Artist's Inspiration Transforms Retail SpaceCustomer: Image Boutique There is an unusual concept being demonstrated in the retail merchandise market in northeastern Indianapolis. Melonee Merann and Steven King are behind the inspiration for "Image", a different type of retail boutique that caters to art lovers, interior designers and the fashion conscious men and women in that area. There are a number of types of merchandise represented at "Image": The "King's Image" sells men's clothing; "Stevens" is a women's clothing store, "Merann Design" caters to interior designers, Picasso is a private bar with a dining room, catering service and wine cellar, and finally, there is an area designated for vintage cars to be displayed and sold. According to co-owner Steven King, the layout of the shop should represent everything that is sold. Major flooring renovations were needed to convert this old Sears tire store into the vision that was to be "Image". The concrete floor was deteriorated, uneven and abused. A dramatically sloped trench drain ran the length of the floor, and there were oil stains and cracks throughout the facility. Dan Voss, Midwest Regional Sales Manager for Dur-A-Flex, Inc., and contractor Steven Hess of Surface Solutions in Indianapolis were involved with the project from the onset. Co-owner Melonee Merann added her design expertise and expressed her desire to have a floor with a terrazzo look with no seams. It was essential that the floor be decorative as well as durable. She wanted the installer to create an illusion of a roadway to guide patrons to the different areas of the store. "I want people to see a subliminal effect of a yellow brick road and follow the floor's unique movement throughout the store," she said. They originally looked at installing tile, but Dan Voss showed them various options of possibilities through samples of the different decorative epoxy systems from Dur-A-Flex and the couple agreed that these would create the effect they were looking for. Melonee sketched her ideas for the floor design and she created patterns and blue prints of how she envisioned the look of the floor. Based on her designs and her desire for aesthetics and durability, the couple agreed that the Dur-A-Chip floor was the ideal choice for what they had in mind. Steve Hess and his crew began the task of preparing this deteriorated floor for the Dur-A-Chip system. After shot blasting the 4000 square foot area, they power troweled one quarter inch of epoxy resin with an aggregate base to level the floor. The Dur-A-Chip system was installed and top coated with Poly-Thane #2 Satin. The blueprints called for multiple colors in different shapes. Each layer was balanced with more than three different colors on the floor in same room. The Dur-A-Chip system was ideal for creating the different curves and color patterns in Melonee's designs. Melonee remarked that people who come into the shop are constantly commenting on the many "wow" factors displayed in the flooring system throughout the facility. Steve Hess adds, "this job was rewarding and challenging because I was able to step out of my usual role of installing industrial systems and do something creative". Since the kitchen/catering area, the bar, retail space and antique auto displays represent many different areas of industry where a Dur-A-Flex system can be installed, Steve and his crew found that installing this type of decorative floor design was a truly rewarding experience that expanded their horizons and added another dimension to their own creativity as contractors. The meandering floor design and layout allows for a sense of discovery as each patron roams from room to room. This was a rare opportunity for the owners and contractor to design a project that continues to cater to the occupants as well as the patrons. Dur-A-Flex Inc. |