Warehouse Carpets is reborn after fire

When a devastating fire gutted Warehouse Carpets Inc. last summer, owners of the 30-year-old family business faced a tough decision.

Gina Cook could lay off her employees until the store reopened or she could keep the group together and ensure that people got paid.

So, the small business rallied its employees and armed them with power tools.

A crew that included salespeople and warehouse workers transformed a former motorcycle shop at 1418 E. Trent into a new store. The business, now called Flooring America, reopened this week in a completely renovated 10,000-square-foot building.

“We’ve done it ourselves and we were able to keep most everyone on the payroll,” said Walt Simons, a longtime employee who put his homebuilder skills to work.

The building project began after an August fire destroyed the business’s former 14,000-square-foot store at 2932 E. Trent. Fire investigators determined that a faulty swamp cooler ignited the blaze.

“There was not much left after it all burned down. Since we lost everything, we had to start over,” 62-year-old Simons said.

Since Simons has years of construction experience in his past, he managed the project and led a five-person crew.

Ben Arthur, a warehouse assistant who’d never done construction work before, said he learned everything from drywalling to wiring, while never missing a paycheck.

“It was great. I’d never learned to do any of that stuff before,” 22-year-old Arthur said.

Simons, who now manages the store, said Warehouse Carpets Inc. was insured and is leasing the new building, but plans to buy it in the future.

Although the signage and location is different, returning customers will likely see some familiar faces.

“It was a long, hard battle,” Simons said. “It brought everybody close together and it will be a stronger business for it.”