Fabric of Their Lives is Love for Design, Each Other

Their eyes didn't exactly lock across a crowded room, but Barrington Middle School brought together two kindred spirits on that long-ago day during an art class.

Diane Integlia went on to obtain a bachelor's degree in design from Endicott College in Beverly, Mass. Her classmate, Mike Kelly, headed into the Navy where he was a “Seabee” for five years. During one of his shore leaves, Mike and Diane ran into each other again. Shortly after Mike got out of the Navy, they were married.

Fast-forward two decades and two sons, and see how a changing economy and circumstances led the Kellys to take a deep breath and jump into a new venture.

After 20 years of working in the auto industry, Mike was laid off as the general manager of a new car dealership. Diane had spent that time working as an art director and product manager at advertising agencies.

Both the Kellys were devoted to their two boys, who were then 10 and 12. Wanting to spend more time with their sons, after some careful consideration and planning, they decided a lifestyle change was in order.

Lifelong residents of Barrington, and looking to do something close to home, the Kellys looked around and realized that the area was in need of a really great fabric store. Two larger fabric stores in Rhode Island closed during that year of reassessment and planning, and the Kellys recalled storing display units in their garage as they figured out where their store would go. Space was available at 70 Maple Ave., and the Kellys took the plunge. They opened up DK Fabrics in August of 2006.

Diane's background in design and textiles makes her the natural choice to handle the details when people come into the store with a project in mind. She also handles all the window treatments and manages their team of talented seamstresses. Mike handles the upholstery and slipcovers, and coordinates the whole refurbishing process.

Mike said business at DK Fabrics continues to grow partly because during these challenging economic times, people are becoming more careful about replacing furniture and are choosing to refurbish it instead. They also receive a lot of support from the local community, he said, and it seems like people really enjoy coming into the store and just talking to them.

Diane said she thinks people appreciate being able to access the resources of a big store, while still enjoying the service of a smaller, owner-run business. DK Fabrics will handle all aspects of a design and redecorating project from start to finish, if desired.

Mike said Barrington is a great town to do business in. The town officials, and the townspeople, are very supportive of business in this community, he said.

Diane and Mike both also said how much they enjoy working with their spouse.

“It's the best move we ever made,” Mike said.

Diane noted that they both have clearly defined roles within the business, and it helps that their outlook on business, and life, is very similar.

“We're both hard workers, so it's good to work hard for ourselves,” she said.

The last word on how to successfully run a business with your spouse belongs to Mike Kelly.

“We decided after twenty years that we'd been married long enough, we could actually work together,” he said with a grin.