By Mark Wineka Salisbury Post It's like a bed and breakfast, but then it isn't. It's like a hotel suite, but what hotel room has three televisions? You could spend a day here, or a week or a month. It has a big-city feel, but it's in downtown Salisbury. Architects Gray Stout and Heather St. Aubin-Stout hope they've created with "loft 130" luxury, overnight, urban lodging in the heart of Salisbury. The West Square Historic District has residential bed and breakfast establishments that are part of the owners' homes. But the nearby central business district -- bare of hotels -- really doesn't have a place for visitors to stay overnight. The Stouts have stepped in to fill that void. They are marketing loft 130, located in a former second-floor office condominium at 130 N. Lee St., as a unique place to stay for businessmen, professionals, tourists and even spillover family members. "At least you get the feel you're somewhere other than the interstate," Gray Stout says. Finding it difficult to sell or rent their upstairs condominium as office space, the couple transformed the former architectural studio to a finely appointed living suite. Blueprint machines, drafting desks and conference tables have been replaced by what St. Aubin-Stout calls an "urban upscale" decor. It features things such as two queen steel beds, a small breakfast table, kitchen with a refrigerator and microwave, large walk-in dressing area, full ceramic tile bathroom, three plasma televisions, wireless Internet, track lighting, wireless telephone with unlimited long distance, a TEAC flatline sound system with a CD/MP3 player and iPod dock, a free-standing bar and extras that include books to read, cotton sheets and towels, down pillows and complimentary Starbucks coffee, muffins, beverages and popcorn. St. Aubin-Stout said furnishings came mainly from Ecko in Chapel Hill, Crate and Barrel and The Pottery Barn. With the decor, exposed ceiling and sunlight pouring in from windows on three sides, the condominium has a modern feel. The regular rate is $175 a night. The couple are offering a grand opening special rate of $130 a night, to match the loft's name. They held an open house at loft 130 Wednesday evening. The couple envision loft 130 as the perfect place for visiting employees or guests of local companies who might have to stay in Salisbury for a couple of days or even a week. They tout loft 130 as an easy walk to restaurants, art galleries, antique shops, museums and historic sites. They also see it as a good place to spread out after a day's work. Someone attending Salisbury's OctoberTour of homes or touring the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer might be interested in this kind of urban rather than interstate lodging, the couple say. Or if a Salisburian wants to treat visiting family members to a unique experience, loft 130 might fill the bill. It could be a weekend getaway for local couples celebrating a birthday or anniversary. It might be a great place to hold a Super Bowl party. It could be a convenient address for parents to host a before- or after-prom gathering for their students who are attending a prom at Salisbury Station. The Stouts even envision loft 130 providing convenient accommodations for newlyweds looking for a place to stay on their first night after their wedding reception at the depot. St. Aubin-Stout said she and Gray figured there were other people, like themselves, who "just like to stay in the heart of things" when they travel. St. Aubin-Stout speaks especially of how important it is for people to take a break and get away from their routines. "Heather always wanted to do something like this," Gray Stout says. The couple have had fun getting loft 130 ready for occupancy, and Gray Stout predicts it's "just the beginning of more of this stuff" in Salisbury. They are promoting loft 130 through the open house, brochures, contacts with employers, a Web site and their links to other Web sites. For more information or to make reservations for loft 130, call 704-267-6480 or visit the Web site at www.loft130. com.
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