Shaw President Randy Merritt
Shaw Floors is restoring the Grand Central Terminal tradition of rolling out the red carpet, this time for the holidays. The Dalton headquartered company unveiled more than 14,000 square feet of its carpet, hardwood and resilient floors during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Grand Central Terminal Holiday Fair in Vanderbilt Hall today. One million people pass through Grand Central Terminal each day of the holiday season, totaling tens of millions of steps on flooring from presenting sponsor Shaw Floors during the six-week fair.
“Just like our homes, the floors of Grand Central Terminal are put to the test each day with kids, messes and weather,” said Randy Merritt, president of Shaw Floors. “Design and durability have been at the core of Shaw Floors and Grand Central Terminal for decades, setting a strong foundation for this year’s partnership in one of the busiest rooms in the world.”
Each piece of flooring installed throughout Vanderbilt Hall and at Terminal entrances was carefully selected to complement the iconic architecture of the historic building. Shaw’s Design Details in Grand Central Red lines the Holiday Fair aisleways to welcome guests in the same way celebrities were greeted at Grand Central Terminal dating back to the late 1920s. Park Avenue resilient in color Grand Central, a luxurious resilient plank from Shaw’s new 5th & Main collection, is underfoot throughout Vanderbilt Hall for a realistic hardwood look made for high traffic areas. Hudson Bay hardwood in Copperidge, part of the Epic Legends collection, is an eco-friendly floor that leads guests through the hall from the main Terminal into the fair. Shaw’s red all-weather carpets will invite visitors to the fair at each entrance.
The Grand Central Terminal Holiday Fair features distinctive gifts from 76 artisans and small businesses, primarily from the Greater New York area. It is open daily in Vanderbilt Hall from Nov.18 through Dec. 24, except for Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28).
