R. Mathison Floors: A New Location For A Long-Established Business

By Kaaren Valenta

R. Mathison Floors, LLC, held a grand opening Saturday, August 5, for the store’s new location at 133 South Main Street (Route 25) in Newtown.

The new store is the third for Robert Mathison, Sr, in the past 15 years, but the flooring business really began 50 years ago when Mr Mathison’s father, Sigurd Mathison, started a wood floor installation and refinishing business in Connecticut.

“My brothers and I worked for our father,” Bob Mathison, Sr, said. “At the time, growing up, we lived on Lakeside Road in Southbury.”

In the early 1970s Bob Mathison took over the entire business and by 1976, married and living in Sandy Hook, he was also building houses, on his way to becoming a leading contractor in the Newtown area. In the early 1980s the Mathisons opened their first store next to what is now Mona Lisa restaurant on South Main Street. With his wife, Kathy, and later their children, Bob, Jr, and Tricia, Mr Mathison expanded his independently owned and operated business to include all types of flooring: hardwood, domestic and imported ceramic tile, carpeting, vinyl, and laminate.

When Newtown’s first commercial condominiums were built, the Mathisons bought two units and moved their business to 87 South Main Street. There wasn’t space for their warehouse, however, and the store felt cramped, so eventually Mr Mathison began to look for another location. When a four-acre parcel of land further south on Route 25 became available through Newtown Savings Bank, Mr Mathison subdivided it and bought two acres from the bank. The other half is expected to be the site of a self-storage business.

Construction of the Mathisons’ new store took a lot longer than expected. “It took close to seven months to get the permits, and once I started last October, I just got the foundation in and then I had to stop for the winter,” Mr Mathison said. “If I’d had two or three more weeks [of good weather], I could have knocked two months off. Then the rain came and it never dried up so it took longer to put in the parking lots and driveways.”

One of the problems involved the state Department of Transportation. The DOT wanted Mr Mathison to pay for the construction of a third lane, a turning lane, on the highway for southbound traffic turning left into the parking lot from Route 25. When he balked at the expense, the DOT compromised: no left turns can be made into or out of the parking lot; instead, access is available from Peck’s Lane.

The spacious 3,200-square foot store has ample space for displays; a lower level serves as a warehouse, allowing for convenient storage of stock and supplies. A playroom for children is being installed to occupy children while their parents shop, and because Tricia Mathison Benvenuti brings her 11-month-old daughter, Alexandra, the Mathisons’ first grandchild, to work.

Mathison Floors is truly a family business. Bob Mathison, Jr, and Tricia’s husband, John Benvenuti, manage crews of professional installers and refinishers. Bob, Jr’s wife Laurie has worked for the store for several years besides operating her own business, LCM Bookkeeping Services.

R. Mathison Floors, LLC, is open Monday through Friday, from 9 to 5, and Saturday, from 9:30 to 2. It is closed on Sunday and Monday. The telephone number is 426-0778.