Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Gail Salice, owner of The Avenue, gets into the spirit of redecorating standing in front of the painting on the front wall of her store.

New In Town

More than wall decor

Although the secondary name of The Avenue is "A Paint and Wallpaper Store," the airy, bright shop contains much more than two types of wall decor.

In transforming the former Oak Meadow Paints into The Avenue, new owner Gail Salice remodeled the place to make it roomier and better able to accommodate expanded selection and services, including interior design.

"We tried to get up to the times. It used to have a hardware store feel to it," Salice says.

Many customers initially enter seeking that perfect shade of paint, a task made easier by an in-house, computerized color-matching system, Salice explains. Before they leave, however, customers often notice and inquire about the range of other home decor products The Avenue offers, including stains, fabrics, carpets and shutters.

The most unusual line of paint is a brand new offering by Crayola. Not just for kids' rooms, the line has enough colors to suit any room of the house, Salice says. Among the creatively named hues are Grape Jelly, Dreamland, Alphabet Soup, Tickle Me Pink and Jungle Green.

Large books filled with hundreds of wallpaper and borders samples are available for customer perusal. There are also books for home-improvement types and an array of what Salice calls "paint sundries," such as brushes, rollers, spray guns, scrapers, thinners and drop cloths.

Salice, who has 12 years of experience in interior design, also offers in-home consultations for those interested in updating their homes, whether it's one room or the whole house.

The Avenue, 534 N. Santa Cruz Ave. Hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 395-3390.

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