ABOUT THE FLOOR STORE
Thank you for stopping by to learn more about our family business! My name is Joe Roy and I run The Floor Store with my wife Mary and our dog Luna. Below is a brief history on how the store came to be and how it runs today.
The Floor Store was founded by my Father and Mother: Joe and Anne Roy. When The Floor Store first began, it was located on the second floor of The Public Market. (See the sign on the right in the above picture?) They renovated the upstairs, installed a new electrical service, added a few walls and a couple doors, and took occupancy in early 1983. They were there for about two years. Prior to that, the building next door had a fire and was torn down. George and Marie Woodcock needed a new place for their store and became partners with my parents to purchase this lot and build what they called “The Phoenix Building” (because it rose from the ashes. There are still some burnt scars in the basement from that fire.)
Rise of the Phoenix Building
Anne’s father, Roger Voisin, took a picture of his wife Martha in front of the new structure as it began to take shape. It’s still the “newest” building on Main Street! Since then, another fire almost took out The Public Market next door and we were very happy that they left a “fire alley” between the two buildings. Originally, the two structures were actually joined together. Not a good idea for many reasons!
Many years later, the alley is still just an alley, but on the south side [which once contained an ice cream booth and outside tables for the then very popular & famous “Miss Ruby’s Restaurant”, Anne has lovingly created a magical garden of flowers, shrubs, trees, elves, pixies and enchanted occupants for the inquisitive passersby.
The Store operated under the leadership of Joe and Anne for 40 years. I have always attributed the store’s success to my parents’ amazing work ethic. They have always strived to be an honest and hard working small local business. When people come into the store, they are always greeted kindly and warmly. They always wanted people to feel at ease knowing that we care about every client that walks through our doors and we take our work (and our reputation) very seriously. Anne hung up a sign in the middle of the show room that simply reads: “Because Nice Matters”.
As for myself: I worked with my father on job sites ever since I was a little boy, but I started working full time at the store in the early 2000s. I started on job sites as a helper but eventually found myself working the office with my father and eventually running the showroom, warehouse and doing all of the site visits and measures. Soon after, my wife Mary joined the team as well in the 2010s and she ended up taking over leading the showroom.
Joe & Anne decided to retire from the business in 2020, and the business is now entirely run by Mary and I. Anne still keeps up with her garden and Joe still swings in from time to time to help with a few odds and ends, but they are for the most part enjoying their well-deserved retirement.
Running the store on our own is a lot of work, so Mary and I decided to bring on a little extra “help”. Luna the “sales dog” can be seen many days in her favorite spot in one of the front display windows of the store. From there she watches the cars go by and urges potential customers to come in so that she can show them where the treat jar is located.
Mary and I now have a family of our own and we have two boys: Alex and Zachary. They are already asking to do some odds and ends around the store so they can earn some extra video game money!
Mary and I (and Luna) continue to run the store to this day in my parents’ image: focusing on hard work, professionalism, honesty and integrity. Anne’s sign still hangs high in the middle of our showroom. We are eager to help you with your next flooring project. Stop in and meet the family!
Joe and Mary Roy
Luna