What does it mean to be the third-generation owner of a local, family-owned North Shore business? For Steven Lewis, owner of Lewis Floor & Home in Northbrook, it means a decade-long commitment to giving back to the community, including contributions to local hospitals, schools, shelters, and other charitable organizations. It means serving on the board of the local chamber of commerce and being a fully involved member of the community. “Through my involvement with the chamber, I see where the tax dollars are going,” Lewis says. “It’s important to keep those dollars at home and help those around you. It’s important to take care of your own.”

 

Toward the top of Lewis’ list is the Cancer Wellness Center in Northbrook, which provides free counseling and programs to cancer patients and their families. “They don’t just focus on the patient, they focus on the families, too, because cancer affects entire families,” Lewis says. “It’s such a treasure for the North Shore.”

 

When he’s not giving back to the community, Lewis is selling flooring—from carpet to hardwood to tile—as well as cabinets, countertops, and window treatments. “We’re really offering one-stop shopping,” Lewis says. “We have a kitchen designer on staff and offer custom and semi-custom cabinetry. We stock countertop slabs here in Northbrook, and we’re a Hunter Douglas Gallery Dealer. We try to make it as painless as possible.”

 

Lewis Floor & Home began as Lewis Carpets in 1954, selling and installing carpet in homes across the North Shore. Since then, the flooring industry has changed dramatically, and Lewis Floor & Home has changed right along with it. “Over the past 20 years, the first floor of the house has become more hard surface oriented,” Lewis says. According to Lewis, today’s North Shore customer is interested in wide plank wood flooring and environmentally friendly products. Carpet, when it is used, no longer looks the same. “For years, all we had to show the world was plain cut pile carpet,” Lewis says. “Now we’re seeing an abundance of small to medium-size patterns in the home, from diamonds to trellises.” The look of tile is changing, too, as demand for larger rectangular tiles increases. Suppliers have become more global—Lewis now travels the world to bring the best stone, wood, and rugs to his customers.

 

No matter what flooring you choose, Lewis Floor & Home prides itself in its top-notch installation service. “Our carpet installers are all Karastan certified, and we adhere to both the Tile Council of North America and the National Wood Flooring Association installation guidelines,” Lewis says. “Plus, our technical expert estimators and measure staff are all full-time Lewis employees. We install the way we would want it installed in our own homes. We don’t take shortcuts.”

 

For Lewis, it’s all about keeping his customers satisfied—after all, many of them are his neighbors. “I can’t go out on a Friday night without running into multiple customers,” he says. “I like to run into happy customers.”

 

If you’ve been thinking about doing some renovations on your home, there’s never been a better time. This June, a portion of every sale at Lewis Floor & Home will be donated to the Cancer Wellness Center. 

 

Lewis Floor & Home is located at 1840 Skokie Boulevard in Northbrook. For more information, call 847-835-2400, or visit lewisfloorandhome.com.

—Julia Friend