Interior Decorators Conventions

Covered — from top to bottom

Not a day goes by when Lowell Matthys of The Floor to Ceiling Store interior design showroom doesn't learn something.

"This business changes fast," he said.

Lowell's father, Art, concurs, adding that the everchanging nature of home interior design makes work fun.

"When you enjoy something you do, it makes the time go by fast," he said.

The store is celebrating 40 years this month.

Art Matthys, who hails from Stanley Township and graduated from Cottonwood High School, bought the business Aug. 1, 1971, when it was a Plywood Minnesota franchise headed by Rudy Boschwitz.

"I wanted to own my own business," Art Matthys said.

Art's wife, Donna, worked the books in the early days.

"Then she worked part time when we had kids," Art Matthys said. "When the kids were grown she went back to full time and then when the grandchildren started to arrive she went back home."

Lowell Matthys was 5 when his parents bought the business and spent a lot of time in the store.

"If you wanted to see Dad or be around him, you had to come to the store," Lowell Matthys said.

"When you work six days a week, that's the way it is," Art said.

When Lowell Matthys was in high school, he worked half days at the store. After graduating, he attended Alexandria Tech and received a degree in marketing and design. He then resumed work at Floor To Ceiling.

Art is retired from the business, but works in the summer months.

"It's nice having someone around here with a lot of experience," Lowell Matthys said of dad, adding, "he wouldn't be comfortable if he wasn't working."

Art and Lowell said the nature of the business has changed since the 1970s. Before, you would pick out the paneling, carpet and floor tile right in the store, Art Matthys said. "We would tie paneling on top of cars," he said.

"Now 75 percent to 90 percent is special orders," Lowell Matthys said. "Customers pick out their own colors. We do feature some in-store items."

Art Matthys remembers the days when everything was green and gold.

"It's coming back," he said of the colors.

The staff is constantly undergoing training to keep up with the changes, the two said.

"We go to conventions, seminars, training schools," Art Matthys said.

"We attend shows in Las Vegas and Chicago," Lowell Matthys said. "We go on mill tours to Dalton, Ga., and Quebec City, Quebec. I enjoy seeing how things are made.

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