REGION

REGION

Rite Aid opens store in Columbiana

COLUMBIANA — Rite Aid has opened its new store at 14973 South Ave. The nearly 15,000 square-foot store is part of the company’s goal to open about 85 new and relocated stores this fiscal year.

A company statement said each new store highlights the pharmacy. The pharmacy department is easily seen and accessible from the entrance, and has a waiting area with a lowered ceiling, chairs and television. It connects to a pharmacy consultation room.

Satolli Carpet expands, moves to new location

WARREN — Longtime Warren business Satolli Carpet & Floor Covering has moved to a larger location at 361 High St. It had been next door.

The company has increased the size of its showroom by nearly two and a half times, using the additional space to display new styles of flooring.

“We had been in the same location for nearly 20 years. It was too small to keep pace with the changes in the floor covering industry,” said Eric Thompson, a company spokesman.

Coldwater Creek to open its Eastwood Mall store

NILES — Coldwater Creek will open a store Oct. 30 in the Eastwood Mall. This will be the chain’s only location in the Mahoning Valley.

Coldwater Creek bills itself as a brand for discerning women with a finer sense of style.

The 6,000-square-foot store will feature a mixture of soft woods and ambient lighting. Coldwater Creek was founded in Sandpoint, Idaho, in 1984 and has more than 300 stores.

Apprenticeship program is taking applications

VIENNA — The Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana Counties Cement Masons and Plasters Joint Apprenticeship Program will accept applications for a class of cement masons.

Applications will be accepted at the Builders Association of Eastern Ohio & Western Pennsylvania, 1372 Youngstown-Kingsville Road. They can be picked up from 9 to 11 a.m. and 1:30 to 3 p.m. Nov. 10-14.

Applicants should bring a transcript of high school grades, military service certificate and either a birth certificate or driver’s license. An aptitude test will be administered at the time of application. The application fee is $20.

NATION

Paint supplier’s forecast: Blue will be hot car color

NEW YORK — Blue is the car color of tomorrow, according to an annual forecast by automotive paint supplier PPG Industries Inc.

Blues, particularly more vibrant, richer, complex blues, will take on a more important role in car styling, said Jane Harrington, PPG’s manager of color styling for automotive coatings.

“It’s a globally acceptable color. It doesn’t have any bad connotations,” she said.

In April, a report by chemicals giant Dupont also predicted a resurgence in blue as a color choice. They saw an increasing focus on the environment as a reason.

Among existing cars, silver continues to be the most popular color in North America, PPG said. Twenty percent of new cars purchased so far in 2008 were silver, PPG said. White was the No. 2 color, at 18 percent, followed by black at 17 percent and red at 13 percent.

Vindicator staff/wire reports