When Cathy Nutter heard that Paul Belczyk was closing the doors of Empire Fur, she wondered where she would store her fur pieces during the warm summer months. Recently widowed, she was getting back to the business of life, restoring order and looking links of london charms for direction.

Empire's empty storage vault inspired her answer. Nutter took over the business and is now accepting furs for summertime storage in the secure, climate-controlled room in the basement - without cleaning, glazing and proper storage, leathers stiffen and dry out, causing the fur to shed.

One of her first acts as new owner was to persuade Mary Lou Albert, Belczyk's 15-year protegee, to abandon her retirement plans.

"I was happy when Cathy decided to take over," Albert said. "I had no intention of coming back, but I like Cathy so much. She'll do a great job here."

Because there's no such thing as fur school, Nutter did the next best thing: She signed up with a member of the Nathan family, longtime New York City furriers, who will teach her about the different types, repair and cleaning of fur and how to fit a fur to individual clients.

He's also taking her to the fur market in New York City's Garment District this June, where she'll purchase furs to sell in her Quarrier Street shop.

In addition to reviving fur services, Nutter plans to give the retail space a face lift, creating a glamorous Hollywood look with shades of lavender, gray and silver, big mirrors, glass-topped tables and black-and-white leopard-print carpet.

This fall, Nutter plans to introduce a line of upscale women's cosmetics usually found only in high-end department stores. She hasn't decided which line she'll carry.

Parmigiani Replica Watches "I've always been interested in retail sales," Nutter said. "We're going to call it the House of Luxe and use the Empire State Building in the logo because it was called Empire Fur for 15 years."

As West Virginia's only full-service furrier, the well- established storage aspect of Nutter's business should sustain the House of Luxe's cosmetic business through startup costs.

Nutter grew up in Kanawha City. She moved to Florida, where she ran spas and salons for 22 years. She moved back to Charleston 12 years ago and operated Hair Club for Men, a hair-replacement business, downtown.

While cleaning out the fur store, Nutter came across historical mementoes, including a 1956 advertising folder of what was then Steiger's Fur Shop. Steiger's Fur was in the same location for 87 years before closing in 1995, when Belczyk took over.

Morris Steiger owned the full-service store, at which he cleaned, repaired and tailored furs. One old photo shows a vault with pelts hanging on the wall, awaiting transformation into coats or stoles.

A steamer and two vintage Softex fur cleaners in the store's basement appear to be in good working order. "I'm thinking of offering cleaning here. I'll decide more after my trip to New York City," she said.

Nutter plans to fill a display case with some of the archival photos, cartoons and memorabilia she discovered. She's thinking of using live models in her windows during the downtown Art Walks on the third Thursday of each month. Downtown storefronts see lots of foot traffic on those days.

She also would like to book a fur expert who would conduct a seminar on methods
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