By Jacob Mathias

A local business that started in a car has expanded to a 3,000-square-foot store front with plans for future expansion.

Cole Corrigan started Office Direct Interiors in his car in April of 2014 after years in the sales business. Noticing an absence of office furniture retailers in Central Wisconsin, Corrigan struck out on his own to fill a void in the area- create some local jobs.

By January 2015, Corrigan had moved his business into the front office of its current location at 2933 Hoover Avenue. In April, he hired his first employee and by June he expanded from the small, 400-square-foot space into the rest of the building, adding another 3,000 square feet.

He said soon he’ll have to expand even further and is looking for options.

“No company has really offered this type of setting for commercial office furniture in the area,” said Corrigan. “It seems to be a really good response that we’re getting.”

Office Direct runs the gamut of office furniture including desks, chairs, cubicles and storage systems. Along with new and custom office furniture, Office Direct also stocks a selection of used and closeout items for those on a budget. Corrigan said he gets used furniture from business that have moved or upgraded equipment, and offers the re-purposed items at about 90 percent below retail cost.

“It is a pretty significant savings for startup small businesses,” he said.

Corrigan strives to buy his office furniture from United States manufacturers and he said a lot of what he offers is made in Boston, Mass.

Office Direct Interiors also offers full-service delivery and installation, and Corrigan said items are often available for same-day or next-day delivery when in stock.

Items not in stock are usually delivered within seven to ten days.

“Seems like office furniture is always the thing that’s forgotten about,” he said. “It’s a rush to get the paint done, the carpet in the building and then its, ‘Oh, now we need office furniture’. We really want to make that available without our customers having to wait a long period of time.”

When not at work, Corrigan spends time with his wife and two daughters at their home in Amherst.

Office Direct Interiors is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Beginning in October, the store will also open from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturdays.

The business can be reached at (715) 544-7547 or online at www.officedirectint.com.