The Tile Mile, Where Grout Has Clout

Raul Rambo is not in the mental health profession, but there are days -- many of them -- when it sure feels like it.

Rambo sells tile. It is not an easy job.

At Tile Expo, along Anaheim’s stretch of State College Boulevard dubbed the Tile Mile, weighty decisions are made every day. A wrong choice could lead to misery and cost thousands of dollars. Families could be stuck with a hideous hue for decades. Homeowners have been known to replace something as seemingly minor as the grout color three or four times.

“You have to be a psychologist over here to treat people,” Rambo said. “Some people get so frustrated, we need to calm them down, give them a glass of water. It could take two or three hours just to make a decision.”

And really, who can blame them?

Tile Mile is a mecca of flooring material -- the biggest concentration of tile retailers, wholesalers and distributors in California and perhaps the United States, the Anaheim retailers say. Last year, the 122 tile-related businesses had more than $603 million in gross receipts, according to city records.

“It’s where you want to be if you’re in the tile business,” said Bart Hoffman, Anaheim’s economic development manager. “People come from all over Southern California to shop there.”

Porcelain tile? Got it. Ceramic? You bet. Slate, granite, marble, travertine. There’s even brass tile, bronze tile and tile with pictures of artichokes, chickens, butterflies and flowers.

“It’s almost overwhelming,” said shopper Bill Thurston of Laguna Hills after browsing through half a dozen stores. “I knew there were tile stores. I didn’t know there were this many.... I’m going to have to get my wife back here and have her make the final decision.”

California Wholesale Tile was one of two tile businesses to locate on State College Boulevard about 27 years ago. Both were extremely successful, and word spread through the industry. By the mid-’80s, the two had grown to a few dozen tile businesses.

“I think it just evolved over time,” said Greg Hastings, Anaheim’s zoning division manager. “Like an auto center, where you get one dealer out there and another one comes along. It just kind of happened.”

On weekends, the street looks like an outdoor mall, with couples comparison-shopping from store to store, with children and strollers.

“It’s crazy,” Rambo said. “It’s like going to Disneyland.”

This is where Rambo’s experience comes into play. After 24 years in the business, he’s figured out how to help people make the right decisions.

First thing: sizing up who’s in charge. Nothing’s worse than a marital squabble.

“You have to analyze who’s the boss, who’s the decision-maker,” Rambo said. “The best thing is to say ‘Hi, boss’ when they walk in. If the lady replies, right away I know she’s the boss.”

Most people come in with an idea. But for a lot of shoppers, there’s a learning curve. There are a few basic truths when it comes to tile, salespeople tell customers.

Tile is low maintenance: Sweep it, then mop it. Spill on it, wipe it up.

Ceramic is less durable than porcelain.

Shiny is out. Natural looks -- slates and rustic finishes -- are in.

These days, tile is more popular than carpet and wood flooring, said Ron Dequillettes, vice president and general manager of California Wholesale Tile.

Customers are ripping up carpet and laying down tile, he said.

“In 90% of the big houses we do, people are tiling the whole bottom floor,” Dequillettes said.

Lupe Barton tiled her floor a few years ago. That’s when she first discovered the Tile Mile. Now she’s hooked.

“I’ve just found that this is the best place to come, and I’m from Lake Elsinore,” Barton said.

On a recent trip, she went in search of terracotta grout and broken tile pieces for a mosaic project. After hitting a few stores, she hadn’t found the right color. But with color swatches in hand and a mile of unexplored stores ahead of her, she hadn’t given up hope.

“I told my husband, ‘If I can’t find it here, they don’t make it.’ ”