By Greg Ellison

(Oct. 22, 2020) Seafloor Carpet, Hardwood & More, while still located in the Manklin Station Shopping Center, recently moved into a newly constructed building with roughly double the square footage of its prior spot. It also has expanded services.

Owner Don Robertson opened the Ocean Pines business nearly five years ago after spending decades in the flooring industry.

“I’ve been in the business well over 30 years,” he said.

Robertson launched his career in the early 1980s with Color Tile in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Robertson said the gig provided a “hands-on” training experience for home installations, despite being in sales and management.

When Color Tile dissolved, Robertson ventured into the wholesale realm with General Flooring, which sold exclusively to retailers, before relocating to Ocean City and joining Mohawk Industries as the sales representative for the Delmarva region.

“I worked for a wholesaler, I worked for a manufacturer and now I’m back in retail,” he said.

Prior to starting Seafloor Carpet, Hardwood & More, Robertson managed a few retail stores in the area, but discovered his sales philosophy differed from ownership’s.

“Even though I have respect for them, their outlook and my own was totally different on how a business should be run,” he said. “They put the dollar signs first [but] I try to put the quality and customer satisfaction first.”

In January, groundbreaking for the new Seafloor retail building took place after Robertson was offered a “no-brainer” proposal from his landlord at the Manklin Station Shopping Center.

“I was in two units and the third unit right beside me opened up,” he said.

After proposing an expansion to include the vacant spot, Robertson was pleasantly surprised by the counteroffer.

“The landlord said, ‘Listen, I’ve got a better idea, how about if I build you a great big building,” he said. “You’ll have a showroom and warehouse in one.”

What eventually materialized was a 6,000-square-foot structure situated just across the parking lot on the south side of Manklin Creek Road. The building’s completion had been slated for this summer.

“It got delayed a bit, but we’re open now,” he said. “We’ve got a 4,000-square-foot showroom and a 2,000-square-foot warehouse.”

The ample space also provided the opportunity for a new partnership to blossom.

“We also partnered up with Pipeline Contracting,” he said.

Both Seafloor and Pipeline have offices located in the new building.

“You can have a complete remodel done by the specialists,” he said. “He handles the remodel and I handle the floors.”

Both home remodeling businesses are exclusive Bertch Cabinet dealers and provide a wide array of home remodeling and renovation services.

“We can do cabinets and we can do countertops,” he said. “We can do complete bathroom renovations and we can do complete kitchen renovations.”

Robertson said regardless of customer’s design concepts, the team at Seafloor and Pipeline are focused more on informing consumers than simply making a sale.

“We don’t want to sell you anything,” he said. “We want to educate you so you can make an informed, intelligent and happy buying decision.”

After spending decades in the flooring industry filling a variety of roles, Robertson has developed an appreciation for quality materials.

“When people come in they might … want carpet or waterproof flooring but they don’t know what makes the difference between … one line and others,” he said. “What do you get for $2, $4 or $6?”

Robertson said national home material retailers typically miss the mark when marketing to consumers.

“You go into a big box store and they don’t have people, they have signs,” he said. “The only way they can sell you is they say this product is life proof or … guaranteed [but] there’s no such thing.”

Robertson said Seafloor Carpet staff attempts to inform customers what elements tie into price variations among selections.

“For something to be a different price, there’s a reason,” he said. “There’s only three things that make up a price: the cost of the material, the cost of the labor to make it and the profit.”

Robertson said Seafloor Carpet, Hardwood & More embraces a pride in craftsmanship and materials approach, something he believes other retailers tend to overlook when closing a sale with clients.

“What happens is they get sold a bill of goods a lot of times and they end up unhappy,” he said. “We want happy customers and that’s why I don’t try to sell them, I’ll educate them.”

Seafloor Carpet, Hardwood & More is located at 11312 Manklin Creek Rd. For more information stop by the store, call 410-220-6578 or visit seafloorcarpets.com.