San Diego—Hubert Coles, who helped pave the way for a succession of home furnishings businesses that would define a six-block commercial district, passed away on April 11 of cancer. He was 89 years old.

Surveying the city’s landscape via helicopter during a flight in the early 1970s, Coles picked out a site in the Morena District for his carpets and draperies company that would be easily accessible from Interstates 5 and 8.

During the next 30 years, Coles Carpets and Fine Flooring would expand fourfold and add outlets in San Marcos, El Cajon and Solana Beach.

Coles, the youngest of seven children, was born Jan. 2, 1917, in Bisbee, Ariz.

He grew up in Phoenix, where his father, Frank, operated the Dorris-Heyman Furniture Co.

He worked for his father’s business until enlisting in the Navy near the end of World War II.

“He was one of the movers and shakers in San Diego after World War II, and he helped shape the city we know today,” said John Hine of John Hine Pontiac Mazda Dodge in Mission Valley, Calif.

“Hubert was one of the leaders, a driving force in creating a home furnishing district,” said Dexter LaPierre, classified advertising director for the Union-Tribune Publishing Co.

His first store, Coles of La Jolla, offered furniture, applianaces, draperies, rugs, floor coverings and specialty gift items. He closed the original store in 1963, operating a storefront in the Bird-rock area for a few years, eventually adding a storefront on Fay Ave.

After deciding to specialize in carpeting and draperies, Coles looked for a new site in an area where the cost of commercial real estate was lower and where parking was less restricted.

He found it in the Morena District and opened his store there in 1973. His Coles Carpets joined San Diego Rattan, which had opened on Morena Blvd. in the 1950s, as one of the neighborhood’s first home furnishing stores.

By 1983, the district had grown to include 30 businesses grossing an estimated $50 million annually as part of the newly formed Morena Home Furnishings Association.

Coles Carpets remained a mainstay of the district, projecting a family atmosphere in both its management and in its relationship with clientele. “Hubert knew his customers by name and took a personal interest in their satisfaction,” said LaPierre, who was an advertising representative when he met Coles in the 1960s.

In the 1970s, Coles’ sons, George and Steve, joined the company and eventually became president and vice president, respectively. In time, three generations of the Coles family would become involved.

Hubert Coles visited his office into his 80s and continued to be involved in business decisions. “His kindness, generosity and example of approaching life with integrity in everything he did has positively affected all who knew him,” said Gary Garcia, a Coles carpet employee.

Survivors include his wife, Antoinette Donnersberger Coles; daughters, Annette Henry of Laguna Beach, Florence Helmberger of Altadena and Chris Garramone, Jane Kuczwara and Ruth Coles, all of San Diego; sons George of LaJolla, Steve of Scripps Ranch and Edward of San Marcos, Tex.; 17 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Donations are suggested to the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA, 5500 Gaines St., San Diego, Calif., 92110.