ATLANTA—More than 700 buyers and exhibitors filled the Oceans Ballroom at the Georgia Aquarium here to see which retailers would take home the coveted Retailer of the Year (ROY) Awards.

Presented by AmericasMart and the Oriental Rug Retailers of America (ORRA), the ROYs recognize leaders making a significant impact on the entire industry and are considered the signature event of the July Atlanta International Area Rug Market ( FCNews, July 21/28).

“The area rug industry is only as strong as the retailers that support it on a daily basis,” said Chas Sydney, senior vice president of area rugs for AmericasMart. “We are grateful that we are able to be surrounded by such established leaders. The nominees and winners are exceptional players in our industry, and it is because of their dedication and commitment to customers and the industry as a whole that we are able to continue thriving together.”

This year’s ROYs were presented in five categories, with the winners as follows:

• Area Rug Specialist: Albed Rug Co. of Wayne, Pa. Owned by Ray Albed, the firm has been in business for more than 90 years and has transitioned from generation to generation. As community advocates, Albed Rug donates approximately 50 rugs per year to support local charities. It currently stocks more than 6,000 new, used, semi-antique and antique area rugs.

• Flooring Store: The Carpet Shop of Augusta, Ga. With four locations in two states, the operation is celebrating its 50th year in business and is considered to be one of the top 100 specialty flooring companies in the nation.

• Creative Selling: AJA Rugs of La Jolla, Calif. “Its presentation was the most outstanding one ever received by AmericasMart,” according to Mart officials. In addition to its presentation, AJA Rugs was nominated by more AmericasMart exhibitors than ever before. A third-generation West Coast company, AJA is the staple of the Southern California design trade. It prides itself on providing a welcoming environment while creating an enjoyable buying experience and has been voted the “Best” for nine straight years by the local design community.

• Furniture Store: HOM Furniture of Minneapolis. Founded in the early ’70s, the company has made radical changes since its conception as a gift import business, which turned into a waterbed store five years later and soon evolved into Total Bedroom stores. From there it became Leather and Oak showrooms, and in 1996 these two entities merged into HOM Furniture. It now has 14 locations and has become one of the largest furniture businesses in the country and is a dominant player in the Midwest. Its rug departments and galleries range in size from 3,000 square feet to 17,000 square feet with more than 3,000 rugs.

• Outstanding Merchandising: Elte Carpets of Toronto. Elte Carpets was established in Europe in 1919 and has continued to be a family business. Today, it is one of North America’s largest retail companies with a 200,000-square-foot facility and is also known as Canada’s leading importer of home furnishings. In addition to mastering area rugs, Elte Carpets also stocks broadloom, furniture, lighting, linens and accessories.

ROY nominees were selected by AmericasMart area rug exhibitors and were voted on by an independent panel of industry experts.

“We commend and honor those that were part of our ceremony as they are the primary reason we are here today,” Sydney concluded.

For more information on the Atlanta Rug Market or the ROY Awards, call 404.220.3000.