www.comstockparkdda.org • Spring - April 2026
West River Flooring – four decades in business in Comstock Park
West River Flooring has been located at 4627 West River Drive since 1986. Dean Martin is the owner of West River Flooring that has been a family-owned business in Comstock Park since 1984.
Employees of West River Flooring (from left) Jacqueline Klinge, Dean Martin, Micah Meyer, Steve Vankeuren, Kim DeJong and Keaton Benham. tion in 1984. They built their current store in 1986 and renamed the business
West River Carpets. It’s always been a family business – Dean’s
ECRWSS POSTAL CUSTOMER
Customers at West River Flooring are often pleasantly surprised by the amount of interior space of the business as the storefront can be deceiving. “We carry quite a bit of inventory, and we have a large warehouse,” said Dean Martin, owner of West River Flooring. “Wow, I had no idea,” is a common reaction when customers walk in. West River Flooring’s showroom and warehouse at 4627 West River Drive has a total of about 4,200 square feet. The company sells luxury vinyl plank flooring, carpeting and luxury vinyl tile as well as carpet remnants and roll specials. West River Flooring’s three major brands include Shaw, Engineered and Mannington. The family-owned business was started by Dean’s father Patrick Martin in 1984. Patrick previously owned Road & Rail trucking on Mill Creek Drive. The trucking company shipped carpet from the family’s warehouse in Dalton, Georgia to stores in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Dean moved to Georgia after high school and managed the warehouse before relocating back to West Michigan. The Martins leveraged their connections with carpet mills in Georgia and opened Wheel & Deal Carpets on West River Drive across from their present loca-
brother Jerry Martin and his brother-in-law worked there.
“At some point everyone in the family worked here,” said Martin, noting the business evolved from selling carpet remnants specials to a flooring retail business. Today West River Flooring’s customers come from Comstock Park, Rockford, Grand Rapids and beyond to the lakeshore and further afield. Despite being a family-owned business West River Flooring’s prices are competitive with big box stores, according to Martin. “We’re known for that family friendly service. People love that we’re locally owned and they like our selection,” Martin said. For West Michigan Flooring it’s all about building relationships with no hard sell. Since its founding West River Flooring has experienced growth that has been sustainable. Martin noted that during the pandemic West River Flooring experienced some of its strongest sales as people spent more time at home and upgraded their homes. INDUSTRY TRENDS “Luxury vinyl planking is still a hot product right now. People love it,” Martin said. There’s also a trend of moving away from the gray colors to warmer colors such as golds and yellows. “We’ve seen more use
of colors in accessories and a little bit more colors in carpeting,” Martin said. He’s also noticed a little bit of an uptick in real wood floors including oak, walnut and maple. West Michigan Flooring currently employs six including front desk/ sales, salespersons and warehouse workers. “We all do a little bit of sales,” Martin said. About eight crews of subcontractors also work for West River Flooring doing installation. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT West River Flooring believes in giving back to the community and regularly donates to many causes, events and organizations. West River Flooring has supported the 5k Mill Creek Days run, softball leagues, Little League, cancer causes, and Patriot Farm in Newaygo that provides a respite to veterans and their families, to name a few. Hours for West Michigan Flooring: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Wednesday and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday (closed Sunday). For more information call (616) 828-1509 or visit www.westrivercarpets.com. By Karen Gentry