Shay Palmer has embarked on a new business venture;
Shay’s Flooring, offering a variety of floor-related services to
the region. Occasionally his daughter joins him on the job.
Photo courtesy Shay Palmer.
By Samantha Peone, Contributing Writer
A new flooring business recently opened up in Springdale. Established this March, Shay’s Flooring LLC offers a variety of floor-related services to the region, said Shay Palmer, owner, operator, and installer.
Shay’s Flooring is a full service flooring business, meaning Palmer can both source and install materials for customers, he stated. Shay’s Flooring also offers installation and repairs for commercial and residential flooring, both “old and new flooring, old and new builds.” He said he works with “any floor” including: carpets and carpet-related jobs, hardwood, and a variety of vinyl flooring, such as commercial vinyl composition tile, luxury vinyl tile, and luxury vinyl planks, and residential luxury vinyl planks.
The business covers roughly a 100 mile radius of Springdale, he said, but that area is flexible.
“I’m always willing to adjust that and figure things out if there’s something that’s worth it for me to travel way farther away,” said Palmer.
Palmer, the sole employee of the business, has nearly 11 years of experience in the industry. He first got into flooring when he was 18 years old and lived in North Dakota, he said.
“My grandpa taught me how to,” said Palmer. “He got me started, and then I worked for a few other companies on and off.”
After he moved back to Washington with his daughter, Palmer worked for residents, picking up different handyman jobs, he said.
“From there, every time I made any money, I just spent it on tools, saved enough to get a van and do all my paperwork,” said Palmer.
When asked what the highs and lows of forming Shay’s Flooring have been, Palmer talked about the excitement he felt when it became an official business.
“When I finally was getting my tools together, when all the money was coming together to get my van, and I found the perfect van, that was all so exciting,” he said. “When I did my paperwork, and that was done, and I was officially a legit business, I was like, ‘Okay I made it. I did it!’”
However, what happened after was a bit more frustrating.
“I immediately went around to all the flooring department stores in Spokane and around Stevens County, letting people know, showing them my documents and insurance and my bond and stuff, letting them know I was available to work. Pretty much everyone told me, ‘We can’t hire you. We don’t have anything for you,’” Palmer recalled with a laugh.
Palmer didn’t let that keep him down for long.
“I’m pretty resilient, and I’m pretty good at not letting things get to me too terribly bad,” he said.
Palmer said his business is now at the stage where he’s getting some smaller jobs, where he can prove himself. He highlighted some instances in which customers that he had worked with previously reached out to hire him for official jobs.
“That was definitely very motivating, knowing that I’ve developed a reputation in this town as a good worker, and that I show up on time and do what I’m going to say I do,” he said.
One of Palmer’s favorite flooring materials to work with is hardwood.
“I like working with wood, and combining that with my enjoyment of floors (is) the best of both worlds,” he stated.
When asked what he would recommend to someone who is considering a flooring remodel, Palmer said, “I would recommend picking what material and color would contrast best with existing walls and whatnot.” The individual should also take their life stage into account as well, he said.
Looking forward, Palmer wants to build his business reputation and then expand.
“I would like to get established this year and next year and then scale, and scale to the point where I feel like I actually have a business and not a job,” he stated.
For more information about Shay’s Flooring LLC, readers can visit its Facebook page of the same name.
