How much space does a flooring retailer need to tell a story and create an inviting experience? America's Floor Source (AFS) says the more space, the better. The retailer recently unveiled its new 265,000-square-foot headquarters facility in Columbus, Ohio, which features a showroom, corporate offices, training, and warehouse space. 

Trends in brick-and-mortar retail and flooring retail continue to evolve, and the team at AFS is doubling down on the idea that bigger is better. The new headquarters building, which could fit four-and-a-half football fields, consolidated operations from several locations under one roof. 

"It's one of the biggest that we have and truly one of the biggest in the country," said Katelin Ahern, director of marketing, AFS Group. 

America's Floor Source is part of AFS Group, which has been on a rapid growth trajectory. With roots dating back to 2000, AFS Group has emerged as one of the nation’s largest flooring companies with retail showrooms across the Midwest that sell floor coverings and window treatments to homeowners, homebuilders, property managers, wholesalers, and businesses. It also offers a unique shop-at-home experience through Mobile Floor Source vehicles.

In May of this year, AFS Group acquired Lewis Floor & Home, a flooring, countertop, cabinet, and window treatment dealer for the North Shore of Chicago, Illinois. In February, AFS Group acquired C&S Flooring, an e-commerce hard surface retailer based in Rochelle, Illinois. C&S operates the Flooringmarket.com and Floorlife.com websites and serves more than 10,000 customers a year. In 2023, AFS Group acquired MK Interiors, a flooring company in Northern Kentucky that also does cabinets and countertops. In 2021, AFS acquired JP Flooring, a flooring retailer in the Cincinnati area. 

Growth in Columbus signaled a prime opportunity for a massive brick-and-mortar flooring store.

"The Columbus market is booming," Ahern said. "We work with a lot of the custom home builders. It's building like crazy. We can't build fast enough."

Major corporations, such as Cardinal Health, L Brands, Nationwide, and Scotts Miracle-Gro, are headquartered in the Columbus region. "The retail industry is strong in Columbus, so we're trying to capitalize on that customer and grow market share," Ahern added. 

She noted that consolidating multiple business units under one roof will improve communication and logistics and allow more customization in sales strategies for retail, builder and commercial customers. 

The retail showroom showcases flooring products merchandised in standard displays with a roomier layout. The additional floor space allows for a thoughtful display of area rugs and window treatments. The showroom also has interactive displays, such as a putting green that showcases artificial turf. Cornhole game boards display concrete finishing options. A dog house clad in wood-look LVT flooring anchors the pet-friendly flooring display area. 

A builder showroom, branded "The Studio," is designed in a residential style and offers private meeting spaces where builders can meet with their customers to discuss surface and cabinet selections. 

The new headquarters building also offers space for meetings and education. AFS subcontracts installation and invests heavily in installer education.

"We very much believe in helping installers learn the trade and the craft," Ahern said. "We do a lot of training in our classroom, and we bring in industry leaders to lead that training. We work with partners, such as NWFA and NTCA, to ensure that our offerings to the consumer are up to par. The installers are a lifeline of our business."