Amid other shops still under construction, the home furnishings store Studio C by California Design Center opened Dec. 1 in Oro Valley’s Steam Pump Village shopping center.

The new store, at 11085 N. Oracle Road, is named Studio C to distinguish it from the California Design Center on East Fort Lowell Road, said General Manager Amy Del Castillo.

The two stores carry the same designers but mostly different items, or in cases when the items are the same, different styles of them.

“A lot of our customers shop both stores,” she said.

California Design Center owner Nancy Farina said Studio C features a complex mix of furnishings. Farina founded California Design Center in Tucson in 1979.

Studio C has 12 employees and four trainees, Del Castillo said.

Employees receive six months of training including three design-related night courses at Pima Community College paid for by the company, she said. “It’s a big investment.”

California Design Center and Studio C also have a tuition reimbursement program, Farina said.
“Anyone can do it, as long as they show it’s work-related,” she said. This includes classes that are even unrelated to design, such accounting.

Terra Mahaffey, 24, works as a designer at Studio C and by appointment at California Design Center’s other store.

She expects to graduate from Northern Arizona University’s satellite program on interior design in May, and said her work at Studio C is helping her form a career in residential design.

“I have a great foundation to work from — the best of the best,” she said.

The training is also good for customers, Del Castillo said.

“A lot of people don’t know about our design services. Even if you’re just buying furniture, you’re working with someone who is familiar with design,” she said.

Customers who would rather just browse through the store also have that option.

Studio C plans to hold a grand-opening event in January, Del Castillo said.

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