Tony Johnson is a hands-on business owner. At Family Flooring in Chesapeake, he unloads supply trucks, loads installer trucks, and often eats lunch on the fly while doing the books. He orders, stocks, and is usually the one who measures customers' floors for price estimates and schedules install dates. If it needs doing, he's doing it.

The same goes for his partner, Jeff Jechura. "Jeff and I are very accessible," Tony says. "We take care of things quickly but thoroughly, and we are here for everybody."

Even a year of COVID restrictions has not stopped Family Flooring from serving customers as nearby as Chesapeake a­nd as far away as Yorktown. Parents working from home with children attending school remotely have wanted to replace their worn, outdated, or lower-end flooring. They have flocked to the company's two locations to find everything from trendy luxury vinyl planking to tried-and-true plush carpeting. In fact, 2020 saw the company set sales records, and 2021 is starting strong, too. "We are busy, busy, busy," Tony laughs. "There aren't enough hours in the day."  

Last spring, Family Flooring implemented the necessary safety protocols, such as masks and extra cleanings, to ensure customers felt safe with in-person shopping at its showrooms in Great Bridge and Western Branch. Each location stocks well-known brands such as Mohawk, Shaw, U.S. Floors, Mannington, just to name a few. In the showrooms, customers can discuss design ideas while seeing and touching the actual products-not just looking at photos and wondering if they might work.


"For many customers, the first visit to our showroom is to discover the huge array of products in our selection," Tony says. "They've often purchased a home with basic budget flooring products. We introduce them to a world of higher-quality choices with plenty of colors and textures that instantly update and enhance the appearance and atmosphere of any home." For anyone who can't make it to the showroom, in-home consultations are available.

What flooring styles are customers selecting? While wall-to-wall carpet is still favored for its coziness, softness and warmth in bedrooms, Tony explains that interlocking LVP (luxury vinyl planking) and LTV (luxury vinyl tile) are what more people are choosing for everyday living areas. And engineered hardwood is still a popular choice.

"A couple building a new house wanted engineered wood but was told it would cost twice what LVP does," Tony says. "That's not true. Engineered wood is very affordable."

As an added bonus to a wide selection of flooring, Tony and his experienced sales staff can also steer customers to the best products for their particular needs. He likes to call it "passing on lessons already learned."

For instance, LVP (luxury vinyl planking) is a floating floor that clicks and snaps together, making it an easy do-it-yourself project for homeowners. It's ideal for slab foundation homes and is often waterproof or, at least, water-resistant. LVP, which now comes with an attached pad for sound-deadening purposes, cannot be glued, whereas engineered wood can be glued to a slab. These are the kind of tips Tony and his staff pass along to customers so that they can more easily make decisions. 

There are different quality levels in LVP products, Tony adds, and knowing what is being bought is important.  For instance, the "wear layer" on LVP ranges from a very thin 4 mm to a better quality 12mm and a high-end 20mm. The wear layer thickness is a factor that determines how well floors will hold up over time, especially if there is a lot of foot traffic in the home.   

"We offer people high-quality products," Tony says. "We don't sell discontinued flooring or seconds because we know there will be issues with them. We don't have anything to do with products that will cause problems for our customers."

Tony quickly acknowledges that the installation process is also crucial to the look, feel, and longevity of a flooring product-which is why he works with teams of installers that he has personally picked and worked with for many years.

"Every single one of our installers comes to us with at least a decade or more of experience," he says. "All of them are experts in the field.

"I honestly believe our flooring installers represent some of the best craftsmen in the area," Jeff adds. "All of them share our basic business philosophy: ‘Don't stop until the customer is completely satisfied.' They would not work for us if they thought otherwise."

Retired from the Navy in 1995, Tony went to work for the former New York Carpet World, where he met Jeff. They enjoyed their jobs as managers but thought there was a lost opportunity for better customer service. This year, Family Flooring celebrates its eighteenth year as a local business that gives the community beautiful homes and offices. Their improved customer service also translates into affordable everyday prices instead of special marketing events. Each customer gets the same price whether it is a weekday, a holiday, or a company anniversary.

"It's fair treatment and less stressful for the customer because no one feels pressured to visit on a certain day or sign a contract before a sale ends," Tony explains.

"When a customer is ready to look at new floors, and later when they're prepared to commit to installation, they can move forward at their own pace knowing the price won't change next week. When a manufacturer drops the supply cost of a product, we pass the discount to customers. Our goal is to make the best, most appropriate product as affordable as possible for homeowners."

Tony is also proud of the fact that Family Flooring is a locally-owned and operated business.

"We are doing what we love-helping people," he concludes. "The best part is talking with people and helping them make the right choice for their home."