Summerlin-area decor store caters to those looking for one-stop-shop for eclectic design in Las Vegas

It's all in the details, and Durette Candito knows all about details. Her business, Urban Ranch General Store, opened in January at 6985 W. Sahara Ave, Suite 105.

Those details mean Urban Ranch doesn't fit into a neat little classification. It sells wine bar items but also candles. It offers wall decor but also cowhide rugs.

At first, she advertised it as a hardware store because she has long been the go-to source in town for artsy, high-end cabinet handles and doorknobs and locks, and contractors are often clients. But the store's concept is evolving to include much more.

Candito sectioned off an area and made it into a women's fashion corner. She designs jackets, a testament to her earlier career as a fashion designer. Urban Ranch also carries jewelry designs.

"A man ... came in to buy something, and he looked around and said, ''What kind of store is this, anyway?' '' she said.

Candito is well-versed in hardware and knows how to take apart a lock and put together kitchen cabinets.

"I can speak to them on their level," she said of builders and contractors.

Terri Rosenberg found Candito when she and her husband were installing a wine cellar.

"It doesn't have that 'store' environment," she said. "It's very homey."

Since moving to Las Vegas in 2001, Candito operated her store downtown . It catered to interior designers and contractors whose high-end clients wanted something more than the do-it-yourself home improvement stores offered. It operated under the name Durette Studio. The business fostered a synergy among herself, local builders and private clients for decorating concepts that allowed homeowners to express themselves through their homes.

It all came to a grinding halt when an explosion in a downtown NV Energy substation and a gas leak a few days later last summer meant finding new digs.

Richann Bender of The Lakes area has been a client since Candito opened the downtown store. She buys items for her home and gifts for friends.

She said the fire was just an obstacle to overcome.

"She's always had a positive, can-do attitude," Bender said of Candito. "She dove straight into how could she recover from this. I think she saw it as an opportunity. And now she has this beautiful store."

Classic European designs have always been the hallmark of her work. With the new location, Candito lets her artistic side explore mixing classic styles with not-so-classic choices. She reupholstered a footstool, for example, in a tuxedo theme.

Her line of jackets is using less-obvious cloth choices.

Candito's introduction to various fabrics began at an early age. She was taught sewing by her grandmother at age 9. It extended past the usual cotton and tulle.

"I've always loved fabrics," she said.

Even at an early age, she said, she knew that the direction of her life would rely on that talent. By 15, she had a clothing mail-order business in her home town.

By 21, she'd moved on to running a clothing design business with five seamstresses under her. She was also trying to raise two toddlers and run a household. The nonstop demands put her in the hospital and led to re-evaluating her career goals. She began studying architecture. Then her artistic vision expanded to include rearranging rooms, and she was soon operating an interior design business out of her home.

Now, the 2,400-square-foot shop involves all her interests. It plays host to wine-related events, artist receptions and interior design classes.

Contact Summerlin and Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.