Stark to Open Charlotte Showroom & Outlet

Charlotte, NC, October 12--A high-end carpet manufacturer with clients ranging from the White House to Hollywood plans to open a combination showroom and clearance center in Charlotte, according to the Charlotte Observer. Stark Carpet Corp. was attracted by the strong luxury home market and the city's status as the nation's second-largest banking center, said Bill Bancroft, manager of the clearance center. The 30,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in late November at 11415 Granite St., Suite A, in Crossroads Distribution Center off Westinghouse Boulevard. The New York City-based firm wanted a site convenient to its Calhoun, Ga., plant to introduce a new concept: a facility combining a showroom exclusively for the design community with an outlet store for the public. Bancroft said Stark officials considered locations ranging from Jacksonville, Fla., to Las Vegas before selecting Charlotte. "When we ran all the demographics, Charlotte fit into our pattern quite nicely," he said. "They were an up-and-coming city we thought would be good for our business." The luxury home market -- a key attraction for Stark -- has the potential to continue growing, Bancroft said, as the city's big banks attract such professionals as accountants, lawyers and advertising firms. Stark, a privately held company that reported revenues of about $135 million last year, operates more than 15 showrooms -- including one at Market Square in High Point and one in London. John and Steven Stark, sons of the late founders, Arthur and Nadia Stark, run the company. It specializes in custom-designed carpet, fabric, furniture and wallcoverings for the residential and commercial markets. Bancroft said Stark has made carpets for the White House since the Kennedy administration and serves a client base that includes celebrities -- whose names the company doesn't disclose. Also, Stark teamed recently with Racemark International, a luxury automobile mat provider to Mercedes and BMW on a custom-woven car mat with Persian designs, according to Home Furnishings Magazine. Stark's Charlotte facility, which will employ about 25 people, will depart from the company's 65-year-plus practice of exclusively serving interior designers, architects and builders. The design showroom, to be managed by 17-year Stark employee Timothy Cohen, still will be open only to those clients. But the outlet store will offer discounts to the public on close-outs and overruns. Bancroft said carpet overruns likely would be reduced 50 percent to 75 percent from the showroom price. The company began working in May with the Charlotte Chamber's Justin Hunt, vice president of headquarters and international development, to evaluate the Charlotte market. Lawrence Shaw of Colliers Pinkard represented Stark in the real estate search.

Related Topics:Shaw Industries Group, Inc., Coverings

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