Homeowners looking to remodel or build new can now select their flooring personally at Interiors by Flooring Services, the Daniel Island showroom of Flooring Services Inc., one of the largest flooring companies serving both commercial and residential clients in the Southeast.

Previously only open to commercial builders, the showroom, located at 455 Deanna Lane off Clements Ferry Road, is now open to the public by appointment. Inside, customers will find samples of domestic and exotic hardwoods, carpet, tile and natural stones from the nation’s leading flooring manufacturers. They can also receive a complimentary design consultation with one of the showroom’s three designers, each of whom specializes in a different type of flooring, as well as discuss custom stains and finishes for site-finished hardwood flooring.

"We’re seeing more and more homeowners renovating their homes instead of selling them, and upgrading flooring is a great way to add value," says Barry Blackmon, owner of Flooring Services Inc. "We wanted to make our showroom more accessible to accommodate this growing need."

To schedule an appointment to visit the showroom, please call 843-388-6872.

Flooring Services Inc., founded in 1999 and based in historic Charleston, S.C., is one of the largest flooring companies serving both commercial and residential clients in the Southeast. Representing the nation’s leading manufacturers of domestic and exotic hardwoods, carpet, tile and natural stones, the company works with clients to handle all of their flooring needs from start to finish, including selection and design assistance in their Daniel Island showroom, installation and warranty issues. Flooring Services Inc. also regularly works on large-scale commercial projects, with clients including the AAA Five Diamond Sanctuary at Kiawah Island and Wando High School in Mt. Pleasant, and brings the same commitment to service and quality to individual homeowners. For more information, visit www.flooringservicesinc.com.

Ritchie O’Brien has joined First Citizens as a relationship manager. In this role, he will be responsible for preparing tax analysis, analyzing financial statements, completing loan approval forms, and working with relationship managers and credit risk administrators. O’Brien will be based out of the Moncks Corner branch located at 212 E. Main St.

O’Brien holds a bachelor of science degree in business management from UNC-Pembroke. Prior to joining First Citizens, he worked in various positions at Sovereign Bank and Wachovia Dealer Services.

Join the executive chefs of Crew Carolina and the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative’s Megan Westmeyer at The Boathouse on East Bay for a local five-course meal featuring one of a kind sustainable seafood dishes on Wednesday June 25 at 7 p.m. Executive chefs Charles Arena of The Boathouse on East Bay, Brannon Florie of The Boathouse at Breach Inlet, and Jeremiah Bacon of Carolina’s have designed a diverse menu featuring local and sustainable ingredients and have paired each course with local beers from Charleston’s Palmetto Brewery.  Enjoy the evening with local clam harvester Toby Van Buren, Mark Marhefka, a snapper and grouper fisherman, local shrimper Tommy Edwards and Ed Falkenstein of Palmetto Brewery, as they highlight the importance on sustainable practices and how your choices today can ensure a sustainable future.

The evening meal will feature: Breach Inlet Clams paired with a Palmetto Watermelon Wheat; a Warm Shrimp Ravioli, with melted cabbage and fresh summer herbs with Palmetto Lager; Carolina Crab with local arugula, heirloom radishes and cool grapefruit served with Palmetto Pale Ale; Roasted Vermilion Snapper in a sun-choke puree served with spinach in a truffle foam and paired with Palmetto Amber Ale; and end the evening with homemade Palmetto Porter ice cream with Palmetto Porter.

Dinner reservations are $55 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity. Space is limited and reservations are required by contacting The Boathouse on East Bay, 843-577-7171

Sustainable Seafood refers to fish that are caught or farmed with consideration for the long-term viability of individual marine species and for the oceans’ ecological balance as a whole.  In other words, sustainable seafood is fish for the future.

The Sustainable Seafood Initiative, a conservation program of the South Carolina Aquarium, teaches chefs about sustainable seafood and how the decisions they make today can ensure that we have fish in the future. The Initiative also support the use of seafood produced by the U.S. fishing industry, which follows conservation-based regulations that are not often required by other countries. Participating restaurants make every effort to obtain seafood from sustainable and, whenever possible, domestic and local sources. In addition, they agree to not serve or sell Chilean sea bass, orange roughy and imported shark because of concerns regarding the status of these species in the wild.  Since its inception in 2002, the Sustainable Seafood Initiative has grown to include more than 60 restaurant partners in Charleston, Beaufort, Hilton Head, the Grand Strand and the Upstate.