Gregg Moore is a good talker: He talked his way into owning the 72-year-old Lake Forest Flooring, buying the building it occupies, and surrounding himself with loyal customers and a veteran staff.
None of that was planned.
Moore is a natural salesman who has spent 25 years selling flooring, happily talking about his products and building relationships.
He started in 1996 with a company that sold unfinished hardwood. In 2000, he joined Mohawk Flooring as a sales representative. For 14 years, Moore called on retailers throughout the Upstate and into North Carolina.
That’s when one client, Martha Woods, became a friend, and things took an unexpected turn.
Woods took over Lake Forest Carpet (now Lake Forest Flooring) from her father, Carl Summey, who founded the store in 1952 – in the same spot where it stands today, 1334 N. Pleasantburg Drive in Greenville.
Moore vividly remembers their conversation in 2013. “Martha said, ‘Gregg, I’m going to sell my store, and I want you to buy it.’”