Rafael and his wife Ana established USA Carpet and Vinyl in 1994. Both emigrated to the USA from El Salvador in the 1980’s with a hope of a better life. Ana worked tirelessly cleaning houses in Marin County while Rafael worked various different jobs to make ends meet. From working as a valet parking attendant in San Francisco, to working as restaurant busboy, Rafael eventually found a talent in flooring. In 1985 Rafael began his career as a flooring installer at a local flooring company in Contra Costa County. After almost 10 years working for a company, Rafael decided to start his own flooring business. With the little money that Rafael and Ana saved, they were able to open Rafael’s Carpet & Lino, a small boutique style flooring store located in San Pablo, California. Here they started with only 3 carpet rolls and a few samples. As time went by and as Rafael gained more experience as a flooring installer and as a business owner, Rafael and his wife were able to expand by opening a warehouse in Richmond, California known as USA Carpet and Vinyl. They rented this location for many years until the landlord made rent unaffordable which ultimately led Rafael and Ana to purchase the building next door. The building needed lots of repairs as one can see in the photos. However this did not stop Rafael and Ana from building their dream. In a couple of weeks, USA Carpet and Vinyl was up and running. Today USA Carpet and Vinyl has over 19,000+ square yards of carpet and vinyl in stock and has built a reputation of being affordable, professional, and reliable. Through hardwork and dedication, Rafael and Ana were able to put their two sons Rafael Jr and Richard through college. Both whom are UC Berkeley Graduates are now working alongside their parents to help expand the business. Feel free to stop by their warehouse and personally meet Rafael, Ana, and their sons and rest assured you will greeted by a wonderful family and company!
