Hilary Steve joined the Myers Flooring Nashville team in August 2014, but according to her she has been in the industry since I was 16.
Hilary grew up in Dalton, Georgia, known as the “Carpet Capital of the World,” in part because it was producing more than 80 percent of the world’s carpet by 1960. It is also where Myers Flooring was founded in 1957, and remains today as the oldest carpet store in Dalton.
“I was raised on a tufting machine,” she said.
Still it wasn’t until after she moved to Nashville and then, years later, when her kids were in their teens, that she began working at Myers in 2014. Today, she works directly with a combination of designers, contractors, realtors and homeowners, and really loves what designers bring to the table.
“A designer’s got a clear vision and I can help them with what they need,” she said. “Or, they’ll come in with some ideas of where they want to go, and then by asking questions about their client – is it a family? Is it a single person? Do they have dogs? – then I can get them to the right fiber.”
Hilary has become pretty adept at guiding designers toward products that mix the look designers want with the durability their clients need for whatever stage in their life they are at.
“A lot of the designers like the hand loom pieces because they’re unique, with more creative textures, but they may not be as durable,” she said. “And that’s the fine line we help them with.”
And it is that knowledge and skill that Hilary and other members of the team that has designers coming back over and over.
“I’ve worked with the Myers brothers and their team for over a decade, and their level of service remains unmatched,” said designer Evan Millárd, who has worked with Myers on multiple projects.
“What makes Justman and Sinclair so special is the partnership they bring to the design process,” Millárd said. “They approach every project with care, consistency, and a genuine commitment to getting it right. Their attention to detail, their knowledge of construction and materials, and their hands-on approach turn selecting a rug into a seamless, joyful experience.”
Myers has become the largest wool carpeting retailer in the Southeast and one of the major natural fiber retailers in the country. One of the keys to their success is that all locations have custom rug workrooms where they cut, serge, bind, and create customized area rugs and room-sized rugs.
“I am on a project now where the client saw a carpet at her hotel in Switzerland and wants us to duplicate that,” Hilary said. And the best part is, they can.
“We can start with a photo and then find the right manufacturer that can work with us,” she says. “It’s incredible the breadth and depth of product offerings we can get. We can go from family friendly to high design, higher end looks from Stark.”
Designer Britney Blanton is a big fan of Stark, citing their long history and vast library of products as a valuable resource for complementing diverse styles across her various projects.
“If we are looking for interesting patterns and colorways that will enhance the overall design, our first stop is Stark,” Blanton said. “For this particular project, we needed a custom size and desired something visually engaging like an area rug, yet soft and subtle enough to elevate the space’s elegance without competing with other elements in the room.”
Myers is the only premier partner and showroom for Stark in Nashville.
Founder Gene Myers started buying scraps of carpet from local mills and reworking them into stair treads and small rugs which he then sold through area chenille stores. In 1957, with the help of his wife Evelyn, and later, sons Rick and Ray, opened Dalton’s first carpet store and began offering carpet from Dalton’s local mills.
Gene passed away in 1981 at age 53 and since then the company has been managed by Rick and Ray. In 1998, Myers Flooring Nashville opened, followed in 2001 by the purchase of Division Street Carpets downtown. In 2016, Myers Flooring of Nashville purchased the assets of Van Gilmore’s Nashville Carpet Center in 2016, combining the two businesses and employees at their current Sidco Drive location.
“I have worked with Myers flooring for over 20 years,” said designer Jessica Davis. “Words cannot describe how grateful I am to work with a team of people that truly care about my projects the same way I do. From the selection process to installation, they have and will always stand behind their name. There is more than enough product to choose from and I know I can count on them doing a great job with service. I cannot imagine another source that compares.”
