Decorated Den receives hardware

The real estate downturn on the Gulf Coast raked a host of related businesses, from shutter installers to roofers and painters.

But the owners of Decorating Den Interiors in Bonita Springs and Sanibel survived the slaughter and recently won their company's Franchise Business Owner of the Year award. Owners Cliff Welles and Judy Underwood beat out owners of about 450 other stores nationwide.

As we recounted in the Review's Feb. 25 issue, sales at the Decorating Den stores in South Florida were up 38% last year compared with the previous year, a clear sign that the economy is recovering.