• The Diablo Magazine Reader's Pick "2021 Best of the East Bay" in Flooring/Carpet

Blodgett's History

It all started in Lafayette, CA in 1946 when Kermit Blodgett, at the age of 37, got frustrated working for somebody else and decided to open his own Linoleum Shop to keep up with the demand of new housing construction for the returning GI's from WWII. He started with just three rolls of linoleum and an old Model A with the rumble seat removed and converted to a pickup bed as his work truck. Nobody seemed to have any trouble back then picking a floor from one of the three choices he had to offer.

Back then Kermit worked with local builders, homeowners, as well as commercial developers meeting their flooring needs.
Welcome to Blodgett's Floor Covering. Quality and Service Since 1946.
Kermit did the estimates and installations and his wife, Leahbelle, helped the customers and did the books. As the area grew so did Blodgett's and they hired additional installers to keep up with demand and upgraded their installation fleet to a couple of trucks.

As the area eventually got built out Blodgett's business transitioned into Residential Replacements and Main Street Commercial business having built a reputation for being the best in the East Bay Area. This is about the time Kermit's son, George, joined the business. George Blodgett had recently graduated form San Francisco State College with a degree in business and marketing and knew the business had to change with the times and at that time wall to wall carpet was becoming the latest in flooring. It was then Blodgett's began to feature carpeting in their showroom with names like Alexander Smith, Queen, Bigelow, Sutton, Philadelphia, and Mohawk.

When the times changed so did Blodgett's. As new products hit the market Blodgett's offered them to their clients. Products like Pergo, or laminate flooring, began to make their way from Europe as well as a resurgence of cork and linoleum flooring with Blodgett's leading the way by showing and installing them for their clients. It was about this time the third generation of Blodgett's came aboard to continue the signature brand of Quality and Service the company had become to be known for. Larry Blodgett and his wife, Karen Blodgett, now run the 75+ year old business and are still changing as the market demands.  

The family in the business isn't the only thing that has stayed the same, so have many of the employees and installers. Members of their sales staff have been with Blodgett's for more than 35 years and installers as much as over 40 years. 

Although much has changed in the world since 1946 Blodgett's, Abbey Carpet & Flooring has maintained their high level of quality, service and selection while still offering good old fashioned value.

Visit Blodgett's today either at their showroom or on line. You'll be glad you did.