BETHALTO – The Bethalto Floor Store has received the RiverBend Growth Association’s Small Business Excellence Award for July.
Owned by Kaylee Weber, The Bethalto Floor Store offers a variety of hardwood, tile, luxury vinyl, carpet and laminate products and installation services. Weber never anticipated that she would one day own the store, but she loves working with her community and giving back to the people who raised her.
“I’m a born-and-raised Bethalto girl. I love being able to give back to the community that has raised me and that is also now raising my babies,” she said. “It’s just really fun to be a part of the community that got to watch me grow into who I am, and now I get to help others also grow into who they want to be within the community and see that they can do big things while still also being involved in their small town.”
Weber’s family owned a construction company in the Riverbend area, but she went on to become a doctor of physical therapy. She joked she spent most of her time trying to keep people off the floor as a physical therapist; it never occurred to her that she’d one day be selling flooring products.
But three years ago, her father told her The Bethalto Floor Store was for sale, and Weber decided to give it a chance. She bought the business and quickly learned the ropes.
Despite a “learning curve,” Weber soon realized that she was still doing what she was passionate about, whether she worked in healthcare or at the store: She was taking care of people. It’s important to Weber to help her community thrive.
“I get to do a lot of things that help our community here and give back,” she said. “We’ve just got some amazing family friends that have raised me like I’m their own kid, and I just like to be able to be here and be a resource to them and be able to help keep the community strong that made me who I am.”
Weber is passionate about engaging with her hometown. In addition to operating The Bethalto Floor Store, she serves on the board of Riverbend Rescue with a few other local business owners. She sits behind her State Farm agent in church every week. Her kids attend the same schools she graduated from.
As part of her mission to give back and support the area, she also joined the RiverBend Growth Association. Weber has loved attending their events and getting to know other business owners in the area. She likes to support her peers and is thankful for the chance to connect and learn from them.
“Especially as someone that’s a woman-owned small business, getting in front of some of these other business owners is a super great networking opportunity for me to talk with other like-minded business owners in a larger group of people, other women-owned small businesses and other younger business owners,” she explained. “It’s just nice to be able to get in those rooms that the RiverBend Growth Association creates with their meetings and things.”
Weber is thankful for the Small Business Excellence Award from RBGA, especially because it’s been “a whirlwind year” as the business relocated to 400 East Bethalto Drive. She is proud of the work they do and grateful that others are recognizing their efforts to support the Riverbend region.
“It’s just really cool to be honored with an award like this that is going to highlight the hard work that we’ve put in,” she said. “They’re seeing the big picture wins, and they’re seeing the big picture successes that the business is bringing to the area and the positive impact that the business is making…It’s just nice to be recognized for that and to see that the hard work is paying off.”
To learn more about The Bethalto Floor Store, visit their official website. For more information about the RiverBend Growth Association, check out their official website.
