Longtime retailer Phil Fruchter of Montauk Carpet & Rug in Farmingdale, N.Y., passed away Jan. 24. He was 85.

“Phil was from a different era than today’s carpet business world,” said his son, Steve. “He’s from a time when your word was more important than any written contract, when you would go to the market and be on a much more friendly and personal basis with the owners and management of the carpet mills.

“He was an honest man of great integrity, with a special wit and sense of humor,” he added. “Dad was a hands-on workaholic who loved problem solving and being in the middle of the turmoil of the day-to-day business operations.”

Born May 22, 1923, Fruchter’s father founded Montauk Rug & Carpet in 1925 in Brooklyn, N.Y., manufacturing braided rugs. Phil worked in the factory after school and joined the firm full time in 1945 after serving in the Air Force during World War II.

By this time the business had moved to Manhattan and started to shift from manufacturing to the retailing of wall-to-wall carpets, flourishing with the exodus of the population from the city to the suburbs. Montauk dabbled in other locations in the metro area but its most successful operation was the opening of the flagship store, warehouse and headquarters in Farmingdale on Long Island in 1973.

“His knowledge of the carpet business from figuring floor plans to technical details about product and manufacturing was unsurpassed,” Steve Fruchter said. “If you asked him a question or for advice, you were in for a long history lesson of fine details. If you disagreed with him you were always in for a lengthy debate, which he rarely lost.

“In the old days,” he added,” he never needed to write down a price quote from a rep; he could instantly recall the date and price to the penny they previously quoted. If it was a new product, he was notorious for guessing the ounces and the down and dirty price they were about to quote.

“Dad oversaw the transformation from turn and tack to tackless installations, from hand-sewing seams to the use of seam tape. He witnessed the advent of the tufting machine from the weaving of broadloom, from only wool, cotton and other natural fibers to nylon and other synthetics. He watched the carpet and textile mills move from the north to the south, from 300 major mills to three. He saw and worked during it all, from a kid to just weeks before he died. He truly loved working and loved the carpet business.”

Survivors include his wife, Joan; son, Steve; daughters Diane and Audrey; sister, Lillian Grayson; grandchildren, Glen, Kristin, Lauren Fruchter and Brian Martucci.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, 205 East 64th Street, New York, NY 10065.