Our story
A legacy began in 1981 when Larry Bixler took his 23 years of wall knowledge from the paint industry to the Wallcovering industry. National is currently led by the second generation, Michael and Shelly Bixler who continue the family legacy of providing great service and innovative products.
National is as committed to a beautiful outdoors as we are to a beautiful indoors. Sustainability goes far beyond our products to include ecological, economic and special aspects. We were “green” before being green was even cool.
Our goal is to continue to be a leader in the commercial interior/exterior products industry, while being a great employer, protecting the environment and ensuring a bright future for generations to come.
a trip down the memory lane
Timeline
1981 — A legacy that began in 1981, National was launched as National Wallcovering from the dedication and passion of founder and president Larry Bixler. Leaving his 22 year career as Store Manager at Pittsburgh Paint, Larry developed his first private label wallcovering under the BixFab brand, secured a 19,000 yard order for the Little Rock Children’s Hospital, and the rest is history.
1985 — Arkansas was National Wallcovering’s only territory and ran solely by Larry Bixler until 1985. After that, National Wallcovering expanded into Oklahoma and Larry was joined by his son, Mike Bixler.
1991 — After Iowa and Nebraska territories were added, National Wallcovering became known as the “Barn States Distributor”.
1999 — After the addition of Colour & Design brands, National Wallcovering added the Southeast territories: Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
2003 — National Wallcovering has grown from one territory to 28, from one employee to over 60, and from a basement office to a LEED Gold Certified corporate headquarters. The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new building was on January 5, 2004.
2006 — National Wallcovering hits the quarter century mark in 2006, celebrating its 25th anniversary.
2011 — National Wallcovering celebrates its 30th anniversary.
2016 — National Wallcovering rebranded and shortened it’s name to National. The name is extended when referring to the manufacture, distribution, or direct sale of a particular “solution” such as National Wood Solutions or National Dry Erase.
Today, we currently employee over 75 associates and maintain our own sales force. We have 3 showrooms, one located at our corporate headquarters in North Little Rock, one located in Dallas, TX and one in St. Louis, MO.