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Hey folks -

I honestly thought I’d have time to post from Sundance, but I barely had time to sleep let alone get on the computer! It was a great active vacation to have even if it wasn’t exactly the ‘calm’ before the ’storm’. So, the quick recap before I roll back into store news… I went out to Park City with Entertainment Weekly. The events crew did an absolutely magnificent job. There were only 5 of them but they did the job of 100. Honestly, every single detail was covered and all with a smile. They were so incredibly nice and handled situations that would send a normal person off the deep end with poise, grace and a calm demeanor. If any of you are reading, Thank You. You guys are amazing! For readers… we stayed in a condo next to the slopes of Deer Valley. We saw a premiere every night and added saw one morning film as well. All dinners were either catered or covered in town. We skiied for 2 days and hung out in the EW photo studio. It was just fantastic. That’s all I’ll say;). I will also leave you with this photo - sunrise looking over Park City from our condo porch. Doesn’t get much better than this!

Now Listening: Jessie Baylin - The Barefoot EP, “Contradicting Words” (check her out at www.jessiebaylin.com)

One of the biggest questions on my mind right now is what to do about flooring. There are a whole slew of options out there, including Hardwood, Linoleum, VCT (Vinyl Composite Tile), Laminate, and Engineered Wood. My number one choice on that list is Hardwood, but it’s pricey and standard costs are anywhere from $6 - $10 per sq. ft. I’m working with about 380 - 400 square feet total which, in this case, would equal anywhere from $2200 up to $4000 for the floor (not including a layer of plywood and other materials). Definitely not a figure that works well within my total budget.

Brazilian Cherry Jatoba

South American Walnut

My next material of consideration was linoleum tile or VCT. I figured that a dark brown tile wouldn’t stand out too much and would hold up under heavy traffic. After further research I discovered that dark brown isn’t a standard VCT color. The closest I could possibly get without placing a custom order was a brown tile with little multicolored flecks which, to me, screamed ‘cheesy!’ in the worst way. Not to mention, the tile had a general price range of $3-4/sq. ft. which still put me in the $1140 - $1600 range. Better, but still a little more than I’d wanted to spend. Did I have an unrealistic idea of what one should spend on a floor? Maybe, but I soldiered on in search of something more reasonable.

(an example here would just look like a block of color… I’m sure you’re all familiar with linoleum tiling)

Laminate came next. It’s still a consideration, but I’m wavering. Laminate is easy to install, can represent hardwood, but would never actually look like wood. It’s durable enough for residential, but for the heavy traffic that I hope to have in a retail environment, its lasting power is questionable. Most laminates I came across are stain resistant, which is a bonus, but not a total selling point. If damaged, it’s difficult (if not nearly impossible) to repair without a replacement. I found that costs varied greatly, ranging from $1.69/sq. foot at IKEA to $2.57/sq. ft. at Lowe’s, and those prices were still on the low end. There is one in a cherry stain that looks lovely and would run me about $710 total, but I’m concerned about the quality. I’ve looked at a couple of remodeling blogs and many people seem to prefer engineered wood over laminate.

Brazilian Cherry

Red Cherry

So, here I am, Day 1 with my engineered wood idea. I found a great one at Lowe’s that runs at about $1.97/sq. ft. which would give me an estimated total of $750. For those not familiar (I wasn’t until a few days ago when a former colleague mentioned it), engineered wood is prefinished in a factory. It has layers of other wood scraps and strips that are bound together and the top layer that you see is wood, prefinished with a particular stain. It is generally viewed to be more durable than laminate as it’s actually made from wood and it looks far more like hardwood than laminate ever would. The other benefit is that most engineered wood can be sanded up to two times before losing it’s luster and it’s fairly easy to refinish and fixup if necessary.

Chestnut Red Oak

Auburn Red Oak

Could this be my final floor selection? Time will tell. I’m planning to take a trip to Lowe’s on Tuesday or next week to poke around and check everything out. The guys arrive on Friday the 2nd and after that, it’s ‘Let the Games Begin’!

Here are a few samples of the different types of materials I’ve mentioned. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter. Have a different idea than I do? Let me know. Think I’m either a genius or crazy for thinking Engineered Wood? Please tell me and the sooner the better. It could be all done up in a few short weeks;).

Take care folks - currently no music on the player, but I am drinking a glass of white wine;).

Good news! I bought 2 more display cases. Much smaller this time and the two are identical. I think the the wood even matches the case I purchased back in Maine. The door and rounded side panels are made of glass and it has a mirror backing. There are two shelves in each and the entire piece is wall mountable. I’ve got a picture for you, but it’s tough taking a shot of a mirror backed display at night - flash is required, but distracting;). It’ll give an idea anyway.

I’m also checking out a piece on Monday. I’m undecided and I guess I’ll have to see it in person in order to make my decision. Apparently it’s a traditional Korean display case. The owner’s mother purchased in Korea and had it shipped here. Depending on how wide it actually is, it could be a nice addition to the shop. I may need to add lighting, but at the low price of $100, that seems feasible. What do you think?

The Sundance Festival, that is. I leave my apartment at the ungodly hour of 4:45am. How I’m actually going to wake up for that is beyond me. Two alarms will be necessary and I’ll love the moment I can sleep again on the flight. If, that is, I can sleep seeing that I’ll be in the middle seat!! But no complaining here;). My friend Valerie (check her out here: www.blogspot.com/valeywood) invited me to go along. She in the industry and gets all the amazing perks - like ‘all expenses paid’. That’s the way to take a vacation!! We’ll be checking out movies, skiing and snowmobiling in Park City for 3 days and I can’t wait! I will still be doing some work out there and hope to have more news for you all about upcoming designers in the next few days, so stay tuned. The blog will not sleep in Park City!!

NOW LISTENING: Hem - Half Acre

Well, not destruction really. All we did (as previously mentioned) was take out the walls, floors, and ceilings that have been added on. We exposed the tile and it looks great… needs a little touch up maybe, but nothing too serious. I love the weathered look. So, here are a few more shots. enjoy:)

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