Siblings Strive Together For Quality

Stan and Jeff Szczepanek knew a lot about the construction industry when their dad, Stanley, opened Quality Paint & Wallpaper at 119 Maple Ave. in 1974.

The senior Szczepanek had already been in the construction industry for many years with his own company, Quality Painting, and at 18, Stan was already learning the trade on the day his dad came home from work and announced to Szczepanek's mom that he was starting a new business.

“He came home and told my mom that he rented a store. She said 'What?!'” said Stan.

Stanley continued to work part-time at his construction company with Stan while he built the business. When Jeff was old enough to join Quality Paint & Wallpaper, Stanley and Jeff ran the store.

Stan and Jeff's sister, Marcia, had no plans to join the family business, and headed into secretarial work. The lure of the family business was too great, however, and 15 years ago, Marcia joined the business just part-time, or so she thought.

The Szczepanek brothers took over the business from their dad when he retired 14 years ago and, within two years, the need was so great, that Marcia joined them full-time as their decorator/designer and “advice-giver,” according to Stan.

For all that it may be hard for siblings to get along on occasion, the three Szczepaneks are close. Marcia and Jeff live with their families in Seekonk, and Stan lives with his family nearby in Rehoboth.

Stan said the best part of having the business in Barrington is the opportunity to get to know so many people on a first-name basis.

“I was at a farmstand this weekend, and ran into one of our customers. He'd just been in to buy deck stain, so it was good to be able to ask him how his project was going,” he said.

Stan said the local community is very supportive of small businesses, and he's also appreciated getting to know his customers in other ways that don't necessarily involve the business.

“One of our customers came in the other day, and we're both into skiing, so we had a few minutes to talk about that,” he said. 

“That's the big advantage to not being a big-box store,” he said. “We have the opportunity to talk to people about things that are important to them, because we don't have to just be focused on business and making the numbers.”

In keeping with the senior Szczepanek's start in painting, Quality Paint & Wallpaper carries Benjamin Moore paints, a company Stan said is well-known for it's products.

“It's a very reputable company, and a very diverse company,” he said.

Maintaining a good reputation is important for these hard-working siblings. They're dedicated to living up to the name of the company their dad started all those decades ago.