Last July, Durette Candito was dealt a heavy blow. Her six-year-old interior design studio and showroom on Main Street was damaged due to an exploding transformer sub-station across the street. Everything in the front end of the shop was lost, and what items she could salvage Candito moved into storage. The only choice she had left was to close up shop.

But the eternal optimist didn’t let the incident stop her for long. Over the next nine months Candito secured a new space, began to rebuild her business and, this April, she celebrated the grand opening of Urban Ranch General Store on West Sahara.

“This is an urban rendition of the old general store,” Candito explains. “In the old days, you could go to a general store to get stuff to make your pie and cloth to make your dress. Now, it’s an urbanized version of that—you can come in and buy exotic mustard, a local-made salsa, a really cool shirt and a new doorknob.”

The 2,400-square-foot shop displays unique pieces of furniture, fixtures, lighting and home accessories. A row of dressers with sliding drawers that Candito calls her “jewelry boxes” reveal gorgeous cabinetry handles. And in an area dubbed the “walk-in closet,” guests try on clothing or peruse cases holding one-of-a-kind jewelry like earrings, necklaces and belts. A sample of one of Candito’s intricate, custom wine cellars, which are built into residential and commercial spaces, is also on display, and clients of her interior design business can browse an immense library of fabrics, tapestries, wallpapers and paint samples in two rooms at the rear of Urban Ranch.

Candito's 5 Favorite Pieces

photo_camera

arrow_left_alt arrow_right_alt

subtitles subtitles_off open_in_full close_fullscreen

Parts of the store were also inspired by Candito’s home state of New Mexico. “We are in the desert; we are ‘ranch-y,’ but we’re growing up and becoming more urban. I think it’s just a nice blend of two aesthetics.”

An artist herself, Candito has designed some of the jewelry and clothing in the store and has plans to create many more pieces. Like the general stores of yesterday, she’s also purchasing locally as much as possible and says she plans to hold events that will feature up-and-coming and established Las Vegas artists.

“I really want to support local craftspeople,” she said. “We have a lot of talent in this city.”