Maryland Retailer Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Selbyville, MD, January 26, 2006--Harry Cullen, owner of Harry Cullen Floor & Wall Coverings in Selbyville, built his business on experience and long hours, but also credits his late wife, Virginia, and his daughter, Karen (the current owner), for the success his store has enjoyed for 50 years, according to the Daily Times. When Harry Cullen turned 40 years old, he decided it was time to start his own business. Fifty years later, Harry Cullen Floor & Wall Coverings continues to grow strong under the capable hand of his daughter, Karen Hazard. Cullen opened his floor and wall covering business Jan. 1, 1956 behind his Selbyville home with the help of his wife, Virginia. "I built it from the ground up," he said with both a literal and figurative meaning. "I laid the blocks she carried to me." Virginia Cullen also worked for five years in the meat department of the former Acme supermarket in Millsboro to help with the couple's finances until the business was profitable, he said. "I had a few trying moments," Cullen said of his early years. He said there were times when no one was looking for flooring, carpets or wall coverings and he wondered if he had done the right thing. Prior to opening his business, Cullen worked for a local flooring company for 19 years. It was easier being an employee than an employer, but Cullen said the change was worth the struggle. After five years on his own, he asked Virginia to quit her job. He felt the business could support their three young children. "I would come out here and roller skate watching my dad work," daughter Karen said, standing in the showroom. "I learned a lot from him." When her older siblings declined the business, she accepted. As a 14-year-old, she worked summers in the showroom. She became the company's president at age 19. That same year, Harry Cullen suffered a heart attack while driving Chris Hazard, Karen's fiancée, to a job. Cullen was out for a year and the young couple kept things running. "I hung out until she didn't need me any more," Cullen said, adding he semi-retired at 62-years-old then formally retired at 65. However, the company's 90-year-old founder still comes to work a few days a week. He offers his advice and helps around the showroom. Hazard said he's not as active as he used to be, but still enjoys coming to the shop. Cullen credits his late wife for helping him achieve his success. He credits his daughter with continuing it. He now lives in Dagsboro and is looking forward to celebrating his 91st birthday this Valentines Day, Feb. 14. As he looks back over the years, he said the 1950s was a good time to start a business. "The economy was good and things weren't as expensive as they are now," Cullen said. These days, it would be harder to start a business, he said. But for those who want to try, Cullen suggests, they should know the business well and try to keep it going for five years. "If they can hold out for five years, they should make it," Cullen said. Cullen and Hazard were also willing to recognize changes in the market and adapt accordingly. They used to sell wallpaper. However, they discontinued it when their customers could buy it directly through the Internet or from discount stores. Harry Cullen Floor & Wall Coverings continues carrying carpeting, wood and vinyl flooring along with ceramic tiles. Hazard said that already, a third generation is toying with the idea of becoming part of the business. "My youngest son, Justin, may intern here and my oldest son, Brian, is working for a tile contractor," Karen said. It should be a while before any decision like that needs to be made anyway, if Hazard continues to follow in her father's footsteps. She has another 40 years or so to decide.