Wall, NJ, June 7, 2006--When it rains and customers stay home rather than shop for new carpet, Kevin Ryan sometimes frets over the dip in business. Instead of worrying, Linda Ryan might remind herself of how strong sales were last weekend, reports the Asbury Park Press.
Opposing outlooks can destroy successful businesses. But Kevin and Linda Ryan work like yin and yang--at the carpet store they own and at home.
This year, the Ryans celebrated 30 years as partners in business and in marriage. Being that the couple opened Mr. Remnant Carpet Center on 18th Avenue two days after they wed in May 1976, the two arrangements have always been intertwined.
Sharing common interests, but also having activities they can each enjoy alone, explains their healthy marriage.
Theirs is not the story of a relationship wrecked and holidays ruined by the stress that comes with running a family business, an all too common tale.
"The only person I'd ever want to be in business with is my husband," Linda Ryan said.
Kevin and Linda met at the former Royal Manor bar and dance club in Wall during the summer of 1974. Kevin, who grew up in Newark, and Linda, originally from New Windsor, N.Y., both spent a lot of time at the Shore that summer.
Eventually, the couple decided to get married, and because they both loved the Shore, they began looking for a location in the area where they could open a carpet store.
A carpet store made sense for the couple because Kevin, by happenstance, had worked as a buyer for E.J. Korvette, a defunct retailer that once upon a time sold a lot of carpet in the Northeast. Linda, meanwhile had some experience in retail. When she met Kevin, she was running an apparel store back in New Windsor.
The Ryans opened Mr. Remnant with about 100 carpet remnants and a few samples. Five years later, they tacked on an addition. Today, the store is as large as the township will allow without a zoning variance, Linda Ryan said.
With the exception of ceramic tile, the Mr. Remnant showroom of today packs in just about every material that could cover a floor at a business or in a home.
Area rugs hang wherever there is space, hardwood floor samples occupy one section, and rolls of remnant carpet line the walls of an entire room. The rainbow in the sign out front makes sense.
The people who shop the showroom today probably have either been there before or know someone who had, Linda Ryan said.
"We're thankfully getting 95 percent of our business return or referral," she said.
The Ryans say they've been able to cultivate loyal customers by offering high-quality products at relatively low prices and by making sure installers arrive on time.
Being able to deliver on those two old-fashioned business practices sets them apart from mega-retailers, the Ryans said.
While the Ryans wouldn't say how much Mr. Remnant makes each year, the couple seems to live comfortably. When not in their four-bedroom home in Wall, or gardening in their large yard, they might be on their 21-foot powerboat. On special occasions, the Ryans sometimes celebrate at the high-end Grenville restaurant in Bay Head.
Kevin Ryan, who will be 55 this year, said he and Linda could run Mr. Remnant for another 20 years. But she, as she's been known to do with her husband from time to time, has another view.
"Well, we'll see," she told him.
