Well-known flooring professional retires

    Mick Cotant bought a flooring store in Imperial over 35 years ago, naming it Home Decor.
    “Installing flooring is hard physical labor. It’s not just the fact you are always on your hands and knees, but you have to carry heavy flooring in before you start. After all these years, my body is wearing out. I figured it was time to retire,” he said.
    Over the years, Cotant established a good, loyal customer base with many repeat customers, he said.
    “I could drive around town and tell you what houses I haven’t worked in easier than the ones I have,” said Cotant.
    The six years prior to opening his own store, he worked for Nick Schultz, who was a partner in Creative Builders.
    The flooring store was part of the previous business. When the store and construction business went separate ways, Cotant decided to buy the store and re-name it.
    “I had been working on the construction side of things. So even though I bought the flooring store, I didn’t know squat about installing flooring,” Cotant said.
    Dan Fox is the new owner of Home Decor. It was Fox’s dad, Harley Fox, who taught Cotant about installing flooring, Cotant said.
    “I had a heck of a good teacher in Harley,” said Cotant.
    When he first started with the store, he not only installed flooring, but hung blinds and wallpaper for customers, too.
    Cotant said the hardest part of the business the first few years was working both ends at the same time. During the day he would talk to customers, sold flooring and scheduled jobs. Then in the evening, he would go install flooring.
    In 1990, he said he finally hired Cate Weiss to run the store so he could go do installations.
    “She stayed with the store for 16 years,” he said.
    The most satisfying part of his business was going to different houses and jobs and meeting new people, said Cotant.
    “When I saw the finished product and how happy it made people, that’s what it’s all about, pleasing the customer—and getting paid, too!” he smiled.
 

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