Costen Floors is planning to open a Floor Trader outlet store in the building that had previously been occupied by King Pin Lanes in Chesterfield County. (Jack Jacobs photos)
A long-running local flooring company is expanding its operations with a franchised outlet store planned in Midlothian.
A Floor Trader location owned and operated by a subsidiary of Henrico-based Costen Floors is slated to open mid-summer at 200 N. Otterdale Road, said company president and owner Ralph “Tripp” Costen III.
The outlet’s showroom, aimed at professionals looking for a deal on overstocked or discontinued products, would complement the emphasis on the more customized experience at Costen Floors, Costen said.
“At Costen Floors, we have samples and will get you exactly what you want. This (new store) will be some random deals we come across day in and day out that we can present to the Richmond market,” he said. “It’s a different market segment. I think people are looking for deals and want the overstock we’ve bought.”
While geared toward the pros, the store will also be open to the general public, said Brooke Selden, Costen Floors builder sales manager.
“It’s not just the installers but also the Saturday Home Depot tripper, the people who want to do a honey-do project on a Sunday,” Selden said.
She added that Costen Floors decided on the Otterdale location to establish a retail presence closer to its customers in western Chesterfield.
“A lot of our customer base comes from Midlothian and we want to embrace that,” Selden said.
Floor Trader will occupy most of the 30,000-square-foot building near Otterdale Road’s intersection with Midlothian Turnpike. Part of the building, where work is now underway, would be offices for the Costen Floors commercial sales division, which is launching as a new formal arm of the business, though Costen Floors was already serving commercial customers.
Renovations on the new location are expected to cost $1 million. Leipertz is the project’s general contractor.
Ralph “Tripp” Costen III, president and owner of Costen Floors, in the future office of the company’s commercial sales division.
An LLC tied to Costen Floors purchased the property and its 2.7-acre parcel for $3 million in late 2024, per online land records.
The acquisition marked the start of a new chapter for the property, which for decades was home to King Pin Lanes bowling alley until it closed in spring 2022.
Selden said that the 32-lane venue was practically a turn-key bowling alley when Costen Floors acquired it. Costen Floors sold the equipment and gear to bowling alley operators as well as area residents who wanted keepsakes.
“They took pictures off the walls, they wanted bowling pins and different nostalgic pieces of the bowling alley. We had people take a booth because that’s where they had their first date,” Selden said.
Prior to Costen Floors buying the bowling alley, an entity tied to Rob Hazelton of Dominion Due Diligence, which briefly owned the property, sought to renovate and reopen the venue and add an outdoor entertainment and event space, according to county documents. That project ultimately failed to materialize.
The upcoming Floor Trader planned for the site would be the franchised brand’s second location in the region. There is currently a Floor Trader under a different franchisee in Goochland County. Floor Trader, which sells carpet and other flooring products, lists nearly 50 locations across multiple states on its website.
Costen’s move to open the Floor Trader in Midlothian would expand a business that got its start nearly 80 years ago.
In 1948, Ralph Costen Sr. founded Costen Floors in the Fulton Bottom area of Richmond. The company currently has its headquarters and showroom at a 36,000-square-foot facility at 9840 Mayland Drive in Henrico, where it has been based since 2000, in addition to outposts in Salem and Fredericksburg.
Costen Floors sells a range of hardwood, laminate, tile and carpet flooring. The company also offers services like installation and interior decorating.
Tripp Costen, who is the third-generation owner of the firm, has been president since 2011. He also co-founded Creative Flooring Solutions, a property management and materials firm with locations in South Richmond and Virginia Beach.
Costen’s expansion also comes amid the Trump administration’s shake-up of global trade. Costen said that while the company is monitoring the implementation of tariffs, it hasn’t seen any ill effects yet and he’s confident it would be able to weather any future fallout.
“We’re listening to it and are aware, but it hasn’t affected us,” Costen said. “People are still buying houses. Floors still wear out whether the economy is good or bad.”
