STORE SPACES

Minneapolis – The Tile Shop has opened its first retail store in Oklahoma City. The new 19,100 square foot Oklahoma City location is The Tile Shop’s second store in Oklahoma.

The company recently opened a new store in Tulsa.

New York -- Colorado will become the first state in the country to open recreational pot retail stores when, on Jan. 1, 2014, it begins allowing the sale of cannabis to anyone age 21 or over.

The move comes after voters in Colorado approved the measure in the November 2012 elections. The state of Washington also legalized recreational marijuana at the same time, but that state won't open marijuana stores until later in 2014.

San Jose, Calif. – Samsung has reportedly hired a high-level store designer from Apple. According to multiple media reports, the U.S., telecom unit of Samsung recently hired Tim Gudgel, a five-year veteran store designer at Apple, as VP and GM of retail sales operations.

Ridgefield, Connecticut -- Schimenti Construction Company completed ground up construction of two Target department stores, in Huntington and Staten Island, N.Y. — overcoming unique challenges exacerbated by Super Storm Sandy along the way.

While the hurricane did not cause major damage at either project, it did destroy fencing, displace materials and flood excavations. Both projects experienced fuel shortages, suffered delays in material supply, and required subcontractors to set up carpools to reach the worksites.

Bridgeview, Ill. -- Rose Paving Company, a provider of complete parking lot management solutions to commercial and industrial properties nationwide, announced it  raised $7,000 during its year-long, multi-event fundraising campaign benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The donation, presented to St. Jude in December, will help support the lifesaving mission of one of the world’s premier pediatric cancer research centers.

Newport, Ky. -- Divisions Maintenance Group, a provider of facilities maintenance services for retail properties, recently purchased 19 box plows for its Denver district in preparation for the 2013-14 snow season. This represents the largest influx of box plows purchased by the company in one year for one specific district.

New York -- Impact Architectural Signs completed a street-level, storefront signage project for Tiffany's in Chicago that served as a fall seasonal promotion to help sell upscale watches. The Michigan Avenue retailer used vinyl window graphics in which gold vinyl film was used to suggest a clock face.

New York – Give your project the recognition it deserves — enter Chain Store Age’s 32nd annual Retail Store of the Year design competition. The entry deadline is December 23, 2013.

More than 20 competition categories are featured, including department stores, supermarkets, discounters, restaurants, convenience stores, specialty stores, service, sustainability and pop-up stores. This year, for the first time, the competition also includes the category of in-store digital innovation.

Gloucester City, N.J. — Nest International, a leading facility maintenance management firm, has appointed Joni Mayo to the position of VP of sales. Mayo brings 30 years of proven sales, marketing and operations leadership experience. Mayo joins Nest from Sylvania Lighting Services where she led sales in excess of $49 million in 2012.

New York — The early bird rate for Chain Store Age's 32nd annual Retail Store of the Year design competition ends on Nov. 29. Retailers, design firms, architects and suppliers are invited to submit entries for the competition, whose regular deadline for submission is December 23, 2013.