The Marshall Flooring Story
Learn more about Marshall Flooring
By Jessica Chevalier
Marshall Flooring
Brothers Matt, Ryan, Nate, Tyler, and Spencer are the third generation of Weins to operate Marshall Flooring, located just outside Cleveland in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. The brothers, who joined their father, Marc, in the business, took a variety of paths as they entered adulthood but all led back to the business their grandfather started in 1966. As a team, the family has proven itself formidable, producing $1 million in sales in one weekend of business.
Home Turf
Marshall Wein started Marshall Flooring as a 300-square-foot showroom on the second floor of the Richmond Mall, at the time one of the ten largest malls in the country. A few years in, his sons Chuck and Marc joined him, taking over the operation in the early 1970s.
In 2021, Matt, Ryan, and Nate purchased their Uncle Chuck's share. "Now," says Matt, "we are in the process of transitioning from the second to the third generation. We’re having a great time. We all get along, and we’re in the process of finding a role for each of us that plays to our strengths.”
In this day and age, five sons finding their way back to the family business is virtually unheard of, and Matt explains that each took their own approach to getting there. “I had always thought that I would work for the family business. It was taking the path of least resistance. But, interestingly, after I had worked here for about 12 years, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to continue. I took a four-year sabbatical and moved to Australia. It was helpful, and I came back to the business in 2018. Ryan went to New York City right out of school, worked as a stockbroker, and returned in 2010. Nate joined right out of high school; he said, ‘College isn’t for me.’ He wanted to get to work. Tyler was living in Seattle; Covid brought him home and then we sucked him in. Spencer was in New York City when he and his wife decided they wanted to move back to Ohio to start a family, so he joined us, too.”
The Offering
Marshall Flooring is a flooring-only business and doesn’t foresee diversifying from that model anytime soon. “Flooring is our sweet spot,” says Matt. “That’s where we excel. We have competitors who are in bath and cabinets and windows. We don’t need to do that, and our customers appreciate that we focus solely on flooring.”
The business was started by Marshall as carpet-only, moving into sheet vinyl, ceramic, laminate, hardwood, then LVT. In addition, the company has a substantial area rug offering—one of the largest in Ohio, Matt reports.
Interestingly, the area rug business grew up separately from Marshall Flooring. Marc and his best friend Steve Glassman were in the restaurant business for 15 to 20 years, operating regional sports bars. When those businesses closed, Marc and Steve pivoted to area rugs, opening a rug gallery in the early 1990s across the street from the Marshall Flooring showroom.
“The goal was to eventually get everything under one roof,” recalls Matt. “In 2010, at the end of the financial crisis, Marshall Flooring made a move to a larger, 17,000-square-foot location, and that gave us the flexibility to combine the rug store with Marshall Flooring.”
Glassman remains a part of the business today, serving as the area rug specialist and conducting the buying and curating. “He knows the ins and outs of fabrication, construction, and origins,” says Matt. “Every once in a while, we get a customer really educated about rugs, and they want to talk to Steve Glassman.”
Differentiation
Marshall Flooring is a long-time Carpet One member and has a great deal of appreciation for the benefits of membership. The company has not, however, transitioned to a Carpet One branded name or website. “There is something to be said about holding true to your core values,” says Matt. “We have a unique story to tell and shame on us if we don’t tell it. When you come into the Marshall Flooring showroom, the mood will be upbeat. There will be fun music playing; laughter; five brothers, their dad and employees that have been with them for 30+ years. People say, ‘We didn’t expect to have this much fun buying flooring.’ We like to put a smile on customers’ faces. There is not one day that I dread coming into work. I love being here with my brothers and my dad. I love the customers.”
Matt believes the industry is in a transformational phase and wants Marshall Flooring to be on the forefront of that change. “We want to be the company that has digital visualizers in the showroom, the company that enables customers to order digital samples and shop on the website so they don’t have to spend as much time in the showroom. We want to sell flooring differently. This industry has been averse to change, but change is due. A little creative shake-up is needed. Fresh ideas help; people from other industries help. Part of what this industry has lacked is innovation. A new generation brings change.”
He continues, “Right now, we want to fine-tune the business to make it as efficient as possible. We do a lot of business from one location. If we can get this one running optimally, then we will look to other objectives.”
PFC Sale Success
Marshall Flooring recently held a private, three-day Premier Flooring Center (PFC) sale that brought in $1,009,000, exceeding the Weins’ goal of $1 million. One RSA alone wrote $300,000 in sales.
PFC is a curated group of successful flooring retailers committed to excellence and aligned with The Dixie Group. Inclusion in the group offers members upgraded warranties, benefits, and the like across Dixie’s range of residential brands. “It’s a benefit to the consumer and easier for us to sell,” says Matt. “It gives us more credibility in the market. It’s a badge of honor.”
Marshall Flooring has been part of PFC for about three years and notes other benefits, such as digital roundtables hosted by Pami Bhullar, vice president of business development for The Dixie Group, who conceptualized the PFC program and brought it to market soon after the Stainmaster retail program ended when Invista sold the brand to Lowe’s.
Bhullar has integrated his passion and selling skills, built on his expertise, which started with the May Company and extended through years with Baker Brothers and Stainmaster before joining The Dixie Group. More about PFC is available at www.pfestores.com.
Filling Seats
As with so many flooring businesses, finding quality installers represents Marshall Flooring’s greatest challenge. This is especially true on the carpet side.
“And I can double down on that,” says Matt. “We are losing people to retirement who have been with us for decades: a scheduler who had been with us for 30 years; a service tech who was with us for over 35. It is hard for us to fill that gap in knowledge and find people who are willing to put in the work to be the best. Thankfully, there are five of us to figure it out. I’d be much more stressed by myself.”
