Best Practices: David’s Abbey Carpet & Floors – March 2026
By Jessica Chevalier
The Hayes family owns and operates three successful flooring operations in eastern Tennessee with locations in Knoxville, Maryville and Pigeon Forge. Started by David Hayes in 1973, the business, now run by his children Mike Hayes and Barbie Moore, grosses $26 million, with builder business accounting for around 50% of sales, retail for around 35%, commercial for 10% and multifamily for 5%.
TIMELINE OF A GROWING BUSINESS
David Hayes, a milkman, stumbled into flooring when he was looking for what we today call a side hustle. He had hoped to be a salesman for Mayfield Dairy, where he was employed, but was turned down because he didn’t have a college degree, so instead, he launched a small flooring operation called Hayes Carpet out of his basement.
In search of products for his new business, David traveled to Atlanta to talk with potential suppliers, several of whom treated him suspiciously and turned him down. David was confused but, upon returning home, received a call asking if he was connected to the former Hayes Carpet on Clinton Highway in Knoxville.
David said he was not.
“Then you might want to change your name,” the man said, “The former Hayes Carpet closed up for non-payment of taxes.” David, then, of course understood the wariness he’d encountered and changed his business’ name to David’s Carpet Sales.
A few months into working both jobs, David’s boss at the dairy told him that he needed to choose which job he wanted to focus on. David chose carpet, walking away from his steady position while his wife, Judy, was pregnant with their fourth child. But Judy, he was pleased to find, supported his decision. “That’s okay. We’ll make it,” she responded when he broke the news.
Graduating from his basement, David cut the ribbon on an official retail storefront on the eastern side of Knoxville on January 21, 1973. The 600-square-foot store sold carpet, vinyl and ceramic tile. The showroom was so tiny that David had to turn the rolls of carpet diagonally to fit.
The business grew, and David’s subsequently moved into three different locations in East Knoxville, then, in 1980, opened a second location in West Knoxville.
In 1996, the Hayes family relocated David’s West Knoxville location to a freestanding building on a busy thoroughfare with a 15,000-square-foot showroom and a warehouse about the same size, then in 2007, they closed the east Knoxville store, consolidating in the large westside location.
The late ’90s brought two significant changes for the business: the acquisition of Wiley Newman Carpet and Tile in Pigeon Forge, which has been rebranded under the David’s name, and signing on with the Abbey franchise. David’s opted to join the group after Shaw Industries, amid its diversification into retail, opened a location in close proximity to David’s Knoxville store, which made David feel like his business needed the backing of a larger operation.
Only two years ago, the Hayes family bought the building formerly used by the Homebuilders Association in Maryville and turned it into their third David’s location. Proceeds from the purchase of the Maryville location were put into a trust to fund trade schools in the county, and David’s has continued contributing to that trust.
A FAMILY OPERATION
In the early years of the business, David’s wife Judy served as secretary while also raising their four children.
In 1984, David and Judy’s son Mike, then 16, joined his mother and father in the business, working steadily there during his high school years and joining full time after graduation from college. Mike’s focus has always been on the sales side. He serves as CEO today.
In 1991, Barbie, who was studying psychology and sociology, followed her brother into the business while on a break from college and found that she really enjoyed the family atmosphere-not just the presence of her own family but the staff “family.” After Barbie finished her degrees, she opted to remain at David’s with a focus on accounting, appreciating the flexibility the career offered as she had and raised her children. Today, she serves as CFO.
In addition, only six months ago, Mike and Barbie’s sister, Laura Moore, joined David’s after retiring from a career as a police officer.
A third generation of the Hayes family has also signed on: Mike’s son Dylan and his son-in-law Steve Blodgett, both of whom are increasingly taking on decision-making responsibility. Mike and Barbie’s first cousin Gary Bates, and his son Danny Bates both work at David’s, as well.
David stepped away from the business about a decade ago, leaving his successors to oversee things. Judy passed away in 2023.
A STRONG FOCUS
Knoxville is a thriving city. According to Newsweek, “For 2026, Knoxville, Tennessee leads the nation in projected in-migration, with an estimated 1.61 newcomers arriving for each resident who leaves, which is a higher in-to-out ratio than any other U.S. city analyzed.”
The city’s growth directly impacts David’s business. While David’s has always sold to builders, today, it focuses on custom builders exclusively. “The difference is the houses today,” says Mike. “The houses that we do are more like retail jobs because they are all customs at $1 million and up.”
Mike notes that the balance between builder and retail business could easily flip if new home construction slowed and renovation activity accelerated. Diversification between the different markets is what makes the business strong through various economic cycles.
Overall, David’s focuses on better-quality products. By dollar value, hardwood and ceramic are its two top-selling categories.
While the company used to stock around 1,000 area rugs, today, it has carved that figure down to a couple hundred, focusing instead on made-to-order bound and serged rugs, which it has made both through a local fabricator and through manufacturers offering the service.
David’s opts to focus on flooring only, with much of its business being driven by designers, who, Mike believes, have specialists they prefer in each finish category with whom they have strong partnerships.
PRIZE PARTNERSHIPS
David’s works to nurture positive partnerships in all areas of its operation.
“Our people make the difference,” says Barbie, “and we treat them well so that they like being here.” Indeed, after 53 years in business, the company has seen not only generations of its founding family’s members in the business but generations of other families’ members serve in its ranks, as well.
To find new team members, the organization leans into its alliances. “We have hired from everywhere you can think of,” says Mike. “There are design schools here, and we host some design programs to meet the students. We have hired seasoned people who have been in the flooring industry in other areas-one showroom manager came from a store in D.C. We have been blessed.”
One reason that Mike and Barbie appreciate Abbey is because the organization treats them with the same family approach. “I can pick up phone, and they will answer,” says Mike, who, like his father, is very involved in the organization.