THE HARRIS HISTORY
When you’re the fourth generation of a successful Anderson retail family,
you have quite a foundation to stand on…and quite a reputation to uphold.
1902
1922
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2020
As president of Harris, Scott Junkins knows all about foundations—and how to cover them beautifully.
His client list includes Clemson University, BMW and Greenville’s Fluor Field, along with thousands of homes and businesses throughout the area. Ironically, the pathway to today’s flooring company began on the basement floor of a legendary department store owned by Scott’s ancestor, George Bailes.
Escaping poverty with a third-grade education, George Bailes took a sales job in Charlotte in the 1890s and opened a small retail clothing store in Anderson called “The Bee Hive” in 1902. The shop grew and eventually became the Bailes Department Store. It was a four-story retail palace, complete with unusually rare escalators. George, Jr. later ran the store. His brother, Thomas Bailes, eventually partnered with Lawrence Harris to run a flooring and carpet store in the basement. After a horrible auto accident, Harris sold his share of the flooring business to Thomas Bailes and his daughter, Beverly Bailes Geiger.
As decorating styles evolved, the store thrived. Wall-to-wall and shag carpet became a staple in most homes, and flooring options multiplied. While various family members enjoyed employment with Bailes and with Harris Flooring, Beverly Geiger’s daughter, Essie Geiger Junkins, who had played in the store as a child, took over operations. Today, Essie’s sons, Scott and Russell Junkins run Harris on Civic Center Boulevard Extension in Anderson. Since 2008, they quadrupled their staff, partnering with builders and businesses to supply flooring throughout Upstate South Carolina.
For Scott Junkins, the next logical step was to expand beyond flooring to manage complete interior renovations. Thus, Harris Home was born. He has assembled an expert team that completely manages every step of any redesign project, from ideas to finishing touches. The goal of Harris Home is to deliver breathtaking renovation results beyond the customer’s wildest expectations. Thomas Bailes would be mighty proud of what his fourth-generation has developed on the foundation he built.