European Flooring prepares to join Selkirk Waterfront Community

Victorians have long recognized European Flooring for both their knowledgeable, customer-focused approach and the long-lasting quality of their engineered hardwood floors.

Soon, the Canadian company will also have a hip new space to better showcase its exceptional, sustainably harvested products.

European Flooring's current Victoria store, on Alpha Street between Douglas and Burnside, is moving several blocks south to the Selkirk Waterfront Community, a planned neighbourhood including a trendy collection of condominiums and townhomes, shops, services and restaurants at the foot of Jutland, overlooking the Gorge Waterway.

As European Flooring celebrates 10 years in Canada - and five here in Victoria - the move has come at the ideal time, notes Zech Inkster, Manager, Western Canada. "We're really excited about this new space, both in terms of the showroom itself and how it will allow us to showcase the European Flooring lines," he says in anticipation of the move planned for later this summer.

The new location is a natural fit in many ways, says Selkirk architect Franc D'Ambrosio, who looks forward to welcoming European Flooring to its new digs. With its progressive architecture, the renowned Selkirk community "is a leader in terms of urban design," explains D'Ambrosio, noting the very building European Flooring will be moving to has earned accolades from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. "I think it's a good fit in that regard.

"Also, Selkirk is poised to become a design-oriented neighbourhood," he suggests.

With its proximity to the Rock Bay community, where many building-related materials are produced, "it's not a big leap to have a design-related neighbourhood adjacent to that and I think this is the start."

Though smaller in square-footage than the existing showroom, moving warehouse facilities off-site has allowed Inkster to dedicate the new space to displaying the elegant hardwoods.

With the help of Victoria's Swiftsure Cabinets, Inkster has designed a creative, pocket door-style system to maximize the display space offered in the bright new showroom, boasting ample natural light from the vast picture windows. "We'll be able to show more in less space - it literally triples our display capacity," Inkster says.

"We've also refined our product line a little and our new line is completely customizable - we can build the floor for exactly what the client needs."

That approach is a key example of the service that allows D'Ambrosio to recommend European Flooring to his clients. "I think their service is a big thing," he says, pointing to a recent training session explaining their products' technical details. "That really helped in giving us the vocabulary to sell the product," D'Ambrosio notes.

"I'm also looking forward to a more sustainable line of flooring," including products manufactured closer to home for reduced transportation costs, a benefit when working in today's green building programs, such as LEED, he adds.

As moving day nears, and European Flooring phases out its existing Italian line in favour of its own environmentally friendly engineered flooring, Inkster will be offering what is virtually unheard of from the quality flooring company: a moving sale. Over the coming weeks, visit European Flooring in Victoria at 661 Alpha St., across from the Mayfair Shopping Centre, to take advantage of pre-move prices. Learn more at www.europeanflooring.ca or call 250-483-0301.

 

About European Flooring:

Specializing in extraordinary, sustainably harvested flooring from around the world, European Flooring has showrooms in Victoria, B.C., Toronto, On., and Woodbridge, On.

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For more information, contact Zech Inkster, Manager, Western Canada,  250-483-0301 or visit www.europeanflooring.ca