50 Years of Flooring in Wahpeton: The Three Rivers Story

Fifty years is a long time to do anything. It's longer than most businesses survive, longer than most trends last, and long enough to watch an entire community grow up around you. This year, Three Rivers Decorating turns 50 — and we think that's worth talking about.

When Al Meyer founded Three Rivers Decorating in 1975, Wahpeton was a different place. But one thing hasn't changed: people here care about their homes. They care about quality. And they want to work with someone they trust — not a faceless big-box store, but a neighbor who knows their name and stands behind their work.

That's exactly what Al built. And it's exactly what Rick and Carolyn Defries carried forward for over 40 years when they took the reins. Under their leadership, Three Rivers became more than a flooring store — it became a fixture in this community. Generations of Wahpeton families have walked through those doors, picked out their first home's carpet, tiled their kitchen, or updated their living room floor. Many of them came back again and again.

A new chapter — same foundation

When Dawn and I had the opportunity to purchase Three Rivers three years ago, we didn't take it lightly. This wasn't just a business transaction. We were being handed a legacy — one that Al started and Rick and Carolyn spent decades building. That kind of trust isn't given, it's earned. And our job, every single day, is to continue earning it.

We didn't come in to reinvent the wheel. We came in because we love this industry, we love this community, and we believe deeply in what Three Rivers stands for. What we have added is fresh energy, new product lines, and a renewed commitment to the kind of personal, expert service that made this store what it is today.

Our store manager John Bloomquist has been with Three Rivers for close to 30 years. Think about that for a moment — John has personally helped thousands of customers in this region choose the right floor for their home. That kind of experience doesn't come from a catalog or a website. It comes from decades of showing up, learning the craft, and genuinely caring about the outcome for every customer who walks through the door.

What 50 years actually means

When a business survives for 50 years in a small town, it's not luck. It's not clever marketing. It's because real people kept choosing to come back — and kept sending their friends and family. That's the only way a local business survives five decades: by being worth returning to.

We don't take that for granted for a single day.

This anniversary isn't just a milestone for us — it's a milestone for every customer who has trusted Three Rivers with their home over the past 50 years. For every family that picked out carpet for a new baby's nursery. Every couple that tiled their first kitchen together. Every business owner who called us for a commercial project and kept coming back because we got it right.

Looking ahead

The flooring industry has changed a lot in 50 years. The products are better, the installation techniques are more refined, and the design options are more exciting than ever. What hasn't changed is what matters most: honest advice, quality products, and people who genuinely care about your home.

That's what Three Rivers was built on. That's what we're committed to for the next 50 years.

If you're planning a flooring project — whether it's one room or an entire home — we'd love to be your partner. Stop in, meet our team, and see why Wahpeton has been trusting Three Rivers since 1975.

Here's to 50 more years. Thank you, Wahpeton.

— Jake & Dawn Kubela, Owners, Three Rivers Decorating