Personality and not profit drives retail center decor

It's all about image at a Sparks shopping

center that plans to go on a decorating streak.

A line of 315 hand painted tiles, each depicting

a work by a famous artist,will grace the

10,000-square-foot Artisans Plaza.

"We really wanted our building to stand

out," says co-owner Denise Oliver of Two

Daughters LLC."It makes the building truly

unique and easily identifiable."

But how does that translate into business

profit?

"We can't say that this will translate into

an additional 5 cents per square foot in lease

rates," says co-owner and leasing agent Don

Wallace of Gaston &Wilkerson Management

Group."Rather than looking at it as a straight

economic proposal, we strive to build a quality

project that's esthetically pleasing.We try to

make all our buildings as architecturally interesting

as possible."

The architect is Jim Wallace of Blakely

Johnson & Ghusn; the contractor is K7

Construction of Reno. The tiles will be

installed in mid-May with the center scheduled

to open in mid-June.

The name,Wallace adds, also suits the

denizens of Artisans Plaza Medical Building,

a 28,000-square-foot office complex rising

immediately behind the shopping center. The

office condos surround a 3,000-square-foot

atrium.

But the name especially suits Oliver, owner

of Playful Potter,who will operate a 2,000-

square-foot pottery painting studio at Artisans

Plaza.

Oliver and her Playful Potter staff,Vickie

Blair and Tabatha Wade, hand-painted the

eight-by-eight inch ceramic tiles. Each cost $8

and took up to five hours to complete, she

says. The art is inspired by Picasso,Matisse,

Pollack, O'Keeffe,Warhol and Mondrian.

The Prater Way center, situated north of

RED Development's Legends at Sparks

Marina, is expected to be a big tourist draw.

But the tiles aren't just a gimmick to lure those

tourists to the next shopping center over, says

Oliver.

"We were looking to have an investment in

real estate," says the artist,who graduated

from University of Nevada, Reno,with a major

in art and a minor in business.

Playful Potter has done business for five

years at Baring Village Shopping Center, where

Oliver employs six, aged 17 to 72. Customers

drop in to paint works of art on pottery.

Groups book the space for birthday parties,

bridal showers, and scout troop outings.

Summer camp targets kids who try their hand

at painting in the fashion of famous artists.

The venue also draws corporate events.

"They bring in food and celebrate accomplishments,"

says Oliver."Or simply come in to paint

for team building exercises. They may paint

coffee cups for co-workers. It's a chance to get

out of the office and do something creative."

And do the men like to paint pottery?

"Most of them take awhile to get into it,"

Oliver admits."But they come around.We have

miniature monster trucks and ATVs for them

to paint.

"And every guy likes to paint a cereal bowl

that holds as much as they really want to eat."