Atlas Floors
By Blithe Wiley
Photography by David Teran
“Great Floors Done Right” is the motto of Atlas Floors Capet One, and it has epitomized the company’s approach to quality materials and craftsmanship since its inception in 1948. William Mahone Sr., a World War II veteran, alongside his wife, Laura Mahone, the first woman business graduate of Trinity University, opened Atlas Floors in a modest house on Hildebrand near IH-10 after he returned from the war. They named the company Atlas Floors in homage to the Greek titan Atlas, a symbol of strength and endurance. Bill Mahone Jr. joined his parents in the business right after high school and continued in the family business until his retirement six years ago.
Today, Atlas Floors Carpet One is a full-service floor-covering company serving San Antonio and South Texas. It offers customers a wide array of quality flooring products in carpet, hardwood, laminate, vinyl, ceramic & porcelain tile. It has remained a family-owned and operated business and today is run by the Mahones’ daughter, company President Jessica Mahone McCarthy, and her son, Matt McCarthy, Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Rounding out the family affair is Jessica’s daughter, Katelyn McCarthy, who today works as the company’s Marketing and Merchandising Specialist.
McCarthy recalls how the business grew from the small house on Hildebrand. “My parents had a showroom in the front of the house and lived in the back,” she said. “Over time, we have expanded our operations, first adding a warehouse in 1982, and then in 1984, we expanded the warehouse and built a new showroom, offices, and lease areas on Hildebrand. After that, we built a showroom off of 281 and Donella. In 2001, we joined the industry’s largest cooperative, Carpet One, as a way to leverage the company’s buying power and more effectively compete with the big box stores. Then in 2008, we opened our second showroom in Northwest San Antonio on 1604 near Braun Road. We also have a new office/warehouse facility on Poss Road in Leon Valley.”
According to McCarthy, a great deal of Atlas’ business comes from repeat customers and referrals. “It’s not unusual to have customers come in to select new flooring and tell us, ‘you did my grandparents’ house’ or ‘you did my parents’ house,'” she said.
The company’s product lines have significantly expanded over time to meet the evolving tastes of customers and changing trends in residential flooring. “In remodeling, the trend now is for people to take up their carpeting and replace it with hard surface floors such as tile, wood, and laminate,” McCarthy noted.
“The reason we have stayed in business so long is our total commitment to customer service and satisfaction,” McCarthy explained. “We have a guarantee that if a customer isn’t happy with their flooring after we install it, we will replace it for free. We call this ‘The Beautiful Guarantee.'”
The company is also very committed to giving back to the community. “My family believes in giving back to our community because it has given us so much,” said McCarthy. Atlas Floors donates materials and volunteer hours to numerous community entities, ranging from Bill’s Elves to Veterans of San Antonio to Tunnel to Towers. The company also provides financial support to community entities, including a sponsorship for the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.
“We have donated area rugs and carpet mats for classrooms in various school districts across San Antonio, and we also have donated carpeting to The Women’s Shelter,” McCarthy noted. The company has also donated flooring and installation services to the Mi Casa Makeover program, where homes that were in need of repair were renovated.
The company, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary next year, is currently rolling out “Retail 2.0,” a high-tech product merchandising system. Its features include digital “room visualizers” and QR code price tags for showroom products.
“With the room visualizers, customers can bring in photos of their living room, and we can show them digitally exactly what various floor samples will look like,” McCarthy explained. “We are implementing new technology in every aspect of our business,” We are thrilled to be one of the first 100 stores in the country to be selected by Carpet One to launch Retail 2.0.”
McCarthy noted that it’s very rare for a business to continue operating into the third generation of family members. “We have been very blessed to be able to grow and succeed with Atlas Floors Carpet One,” she said.
McCarthy takes pride in the longevity of many of the company’s installers and sales personnel. We have installers who have been with us as long as 30 years and several sales staff members who have been with us for over 20 years,” she said. “We like to treat our customers and our personnel like they are family.”
17100 San Pedro Avenue | (210) 444-2039 10242 West Loop 1604 N | (210) 569-0479 | atlasfloors.com
