Until a few years ago, Phoenix-based Wallpaper Hangers Inc. was thriving. But in 1988, the Phoenix economy experienced a major recession and owner Frank Flynn's business plummeted by 65 percent. We had a tremendous overbuild here, tremendous amounts of empty shopping centers. We've been fighting for every bit of work we can find, but our commercial business still hasn't kicked back in.
Times are tough, for residential and commercial contractors alike.
The ups and downs of the economy have had a profound effect on the wallcovering industry, leaving contractors wondering not only how to get work in a shrinking market, but where to look for it in the first place. Economic conditions vary somewhat by region, but generally, commercial work has been on a plateau since 1988, according to George Plohr. Plohr is president of Construction Products Marketing Associates and a widely recognized industry expert. And it won't go straight up. It may have a dip somewhere.