Here’s what’s hot and happening at Permanent Carpet One

By Patricia Nugent

For three generations, people have put their trust in Permanent Carpet One Floor & Home in Parma to transform their homes.

Founded by Ken Kassouf Sr. in 1947, the family-operated store joined the worldwide Carpet One cooperative of 1,000-plus other stores to tap into buying power that positions them to compete with, and even beat, the big box stores, all while continuing the same customer-first service ethos they began with.

“Solidifying relationships with our customers is one of the reasons we’ve been in business for so many years,” says President Ryan Mackey, who is married to Ken’s granddaughter. “A big part of serving our loyal customers is offering the widest possible selection. Our 2,500-square-foot showroom boasts a mind-boggling selection of samples, from good-better-best manufacturers to fit any budget.”

He says their staff’s “absolute wealth of knowledge” when it comes to flooring is also a real advantage over big box stores, where the person helping you might be on their third or fourth career, with no background or expertise in flooring.

What’s the Designer Difference?
Ryan says everyone who works at the store appreciates what a major investment flooring is.

“This is a product people will be living with for many years to come,” he says.

“Putting in the wrong type of flooring for your family has a domino effect for everything else in a room, and that becomes a costly mistake. That’s why we made the decision to include complimentary design services with our jobs. Our team of (Aunt) Barb Resinko, Ken’s daughter, and Michelle Wendling, Ken’s granddaughter, meet with customers, often going into their home, to help them make the best selections. They cover everything in the space, from flooring to fabrics, paint colors and window treatments, free of charge.”

The designers get a feel within a few minutes for the style each customer gravitates toward, from coastal chic to rustic, modern farmhouse, traditional, transitional and contemporary.

“I love working with our customers to create a space that reflects what they love,” Barb says. “I’ve always made it my business to treat the person with a $1,000 job the same as the one with a $100,000 job.”

Clients make an appointment to come into the showroom to go over samples put together by Aunt Barb or Michelle that they feel work together well.

“Sometimes we create a whole design around a single piece, like a favorite pillow,” Michelle says. “Everyone is different. We customize the products to the person.”

LVTs and Playing with Shapes
Barb reports luxury vinyl tile (LVT) has become their hottest seller, with a plethora of styles available.

“It has the look of hardwoods or ceramic tile, yet is a bit softer and nicer to stand on,” she says. “Though we’re still seeing lots of grays and browns, people are opting for lighter bleached woods. Weathered ‘barn-look’ wood planks are also popular. With hardwoods, ceramic planks or luxury vinyl tile, the planks are trending wider, up to nine inches. In general, palettes are pale and neutral, with pops of colors in the window treatments and accessories.”

She notes when you walk into model homes nowadays, all the rooms are painted a similar neutral color.

Barb says that with sales of hard surface flooring edging out carpet, area rugs are making their own design statement. You can shop from an eclectic selection of rugs, or have them custom-cut and edged in any shape or size to fit a room.

With wall-to-wall carpet, she says that patterns are making a comeback, from very subtle textural or tone-on-tone variations, to animal prints, bold geometrics, stately checks and plaids.

One of their newest styles from Karastan Legacy features three-dimensional shapes within shapes and different levels of pile and loops to create rich texture and visual appeal.

Carpet manufacturers have made real advances over the past several years to make their products more durable and water resistant.

Whatever the flooring product, Ryan notes that throughout the pandemic, their business has stayed steady.

“September is one of our busiest months of the year,” he says. “Once the kids go back to school, moms and dads are eager to renovate their home and gear up for the holidays around the corner.”

The Permanent Carpet One Floor & Home showroom is located less than a mile south of I-480 at 5620 Ridge Road in Parma. Hours are Monday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 440-884-3300 or visit PermanentFloorsCarpetOne.com for more information.