When John Hughes started working in the carpeting and flooring business in 1975, it was just a way to pay for college.

He had no idea his side job would turn into a career.

Hughes, who was attending the University of Washington at the time, worked for University District property owners for a few years before moving to Redmond in 1979 and opening Redmond Carpet & Interiors in October of the same year. Although he opened the business in 1979, Hughes said the showroom was not fully complete until 1980, which is why they are celebrating Redmond Carpet’s 30th anniversary this year.

“(Working in the University District) was a great experience to learn the business,” he said. “It’s kind of funny how you turn around and it’s 30 years later.”

To celebrate the anniversary, Hughes said they are offering contractor pricing to the general public through the end of the year.

And while Redmond Carpet has been around for three decades, they have been anything but uneventful.

Now at its third location, Hughes’ business has survived a fire and being displaced by the city.

The fire that initiated Hughes’ first move was at his first showroom, located on 159th Place Northeast, off Leary Way (now Bear Creek Parkway). Hughes said they “lost everything” in the fire, which took place Jan. 31, 1994 and caused roughly $50,000 in damage.

“My wife and I both sat down and cried,” he said. “(But) within days, we had all of our account receivables. It was really touching.”

Hughes said even corporations whose uninstalled flooring materials were destroyed in the fire paid him what they owed.

The second showroom was down the street from the first.

Roger Rettig, an agent for Brad Best Realty in downtown Redmond, helped Hughes with finding the new location and since then has been a repeat customer. Rettig, who lives in Woodinville, has used Redmond Carpet’s services in property he owns and leases as well as for his own home. He said one of the reasons he keeps coming back to Redmond Carpet is because they are reliable, use quality products and give him a fair price.

“You don’t have to worry whether the job is going to get done, whether it will get done right or whether it will get done on time,” Rettig said. “(Hughes will) do right by me, so I don’t worry about it.”

Redmond Carpet stayed in its second location until 2008 when they were displaced by the City of Redmond to make way for Bear Creek Parkway. With only six months to find a new location, Hughes said it was a scramble because they had to do an “extensive remodel” of Redmond Carpet’s current location to get it ready for business. They closed the second location in July 2008, but the new location, at 17595 NE 70th St., was not open till November of that year.

Hughes said this closure combined with the decline of construction projects due to the recession resulted in him finishing the year 70 percent lower in sales than he did in 2007. He was also forced to get rid of roughly 3,000 to 4,000 yards of carpet because the new location was 3,000 square feet smaller and Hughes knew he would not be able to sell it. Hughes donated the carpet to Habitat for Humanity.

Carol Greetan has been Hughes’ office manager for about four years, but has been part of the industry for more than 26 years. Before coming to Redmond Carpet, she had been working for one of the largest floor covering retailers in the area for more than 17 years. Greetan was referred to Hughes by a friend in the industry and said she made the move because she wanted to work at a smaller, but experienced retailer in the industry.

She said working at Redmond Carpet has been a great experience, which is good because she likes to “stay put in a place if it is a good fit.”

“It is a pleasure to work with John, I keep on learning new things every day,” Greetan said. “I have worked in the industry for over 26 years myself, so (I) do understand the industry, and love to learn more to help understand it and be able to talk or sell with knowledge.”

She added that one of her favorite things about working for the Hughes and the company is the knowledge of the products and installation from someone who knows what they are talking about and takes care of the customers.

For the time that Redmond Carpet has been in business, Hughes has seen the city go from a single-traffic light town to the technological hub it is today. His favorite part about his job has been the Redmond residents.

“There are a lot of really nice people,” he said.

And though being in business for 30 years makes Redmond Carpet one of the city’s longest-running business under continuous ownership, Hughes said he feels as though time has just flown by, especially since he never had any intentions of going into the flooring industry.

“I thought I was going to be a doctor,” he said. “I needed to make money because nobody was paying my tuition.”

For more information about Redmond Carpet & Interiors, call (425) 881-6964, e-mail contact@redmondcarpet.com or visit http://www.redmondcarpet.com.