TileTown Turns 55 : Built Tile by Tile

Some places quietly become part of the neighborhood. You grow up with them. You rely on them. You know they’ll be there when you need them.

That’s been Tile Town since 1971.

From our first two stores to five locations across Alberta & British Columbia, we’re celebrating 55+ years of helping people create homes they love. Kitchens, bathrooms, renos, new builds, and all the in-between moments that make a house feel like yours.

Looking for a store near you? Here’s where to find us!

How it started

We began with two locations serving Vancouver and Victoria, built on a simple idea: tile shopping made easy with a one-stop shopping experience. Over the years, we have earned a strong reputation as trusted tile and design experts. We love when someone walks out of our showrooms thinking, Okay. I get it now.

History in the making: TileTown’s one-year anniversary ad (1972). Practical, proud and very “come on in.”

Building tile by tile

Our story, in short: steady growth, smart moves and a lot of staying power.

Then and now:

Fifty-five-plus years looks like vintage signage, old storefronts, and the behind-the-scenes reality that keeps your project moving: pallets, busy Saturdays, and someone yelling “Yep, we’ve got it in the back.”

Richmond

Our Richmond showroom through the years, from Bridgeport Road to moving down the street to our current home.

Then: Richmond’s Offset “Boutique” beside the showroom (opened 1976), c. 1984. A very strong sign era! The boutique sold towels, soap dishes, area rugs, etc. before being sold.

Edmonton South

Our Edmonton South showroom, then and now: decades of helping customers get it right.

The people who make it feel local

A tile store is only as good as the advice you get in it. We’re proud of the experience behind our counters and proud of the fact that a lot of our team sticks around.

As our current President and Owner Mike Scardina puts it:

“Tile Town isn’t a big-box retailer; we’re a small, family-owned business. Having employees with tenure is critical from design and installation to customer relationships in our business.”

TileTown president and owner Mike Scardina (c. 2020s).

Joelle Cooke, General Manager

Joelle started with us as the Surrey store manager in 2015 and grew into our General Manager, the person who keeps the wheels on and the standards high!

GM Joelle Cooke (Surrey showroom), c. 2022. Started in the Surrey location in 2010 and has since grown into the GM role, with a brief hiatus where Mike begged her back in 2015.

“Tile Town’s company motto is “Improving People’s Quality of Life” and Joelle improves our employees QOL everyday. She is not only our GM but more importantly a honest and caring person who our employees TRUST emphatically. Our company would not be a successes without Joelle as an integral part of it!!” – Mike Scardina

Brad Bellafontaine: 48 years (and counting)

Brad is our longest-serving team member and a TileTown institution in Edmonton! Which means he’s seen tile trends loop back around and still steers customers toward what actually works for their projects. Helping people create beautiful spaces is his specialty.

Then (left): Brad Bellafontaine loading an order at TileTown’s Edmonton South (c. 1980s). Now (right): Brad at Edmonton South (c. 2020s). “Once in tiles, always in tiles” – Brad

READ MORE: Over 40 years of Tiles and Smiles for TileTown Store Manager
WATCH: Brad’s 45th anniversary video (staff favourite)

“Tile Town’s strengths have been Head Office participation: Loyal, trustworthy and customer minded… We like to treat our staff like Family. We celebrate all the holidays together and have BBQ’s in the summer and team building throughout the year…Making new friends and having tile that is exclusively ours. That has always been one of the highlights of Tile Town.” – Brad Bellafontaine

Jason Makowski: 10 years strong!

Jason started as a wee tile mover and is now celebrating 10 years with Tile Town as our Operations Manager. Tile Town wouldn’t run nearly as smoothly without him. He’s the kind of behind-the-scenes consistency customers feel, even if they never see it.

Jason Makowski, Tile Town’s operations manager, marking 10 years growth on the job.

We’ve built relationships with local pros, too

If you need help beyond choosing tile, we’ve also built relationships with local professionals we can recommend, so you can get a more rounded tiling experience. Not just a stack of boxes and a “good luck.”

Brendan helping a customer get unstuck at Edmonton West.

Community, year-round

Being local means showing up. We do givebacks throughout the year, with extra energy in summer and the holidays, plus plenty of “we brought the truck” moments in between.

HIGH-FIVE AND THRIVE: Tyler at the Cloverdale Rodeo (2016), making new friends the old-fashioned way.

MOO-VING SUPPORT: TileTown in the Cloverdale Parade (2022). Proof community support can come with a side of cow-print.

A quick time-capsule moment

Tyler, our mascot

Tyler’s been part of TileTown’s personality for decades, from the early puppet era to the big red tile many customers know today.

The many looks of Tyler over the years.

No strings attached: Tyler’s been along for the ride since the early days.

A still from an old TV ad starring Tyler in his claymation era (c. 1980s). Big nostalgic energy.

WATCH: Tyler in the 1980s (vintage video)

The part that matters

Tile tends to show up in your life when something’s changing: a new place, a fresh start, a long-overdue fix. So 55+ years isn’t just “we’ve been around.” It’s this: we’ve helped a lot of neighbours make choices they’re still happy to live with.

Planning a project? You’ll have decades of experience on your side. Come chat with us.