Festive holiday spirits and good cheer can be felt brimming throughout the Tri-Community as Christmas Day quickly approaches. While schools and churches are counting down to the big day, local businesses have also been busy spreading Christmas cheer, especially Phelan business Smart Floors. The local business has magically transformed a section of their showroom into an impressive miniature winter wonderland Christmas Village. Small business owner Lisa Loveless has been collecting Christmas village houses and figurines for the past 20 years, which she displays at her family-owned business, Smart Floors, during the Christmas season. “I change it every time, so it’s like a whole new town each year,” said Lisa, “Everyone who comes in here loves it.”
Although the figurines are small-scale, the abundance of buildings and lights make the display more of a city than a village, complete with a clock tower, carousel, and an ice skating rink. Lisa mentioned that it takes about a full day to set up the entire display, with each piece telling a unique story. Her impressive collection all began with a single figurine of townspeople enjoying a sleigh ride, which her mother gifted to her from one of her trips to London. Throughout the years, she’s been gifted even more pieces and continues to grow the village, which is now sprawled across a large table that’s tucked away behind a display of flooring samples.
Lisa’s love for Christmas decor and collecting is also seen through her artistic creations. Her most recent creation is a glittering Christmas Tree collage, which is framed and hung behind the front desk. The artwork is made up of charms, earrings, and brooches thoughtfully crafted to form a decadent Christmas tree, and, similar to the Christmas village, each piece tells a story. “This earring actually belonged to famous actress Virginia O’Brien,” said Lisa. O’Brien’s barrette and broach are also included in the collage, which was gifted to Lisa by her close friend and fellow Tri-Community business owner Gale Evans of Gale Evans Bookkeeping, who happens to be the daughter of the famed 1940s actress.
Be sure to stop by Smart Floors in Phelan this holiday season to admire the Christmas Village, Christmas Tree Collage and to hear more fascinating stories from owners Lisa and James Loveless. Smart Floors is located at 3936 Phelan Road next to Mills Hardware and is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Christmas village will only be on display until New Year’s, but the local business is open year-round to shop for all your flooring needs.
