Saturday exploration: Myer's carpet

Carpet remnants galore at Myer's Carpet.

Shoppers write down the sample number and price per-square-foot on the back of each sample for easy reference.

Maria is a most beautiful and most helpful shopping companion.

A variety of textures and materials comprise Myer's' offerings. This damask one was about $5 per square foot.

Seeing how our samples look against the hardwoods. The closest one was a favorite.

Since this post is about thrifty shopping and about home improvement, I was torn about whether to post this here or on my other blog.

I've been on the hunt for reasonably priced rugs. In fact, there have been multiple posts dedicated to said search. Thanks to a comment from Naomi on this post, I decided to go check out Myer's Carpet (1500 Northside Drive; Atlanta 30318; (404) 352-8141).

My bestie Maria and I arrived an hour shy of Myer's' 3pm Saturday close time, thinking we would have plenty of time to comb through the store.

I had sorely underestimated how much time one needs to dedicate to a Myer's trip! Myer's sells carpet, hardwood flooring, high end rugs and other floor coverings (think Shaw carpets, Bella Wood, etc. etc.). We, however, were only interested in checking out options when it comes to making rugs from carpet remnants. Even though we made a beeline for the remnant area, there was still much to see.

A salesperson showed us which carpet remnants were fair game for custom rug-making. They were sectioned off by material: polypropylene, wool and seagrass (looks like woven natural fibers). Browsers can take home as many free samples as desired — and it's recommended that you write down the specific carpet's price per square foot and item number on the back of the sample (or else it would be hard to keep up with what's what). From home, you can see how the samples fit with your home's colors and textures then e-mail an account rep with your ordering decision (size, specific carpet, etc.). Note: there are some finished rug remnants available for purchase as well.

Most remnants were about $2.00 to $5.00 per square foot. Binding the edges is $2.50 to $3.50 per linear foot (depending on what binding material you're using). We saw everything from neutral berbers to wool remnants with beautiful flowers or damask patterns on them. Colors ran the gamut from animal prints to safe solids.

I immediately thought, "this is great!" Then I started doing the math...

I was hunting for several rugs (master bedroom, dining area and hallway runner). Take the master bedroom rug I had in mind. I want a rug that's 8 x 11 (to mostly cover the floor). If I found a nice remnant with a $2.50/square foot price tag ($220-ish for the carpet itself) then added the binding costs ($95), that would still be one expensive rug! (If you're a new reader, then I should point out to you that I am a rather cheap chica.)

Sensible Maria reminded me that paying $300 for a nice, custom-made berber rug is smart investment when compared to buying a poorly made one for $125 that may need to be replaced a year later. Hmmm.... I had a lot of thinking to do!

Luckily, Myer's' model really encourages you to "sleep on" the decision to get a rug. We may pull the trigger on one (master bedroom?) in the next few months, but I mostly feel too afraid to commit to three $200 - $300 rugs. I also hear that Excel Carpet on Roswell Road has a similar model and perhaps even more affordable prices, so I may go check them out.