts also does a lot of business in sisal, seagrass and jute. Natural fibers are popular with customers who prefer environmentally friendly options.
Generally, depending upon the demands of the individual project, most carpet jobs take about two to three weeks to complete. For custom work, it tends toward two to four weeks.
For the most part, Carpet Concepts serves customers in the Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra and the Beaches areas, though it frequently does work as far south as St. Augustine and as far north as Amelia Island.
To learn more about Carpet Concepts, call 904-388-4110 or go to carpetconceptsinc.com.
