DATE: Monday, August 4, 1997                TAG: 9708020233

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LINDA McNATT 

        STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CARROLLTON                        LENGTH:   60 lines

COUPLE OFFERS TOTAL HOME IMPROVEMENT PACKAGGE

Peter and Angie Lowery are the first husband-and-wife team in the nation to take on a new venture offered by Decorating Den, the international door-to-door home decorating service.

Angie Lowery, whose franchise covers Isle of Wight County, northern Suffolk and Western Branch in Chesapeake, has been among the top 1 percent of the company's franchisees for the past nine years. Decorating Den operates in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Now, Peter Lowery is taking over Decorating Den Painting and Home Improvement, a new arm of the business.

``Most people doing decorating are doing painting and other improvements as well,'' Peter Lowery said. ``If somebody is redoing a kitchen, for example, they're likely to want new kitchen cabinets. Now, we can take care of it all.''

Bethesda, Md.-based Decorating Den was started by Steven C. Bursten in 1969, after he had worked for several years wholesaling fabrics to drapery shops. Bursten noticed that full decorating services seemed unaffordable for the average homeowner.

``There was no such thing as interior decorating for the average person,'' Bursten said. ``It was only for the very wealthy.''

Bursten's idea was to offer the franchise to entrepreneurs with decorating talent and experience. The franchisees work out of vans loaded with swatches of fabric and wallpaper and go directly to customers' homes. There is no consultation fee.

Bursten was called out of retirement to head the national home improvement franchise.

Decorating Den last year had sales of $55 million, said Paula Tranfaglia, public relations director for Decorating Den Systems.

As a local Decorating Den representative, Angie Lowery's annual revenue for the past several years has averaged between $300,000 and $400,000, Peter Lowery said.

With the Baby Boomer generation about to enter its peak remodeling phase, the home-improvement industry is expected to set sales records over the next 10 to 15 years, Tranfaglia said. A recent study predicts that more than $165 billion is likely to be spent on remodeling in this country within the next decade.

Like Sears and other national retailers that also market home improvements, the new Decorating Den venture will use subcontractors. The role of Peter Lowery and others franchisees is to ensure the work is done well and on time.

``What the company is trying to do is to create a market where the customer can feel at ease,'' Peter Lowery said.

``The difference is professionalism,'' Bursten said. ``We are creating a professional sense of responsibility in the home improvements business.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

JOHN H. SHEALLY II

The Virginian-Pilot

Valerie and Steve Bursten, left, give a presentation to Peter and

Angie Lowery, right. The Burstens offer interior decorating and

other home improvement services. KEYWORDS: DECORATING DEN FRANCHISE INTERIOR DECORATING

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