Flooring professionals join to offer the best

In an effort to provide the best selection and products to customers, flooring professionals Tripp Tobin and Valerie Sanders recently combined their businesses to offer a "one-stop-shop" for all flooring needs.

Tobin, owner of Tripp's Floor Sanding, and Sanders, partner of Berkeley Fashion Flooring, combined their expertise in January. Both businesses are located at 6342 Winchester Ave.

Tobin began his career in the flooring business with his first job at Master's Flooring when he was 13. Tobin continued to work in flooring and gather experience until he opened his own business in 1997.

Tripp's Floor Sanding is a family-run business including Tobin's wife, Jennifer; brother, Travis and brother-in-law, Ethan, who each add to the success of the business with their experience and dedication.

"If you used our company's crews 10 years ago, it's likely that those crews would be the same ones who would come to your house today. Customers like to see that loyalty and dedication. Customers like knowing that that they'll see the same people," Tobin said.

"I think we've proven that we're not a fly-by-night company. We're here, we're going to do what it takes to stay in business and be a family-run business. We're going to change with the times and do what it takes to make it," he said.

Tobin's business offers customers the sale and installation of hardwood flooring including finished, unfinished and exotic wood, as well as sanding and finishing existing floors.

"We're two floor people who have a tremendous amount of experience but basically in two different aspects (of flooring). We have no problem deflecting a question toward one or the other. We're learning off of each other's expertise," Tobin said.

As partner of Berkeley Fashion Flooring, Sanders draws on extensive years of industry experience and her passion to make her family-run business a success.

"I have 28 years in this career in Berkeley County, and I'm proud of that. In this line of work you really have to be service-oriented and have high-quality installers to ensure customer satisfaction. You have to stand behind your work. I live, eat and sleep this," Sanders said.

Sanders describes her business as a complete flooring store which sells and installs carpet, sheet vinyl, laminate, hardwood, ceramic tile and luxury tile.

One of the features that both Tobin and Sanders take pride in is their ties with the community as Berkeley County natives.

"In this business, in this town and county Valerie and I are probably the only two hometown people, excluding Tradewind Floors. We aren't implanted or a big box store."