Wallpaper for Less on a roll:Locally owned business expands

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / News Editor for the Southern Standard

Wallpaper for Less owner Shelia Young shows some of the wide variety of wallpapers available at her shop, which recently relocated to Plaza Shopping Center.

For most of us, our home is an extension of our own personality and style, so it’s no surprise we want it to look the best it can. As a result, home decorating has become a passion for many Americans. This passion has spawned a huge number of magazines and books devoted to the field.

It has also engendered a cottage industry in home decoration accessories, fixtures and furniture. And though those decorative items play a big part in beautifying and personalizing our homes, most would agree that the majority of home decoration projects begin with one of the basic things common to all homes – the very walls that house all those beloved knick-knacks and favorite easy chairs.

As far as wall treatments go, there aren’t that many choices. You have your various textured surfaces, the old standby, paint, and then you have wallpaper, perhaps the most creative and varied of all.

And that’s where Wallpaper for Less comes in. Owner Shelia Young recently moved the shop from its former location on Sparta Street to Plaza Shopping Center in the storefront previously occupied by Wizards.

Young has been installing wallpaper for more than 16 years professionally, but only purchased Wallpaper for Less three years ago.

“I’d always hung wallpaper,” she said. “So I decided that’s what I wanted to do, sell wallpaper.”

Young found out about the location at Plaza via a source common to most women.

“I heard about it from a beautician,” she said, “and then I came over and talked to Susan, the owner of Wizards, and she told me that they were going to move their business to Northside. I played with it for a while, I needed the space and wanted to grow. It was either grow or not grow, so I decided to grow.”

The new shop more than doubled the space of the old one.

“I went from 1,200 square feet to 3,000,” Young said.

Young says she will provide a wide variety of items and services for customers in her new location.

“Wallpaper, of course, and borders. We’re going to have bedspreads. We’ll have shower curtains and all the accessories, with borders that match, along with borders and curtains that match the bedspreads.”

Young will also have lamps, framed artwork, and will provide some basic floral arrangements with delivery to local funeral homes. Young once owned a flower shop, but did not provide that type of service at her old location.

“I didn’t have the space or the time to do it,” she said. “So now I’m going to do a little bit of it, not a lot, just something different to send to the funeral home.”

Even with all this variety, Young said the shop’s specialty will still be wallpaper, which she can provide and install for customers.

“We’ve got two installers,” she said. “Myself and then there’s another girl that hangs for me. We also do blinds and shades, wood shutters, all that kind of thing.”

Young say she has always loved hanging wallpaper and finds it relaxing and creative, as well as a profitable business.

“I like taking a plain room and making it look good,” she said. “It’s something I enjoy a lot. I like to make a house look pretty.”

The shop will also offer the services of an interior decorator in the person of Chris Bouldin, for customers who need the expertise of a seasoned designer.

So for all your wallpaper and decorating needs, give Wallpaper for Less a call at 474-1622, or visit their new shop at Plaza Shopping Center.