By LOIS KINDLE
Joan Miller and her children opened a small, family-owned and operated business almost three decades ago in Ruskin. Initially known as Dove Carpets, the retail operation has more than quadrupled in size and is now known as Dove Interiors Carpet One Floor & Home to more accurately describe the array of products it sells.
“Their showroom is outstanding,” said Marlene Bodden, of Kings Point. “It has quite an array of quality, name-brand merchandise and friendly, knowledgeable staff to help make your selection.”
Bodden noted from start to finish all her transactions were professionally handled, even when she was initially unhappy with the product she and her husband chose after it was installed in their home.
“They came right out and offered to fix it, but when we (declined), they apologized and gave us our money back,” she said, noting she was so impressed she decided to return to the store and select a different product.
“It’s beautiful,” she said of their new vertical blinds. “They provided us with a 100-percent satisfaction guarantee and stood behind it. I’ve since recommended them to so many people.” Quality products. Excellent service. Satisfaction guarantee…a combination that’s kept Dove Interiors Carpet One Floor & Home growing even through tough times.
“We’ve been here 27 years and are planning on staying,” said Miller, a Summerfield resident. “Four or five years down the road, if you have a problem with one of our products, we’ll be here.”
The original 1,400-square-foot store Miller, her daughter, Kimberly Scott and son, Rick Razick, opened in the Sun Pointe Shopping Center, Ruskin, grew quickly over the years. The family acquired a 3,000-square-foot space on the other side of the plaza and later expanded it to 4,500 before moving down the road in 2007 to the 6,000-square-foot standalone building they built at 2305 College Ave.
“We started with carpet, added tile to accommodate customer requests and then window treatments,” Miller said about the company’s growth. “We’re the only Hunter Douglas Gallery in Hillsborough County and the only Mohawk Industries dealer in South Shore, which means we can offer deeper discounts to customers due to our volume.”
Dove Interiors is a member of the Carpet One Floor & Home cooperative of more than 1,000 independently owned stores throughout the United States and Canada. Through its partnerships with major brands, manufacturers and mills throughout the nation, it has vast buying power to negotiate low pricing and pass it on to customers. Products include carpet, hardwood, laminate and vinyl flooring, ceramic tile and area rugs.
“It also enables us to offer product warrantees that other retailers can’t,” Miller said. “We’re the largest purchaser of flooring in the country.”
In January, Dove Interiors Carpet One Floor & Home added cabinets by Starmark, Norcroft and Echelon and quartz, granite and Formica countertops for the kitchen, bathroom and office.
The store has an expansive selection of all types of flooring, carpets, window treatments, custom draperies, bedspreads, backsplash tiles and more.
Its inventory is vast and varied.
“We have tile that looks like wood and vinyl planks that look like tile,” Miller said. “We have Intelligent Shades that can be programmed on your cell phone to open and close at certain times of the day or on demand. And we have cabinetry with features to store or hide everything you use in your kitchen.”
Being responsive to their customer base is important to the owners.
“We’ve been listening to the community about their needs all these years and have brought in products specifically to accommodate them,” Scott added. “We focus and specialize in those products and in our area.”
Both Miller and Scott believe in giving back to the community.
Six years ago, when Carpet One became involved with the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Building for America’s Bravest program, Dove Interiors Carpet One Floor & Home began providing installation / labor for Mohawk products placed in new Smart homes for veterans who had suffered catastrophic combat injuries on or after Oct. 7, 2001. The store also collects cash donations for the effort.
Additionally, the store contributes food to local pantries at St. Anne Catholic Church, Beth-el Mission, Our Lady of Guadalupe and Angel Attic during the holidays.
Dove Interiors Carpet One Floor & Home is a member of the Sun City Center Area and SouthShore chambers of commerce. Store hours are Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.doveinteriorscarpetone.com or call 813-645-8660.
To learn more about the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, visit www.tunnels2towers.org.