Family's roots in flooring run deep

Yonan Carpet One, with its locations in Downers Grove, Rolling Meadows and Oak Park, is the oldest flooring company in the Chicago area, said Dave Yonan, president.

"My grandfather came here from Persia in 1906 with a rug on his back," he said.

Originally, Yonan's grandfather sold Oriental rugs from a store in Chicago. His descendants largely switched to wall-to-wall carpet in the 1940s and 1950s. Today, Yonan said roughly 50 percent of what the store's sell is carpeting and area rugs, 30 percent is wood flooring and 20 percent is stone or porcelain tile.

"We don't sell many Oriental rugs these days. They only make up 10 percent of our rug business," he said. "But we sell lots of custom-designed area rugs in custom sizes, using our wall-to-wall stock, and we work with many designers.

"We are very blessed to carry great makers like Shaw, Mohawk and Karastan. They all offer good, lasting value so our customers can use and enjoy them for years," Yonan said.

Yonan Carpet One also sells a great volume of wall-to-wall carpet to large commercial clients like the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. Commercial jobs make up 40 percent of its work.

"That is because we are so well known for our quality installations of wood, carpet, stone and tile. In fact, the Chicago Floor Covering Association named us the No. 1 dealer in the Chicago area last December," Yonan said.

Yonan helped start the Carpet One buying association in 1985 and was one of the founding dealers. Today the association boasts 1,300 members and acts like a co-op, allowing smaller dealers to band together and buy carpeting in bulk so that they can compete with the national big box stores, he explained.

"Our industry used to be very fragmented, but in recent years I have seen it come together through associations like this. Carpet One is a good group to belong to. It only allows well-run companies to join," Yonan said.

Yonan Carpet One opened its newest store - at 1400 Hicks Road in Rolling Meadows - in July and had its grand opening in September.

"I am really proud to have a Yonan store in the Northwest suburbs," Yonan said. "We have a great location and the customers have been very warm and receptive."

Dave Yonan represents the third generation of Yonans in the family business and now, he said, the fourth and fifth generations have also joined him. His two children, David and Jennifer, are active in the business, as are both of their spouses. In addition, his 15-year-old grandson started working in the Yonan Carpet One warehouse this past summer.

For more information, visit www.yonancarpetone.com or visit the Downers Grove store at 730 Ogden Ave., the Oak Park store at 7040 W. North Ave. or the Rolling Meadows store at 1400 Hicks Road.