GraphX customers and friends attended an open house for the new location of the downtown Overton business last Thursday. Pictured l to r are Diane Douglas, GraphX owner Roxanne Labeau, Catherine Pickett and William Pickett

By Vernon Robison

Moapa Valley Progress

Overton small business, GraphX held an open house event on Thursday last week to celebrate its relocation to 240 S. Moapa Valley Blvd. in downtown Overton. The business recently moved to the small house just south of Moapa Valley Credit Union where the office of Light Realty was previously located.

Graph-X has been operating for several years in Overton. The business provides signs and banners, printing and copy services and carries a large inventory of office supplies. The building also is home to La Belle Maison, a full interior design business.

Business owner, Roxanne Labeau said that the new location needed a little interior (and exterior) design of its own to get it ready for the move.

“We did over 600 hours of labor on the place to get things cleaned up and ready to go,” Labeau said. “We went through about 35 gallons of paint.”

The structure was built 76 years ago in 1935 as a small residence, according to property owner Bill Cooper of Logandale. Cooper’s uncle, Thomas Johnson and his wife Bessie had been living on a property well below Overton at the time. When Hoover Dam was built and the waters of Lake Mead were expected to rise over the Johnson property, the federal government bought them out. So they had the small home built for them in Overton, Cooper said.

“I remember for many years it was known for its beautiful yard,” Cooper said. “They always kept beautiful flowers; roses and tulips and other things; and it was always in great shape.”

While the flowers are now largely gone, the building’s new tenant has added some splashes of color of her own. The house now stands out with a bold pink trim. The walkway to the front door sports a pink carpet for customers. And the inside of the store is filled with tasteful pink-colored accents and furnishings. Roxanne was even wearing pink at the Thursday open house.

“My husbands shakes his head and laughs about all the pink,” Roxanne said. “But I just say it is all part of the brand.”

Roxanne brings her eye for color and a touch of class to her interior decorating business. She enjoys working with clients to find just the right fit for their home.

“I have customers that are curious and ask me to come and do just one room for them to start with,” she said. “We talk about little things that can be done to really add to the look of the room.”

Roxanne said that she especially emphasizes color. “I love to work in color,” she said. “I always say, the only reason that God made white paint is to cover up mistakes and then paint over it with something else. I do not do white.”

Roxanne has a network of local craftsman, crafters, upholsterers, artists and other service providers that she calls upon to bring materials for decorating. “I like to keep it local and find local people to make the things I use,” she said. “There is so much talent and so many beautiful things available from local people. And keeping business local helps everyone.”