Latest News Archives
11/19/2004
New
Renovations To Our Showroom
Story by:
Natasha Dorsey
Upon
graduating from the esteemed Interior Design School at Florida State, I was
lucky to have landed a job with a local company looking to redesign their
showroom. United Building Products, owned by another FSU alum, Bob Carnes, had
no idea what kind of renovation adventure they were about to embark on
United
Building Products located on North Monroe Street between I-10 and Fred George
Rd, has nearly 5,000 sq. ft. of showroom space, showcasing their assortment of
products. Most people have driven by hundreds of times, but dont seem to
realize all of the interesting things we have to offer. Our products have been
featured in about 95% of the Parade of Homes houses. Many people also
just assume that we only work with builders, which is not true. We do
work with nearly 100 local homebuilding companies; however we are very excited
to work with any client looking to do a little remodeling as well. The interest
we have in expanding more into this remodeling market is what prompted nearly
$300,000 in renovations, already in progress. The first
installment of these renovations includes an impressive working kitchen
featuring top-of-the-line GE Monogram appliances. These will all be in full
working condition so that we can demonstrate to our customers that these
products not only look great, but work great as well. Once this kitchen is
completed, we have plans to cook daily and perhaps make lunches or treats
available for our beloved customers and builders who are lucky enough to be
passing by at the right moment. Even if cookies arent in the oven, GEs new Trivection technology will allow for us to cook some up in less than half of the
time they would normally take. I dont know about you, but food is constantly
on my mind, so I will be continuously coming up with new ways to incorporate it
into our daily schedule here at U.B.P., perhaps becoming an excellent chef in
the meantime. Our second
stage of renovation not only includes new overall flooring and a beautiful
masonry-looking fireplace and comfortable reception area, but also another live
kitchen featuring an assortment of appliances from GE Profile. Hopefully we
will have this much finished by the first of the New Year. From there, we have
plans to create at least 3 more live kitchens, incorporating great products from Thermador, Bosch, Fisher & Paykel, Uline, Scotsman, Best, Vent-a-Hood, DCS,
FireMagic, and several other popular brands. And we couldnt leave out our
beautiful Franke sinks, which will also be displayed in most of the kitchens.
These different vignettes will host an assortment of kitchen design styles,
including modern and traditional, and also a beach look, which we are
particularly excited about. We are hoping that being able to see kitchens all
put together as opposed to just rows and rows of appliances will really help our
customers envision what they want to accomplish in their own houses. We are
also excited, as a sales team, to be able to actually use and form unbiased
opinions about the products we are selling, that way we can give a much better
suggestion than if we had never actually tried them out. Even with all of the
conventions we go to, it is so much different to be able to have access to daily
usage. The appliance industry is so competitive that the different
manufacturers keep coming out with new products that are hard to imagine and
even more difficult to explain. Being able to use them will make it so much
easier to realize how innovative and useful they really are. This year,
more than ever, people are realizing the benefits of updating their appliances.
With electricity prices going up, the new energy standards that are enforced on
products practically allow them to pay for themselves within a few years. This
is also the reason that so many people are adapting their houses to allow for a
gas fireplace. Gas is generally less expensive than electricity, and the
warmth, glow, and ambiance of a fireplace is unbeatableespecially when you can
just flip a switch and turn it off when you want to leave the house. We have
several different gas logs and fireplace inserts, available both vented and
vent-free. Just ask to see our new Burn Room, where they are on live display
because it is just so hard to buy a gas log if you cant see what it looks like
when it is burning. For the wood stove and fireplace lovers, dont worry, we
have those too! And dont forget about the electric fireplace, which has amazed
many of our customers with its incredibly realistic look. So next time
you are up this way, please swing by and check out our new additions! Bob,
Bill, Bron, Carla, Walker, and I will be glad to show you around, as well as
keep you updated on the dates of our future cooking classes. And dont forget
that with all of these renovations, we have over 100 items on closeout that are
marked down to make room for all of the new kitchens. Please keep us in mind
for any appliance, grill, fireplace, woodstove, door, and window needs. We look
forward to working with your builder, interior designer, architect, and
especially YOU, on anything you may need or any questions you may have. Now you
can shop where the builders shop. In the meantime, please have a wonderful and
safe holiday season and New Year!
|
|