KINGSTON — To someone who has worked construction for 14 years, taking over a flooring company could easily seem like the next basic step. For Advanced Flooring owner Heath Dawson, it was.
“I figured it was a good opportunity to try it out and see if we could make some happy customers,” he said. “There weren’t a lot of places to get certain specific products. It’s starting out slow, but so far everybody’s been happy.”
Dawson, along with girlfriend Nicole Roseveare, bought the existing flooring business and made it his own. He has been up and running since May, he said.
Making the switch between careers has been fairly easy for Dawson, who still builds a few high-end waterfront homes each year, and can now supply himself through Advanced Flooring.
“Everything just kind of works itself out,” he said. “I’ve got really good help working there. I might have to slow down with houses if it gets really busy.”
Dawson said Advanced Flooring’s inventory has so far drawn positive responses from customers. Aside from basic flooring materials, the store boasts free design time with in-house designers and will soon be expanding its showroom to accommodate specialty sinks, cabinets and showers from China. Dawson also hopes to begin stocking foreign tiles at low prices so that people on the North End don’t have to travel to Seattle to find what they are looking for.
“We’ve got a good source where we can buy from there and keep prices low,” he said of items from China. “That’s my goal, to be able to offer different types of things. We want to set ourselves apart from some of the other companies around here and give people more options. It’s just a matter of trying to organize everything.”
Dawson said while Advanced Flooring doesn’t offer installation, customers have still been happy with its services.
“We recommend some of the best guys around here,” Dawson said of the subcontractors they suggest. “Most people don’t seem to mind that. Overall we’ve had a lot of happy customers. Business keeps getting busier and busier each week.”
Dawson said one challenge he faces is the location of his business. Located next to the Kingston West Industrial Park behind McKinley Electric Inc., being away from major highways has been difficult.
“Our location isn’t really right out in the middle of downtown Kingston or downtown Poulsbo,” he said. “We’re kind of tucked right in there.”
Finding capable employees was another worry Dawson faced, but his fears quickly vanished.
“At first I was worried about trying to find enough people,” he said. “But training went really smoothly.”
For the most part, Dawson said he is just looking forward for his business to grow, and hopes he can meet specific needs of people in the area.
“It’s been good so far,” he said. “We want to cater to everybody. We’re hoping to grow and expand our inventory of choices… Everybody on the North End is just really friendly and nice to work with. We’re just really happy to be here.”
