Grand Strand Floors, Inc. is a family business owned by
Tom & Anne Brophy. Tom Brophy has been working in the
carpet profession for more than 50 years. He began
working as a teenager at his fathers carpet mill and
later went to college to study yarn dyeing for
carpeting. After graduating college as a chemist Tom
worked in carpet manufacturing and helped develop a
patented dyeing process called "space dyeing", which is
still used in carpet manufacturing today. Moving to the
Myrtle Beach Area in 1971 Tom operated a yarn dyeing
facility in Johnsonville, SC. Seeing the potential in
Myrtle Beach Tom invested with a friend in a carpet
cleaning business, New Life Carpets. As new construction
began to increase, the demand for new carpet also began
to grow. Using his numerous contacts in the carpet
business Tom seized the opportunity and began selling
carpet. Later Tom left his manufacturing career, the
business associate was bought out and the name was
changed to Grand Strand Floors. The business was
incorporated in 1983 and "Inc." was added to the name.
Tom's background in carpet manufacturing makes him very
knowledgeable in floor covering. The people he worked
with in carpet manufacturing are now the Presidents and
CEO's of major carpet mills. Product knowledge, industry
contacts, and self determination has brought Grand
Strand Floors, Inc. from a small one man operation with
sales of a couple hundred thousand to a large flooring
operation with sales exceeding 2.5 million.
His son James began working full-time with the company
in 1987. A graduate of the University of South Carolina
with a BS Degree in Economics, James has played an
important role in the organization and operation of the
family business. Since James has been employed many
positive changes have been implemented. The demolition
and re-building of the original location on Broadway in
1988, setting up a computer system to better organize
the company's books, scheduling, and estimating,
coordinated an expansion into the residential market
with a move to a larger building to accommodate a
showroom, and increasing residential business by
implementing a successful marketing strategy. When Tom
decides to retire James will succeed him and continue to
grow the family business and build on the legacy left to
him by his Father and Grandfather.
Julie Lamb, Tom's daughter, also began working in the
family business about 15 years ago. A graduate of
Virginia Commonwealth University with a BA in Interior
Design Julie has played a crucial role in the areas of
product selection and store design. Julie is an
effective salesperson and her knowledge of design is
appreciated by all of her customers. Julie will
always remain an employee and an important part of the
family business.
The steady growth of the last 30 years has brought us to
another milestone. The construction of a new showroom
and warehouse was completed in November of 2000. This
new showroom has been described as one of the finest
retail flooring showrooms in the Southeast. Building on
long relationship with Mohawk Industries, Grand Strand
Floors, Inc. became a Mohawk Floorscapes Dealer, an
exclusive and premiere dealer in the Mohawk Family with
many benefits. Positioned in a heavily traveled retail
area of Myrtle Beach the new store provides Grand Strand
Floors an ideal site to preserve the history of growth.
On June 26, 2001 tragedy struck the Brophy family when a
faulty light in a display caused a major fire in the
store and destroyed all of the showroom, the offices and
most of the new building. After only 8 months in the new
store, the family was devastated.
 The outpouring of support from the family, friends,
competitors, vendors, and the community was
overwhelming. We are grateful to everyone who supported
us in our time of need. The Brophy Family and the staff
of Grand Strand Floors extend our sincere thanks to so
many of you for your support and patience.
In September of 2002 Grand Strand Floors moved back into
their showroom at 1917 10th Avenue North. The store is
bigger and better than before. A mezzanine was added to
increase the selection of area rugs and woven wool
products and the ceramic tile and wood lines were
expanded. The new showroom is breathtaking and the
finest flooring store in the area.
Grand Strand Floors, Inc.'s goal is to be the premier
floor-covering store in the Myrtle Beach area. Focusing
on product selection and customer service, Grand Strand
Floors, Inc. strives to exceed customer expectations.
Building on the firm foundation laid by Tom Brophy Grand
Strand Floors, Inc. will continue to grow and will open
additional retail stores in Horry & Georgetown Counties
in the next 5 years. |
