Hosted Ravioli: Catching up with St. Louis icon Becky, Queen of Carpet

Hosted Ravioli

She arrived, alas, by car. Famous for flying under the Arch on a carpet, Becky Rothman starred in quirky commercials for decades in St. Louis. She was anointed “queen of carpets,” wore a gown and crown and became a local celebrity. And so, she was a fitting first guest for my new St. Louis-themed podcast, “Hosted Ravioli,” recorded at The Post-Dispatch studios and available on iTunes and stltoday.com/podcasts. Becky gave us her first interview since Becky’s Carpet & Tile Superstore closed in 2012. “Being queen of carpets was wonderful, and I miss it dearly,” she said. “I miss getting dressed up everyday and going to work. I miss all the people. That was then, now is now. And it took me a long time to find myself again.” She's devoted herself to charity work involving dogs, and she still lives in the St. Louis area. In the studio, she graced us with her gown and crown, which I got to try on, making me, temporarily, “Benjamin, king of carpets.” It was a delightful discussion with Becky, who shared stories of the zany commercial shoots and Halloween nights, when she'd run into people dressed as herself. “I loved shooting the commercials, just loved it,” she said. “I made the commercials up as I went along. And the business went crazy after the commercials.” ​ Follow Hosted Ravioli on Twitter - @HostedRavioli

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