Clarks Builders Surplus Warehouse

Out on a rural road east of Hot Springs is hidden an exciting new retail concept for the Spa City area and beyond.

There is a warehouse that is filled with pallet after pallet of flooring and other building materials. Except for price signs on each pallet and shelf, it has all of the appearance of simply being a warehouse; a warehouse absolutely packed with inventory. Probably the thing that first catches your eye is glass tile. There is an amazing amount of glass tile. From what we know about glass tiles, the prices were amazing. There were sale signs as low as 99 cents a square foot.

Probably the next thing that jumps out is ceramic and porcelain tile. We have not seen larger selections. We have not seen more flooring in one warehouse, nor lower prices anywhere. There was ceramic tile as low as 39 cents a square foot. We asked the staff if that was a small quantity that would just do a bathroom or entry. “Oh no,” they quickly explained. “This pallet represents almost a half truckload of this item.” They showed us other items and the large quantities (sometimes truckloads) in stock. Each item had a sign showing how much was available.

In addition to the items that had huge quantities, we were shown other items that were closeouts of small quantities and remnants. The prices were phenomenal. So low, in fact, I believe they would tempt someone to do a DIY project that had not even been considering it.

LVP, lots of it, was the next item that drew my eye. LVP and WPC, if you are not familiar, is the hottest item in flooring right now. LVP stands for Luxury Vinyl Plank. In that category, the snaplock is the most popular. It is quickly taking a big bite out of the laminate category because unlike laminate, LVP is almost waterproof. There is an amazing selection here with gluedown ranging up from 69 cents/SF and snaplock from $1.49/SF.

Which brings us to the background story of why this store exists. This store is called Builders Surplus Warehouse. The owners have operated a premier high-end flooring/decorating store in the area for over 40 years that is known for low prices, but also full service. With the volume they generate, they are constantly offered even more deals than they could consistently move through a full service store. This particular LVP buy, for instance, was three truckloads. One of the best-known brands in the business was closing it out, wanted to move it quick, and was willing to trade

first quality merchandise for quick money. Builders Surplus Warehouse is designed to take bargains on quality flooring and move them quickly to the end user at lower than market prices.

As the chief operating officer explained, “Our high-end designer store has always had volume buying and competed successfully with anyone, including internet retailers, when comparing apples to apples. This new store takes away all of the frills and is designed to simply be the low-price leader for bargain hunters who are still interested in quality.”

By no frills they are referring to signs posted very visibly that tell you this store is cash and carry with no delivery, no returns, no holding merchandise, no special orders, no charge accounts, etc. While much of the inventory has manufacturer warranties, BSW does not handle them for you. You have to call the manufacturer yourself. As the COO explained, “This store was not designed for everyone. We have a full-service store next door with a 44-year reputation for quality and service. This store is for the shopper who wants to save and doesn’t need or want that service.”

There is so much here that fights for your viewing as soon as you walk in. Snaplock laminate from 59 cents. Handscraped laminate from 99 cents. Twelve mil from 79 cents. Thick handscraped laminate with pad attached from $1.39. Carpet remnants, carpet tiles, lots of hardwood flooring. In fact, hardwood from 49 cents/SF and we saw a truckload of handscraped at $1.89/SF.

Although flooring was predominate we also saw caulk, commodes, light fixtures, windows, generators, wheelbarrows and fencing. The address is 419 Westinghouse Drive in Hot Springs if you are interested. They are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Put it in your GPS for directions. There is no phone.