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Business Interests Under One Roof

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By HAROLD VALENTINE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 27, 2008

Updated: 02/25/2008 06:14 pm

FOREST HILLS - With the housing boom long since deflated, Ralph Mills has been retooling his businesses to suit the times.

Mills owns All Interior Furnishings, Artisan Cabinetry and Closet Art, all of which operate under one roof at 2304 W. Linebaugh Ave. He said each business, separate in its specialties, works as one. Mills said he has been cross-training his staff of 21, keeping them busy during this slower time so they can better recommend home improvements and have a better overall picture.

"Even though we're not merging the names," Mills said, "we're merging the duties of the companies together."

At one point, Mills said 80 percent of his business came from contractors building homes, but now it's 30 percent. During the boom, Mills said he foresaw the eventual slump and knew home improvement would be a primary focus.

"The housing industry, being what it has been over the past couple of years, we've gotten more into the private and residential clients," Mills said. "So our facility has kind of evolved from that."

Lorraine Genola, a two-year assistant for Mills, said when she started at the location it was "busy, busy, busy."

"People now are staying put in their homes, and they're focusing more on improving what they have," Genola said.

Mills has owned All Interior Furnishings, which caters to general interior design such as flooring, kitchen and bath needs and other components, for more than 25 years. He moved to his current 10,000-square-foot location, a former 7-Eleven headquarters, in 1994.

He said his cabinetry business is not what it once was because he is not filling newly developed communities. With renovations, however, he said maximizing space for older, smaller homes in north Tampa, including Carrollwood, has become a bigger priority.

Mills said his businesses are geared toward middle- to higher-end price points. He said his Forest Hills location is centrally located, so nothing in Tampa is far away.

Mills said he recently renovated the showrooms to give them a more vivid feel. "We're kind of a user-friendly learning facility," he said, adding that many on his staff have more than 30 years of interior design experience. He said he carries some of the best brand names in his industry, such as Sub-Zero refrigerators, Wood-Mode cabinetry and Kohler sink accessories.

"We try to stay on top of national trends as well as local trends," he said. He and his staff attend interior design conventions throughout the country.

Matt Long, a head designer and buyer for Mills, said Tampa residents tend to have general aesthetic preferences.

"Tampa has so many different pockets," Long said. "South Tampa is still very country-French. Up here it's still more Mediterranean. Every once in a while we're lucky enough to get someone who is a little more contemporary, but I really haven't found that to be a main focus for the Tampa area right now."

Long said many residents want "the Florida look," but he added that could mean many styles. Long said people also want "green" or eco-friendly products, but he said green products are hard to qualify as such because "what exactly does 'green' mean?"

Mills said the people he hires for jobs must have the right mentality to work while residents are living at their home. Many construction crews, he said, are used to working on new homes without residents.

Mills added charity work has been a good way help communities in Tampa and get his business's names out, citing organizations he has helped, including The Children's Home.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: All Interior Furnishings, Artisan Cabinetry And Closet Art

LOCATION: 2304 W. Linebaugh Ave.

FOCUS: Design and Remodeling

CONTACT: (813) 933-7909

Reporter Harold Valentine can be reached at (813) 865-1526 or hvalentine@tampatrib.com.

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