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| Aroostook Republican photo/Theron Larkins Interior decorator and designer of HISCO Carpet Barn in Caribou, Barbara Randolph sits by one of the many displays she has created for the business, which is now under new ownership. Crystal Fulton, the new owner, hired Randolph to spruce up the décor of the business, which has now expanded beyond the floor-covering industry, and sells a number of items such as remnants, antiques, braided rugs and can also perform remodeling work. |
By Theron Larkins
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — Home Improvement and Service Co., or HISCO Carpet Barn as most know it by, is now under new ownership. Crystal Fulton, an Illinois native and relative newcomer to the Caribou area, has spent the last six months remodeling and reopening the business located at 799 Main St.
With Fulton stepping in as the new owner and manager of the business, it was important for her to inform the area that the Carpet Barn is under new ownership, and is, in fact, a brand new and completely redone business that has expanded from not only the sale of carpets, but also into the sales of items like remnants, antiques, braided rugs and the entirely new prospect of complete interior design work, which according to Fulton, can entail a complete remodeling.
Fulton’s background goes far beyond simply selling carpets, and her influence has been integral in reshaping what her carpet store now is, which is much more than merely a store that sells and installs carpets. She began her career in the Broadmoor area of Colorado, which is a very high-end business center in Colorado Springs. Next, Fulton made her way to Connecticut, where she worked as a custom decorator for Sears. From there, Fulton moved back to Colorado, where she began working as an interior designer for the largest builder in Colorado Springs. She explained that she designed all of the model homes while working during her second stint in the area, which lasted about two and a half years.
Fulton’s next job began while still living in Colorado, but now as a trainer of custom decorators for Sears, Fulton began traveling a great deal. From Colorado, Fulton finally moved to California, where she worked with her current husband, who was a general contractor in California, as well as a number of other states on the West Coast.
Fulton explained that she also has prior experience running her own business. After moving from California to Indiana, she began operating a furniture store out of her home, where she also sold items like dishware, pots and pans and basically anything else someone might need in their home. She described it as “a little department store for your home.”
“My background is in interior design,” Fulton said. “I have a four-year degree in interior design and I’ve done a lot of work with builders and I’ve also worked training custom decorators, while working at Sears.”
Fulton’s husband John, who she explained worked as a general contractor in California for many years, and according to Fulton, came home one day and told her that running this business was something he felt they should undertake, and she ultimately agreed.
With Fulton’s husband having a background in carpentry, working in one of the most competitive states in the country for that line of work, the two seem to have the perfect combination of skills necessary to successfully operate a business of this nature. Fulton, explained that she spent a number of years working in the real estate business, which effectively coincides with her background in interior design.
After her time in Indiana, Fulton finally settled in Caribou in 2011. She spent four years living here before deciding she would buy the carpet store from the previous owner.
“It worked out where my husband knew and had done some work with Fred Lozoway, and when Fred decided to retire, we were ready to take over the business,” said Fulton.
“The industry has changed a great deal over the years, since I was a designer in Colorado and since John worked in California, but back then we did lots of remodels,” said Fulton. “Those remodels could have been for anything from window treatments to carpeting or it could be taking apart a room entirely and redoing it. So, that’s the background that we bring to this company.”
Fulton also had a great deal of praise for the rest of her team at HISCO Carpet Barn, which now includes another on-staff interior designer and decorator, Barbara Randolph.
“Barb is fantastic. She has lots of experience with store displays,” said Fulton. “Barb is the one who has gone through the store and created all our displays and she is just dynamite, and my savior. Whenever I can’t be somewhere, she has it handled.”
Fulton added that with her and Randolph’s combined backgrounds, one of the things they can now do for customers, besides just floor coverings, is complete remodels.
“We can do things like home staging. Someone might want us to simply add some life to a room, or even just room rearrangements, those are some of the new things we can do,” said Fulton. “With my husband’s background in contracting, there isn’t much we can’t do. I’ve gone through homes and completely redone three or four rooms. We can take out walls, move walls, put in new bathrooms and even create a master suite that never existed before.”
Fulton added that they will continually try to keep abreast with what is going on in the flooring industry, but they will also go above and beyond that.
The Hisco Carpet Barn is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. She did add that there is usually someone at the store by 8 a.m. and that they will take appointments by phone call, and that she also hopes to get to the point in which the business is open for a some Saturday hours. For more information on HISCO Carpet Barn call 498-6788.
