3 Day Blinds

An acrimonious legal battle between two competing Southland window blind makers has escalated after 3 Day Blinds placed ads in major regional publications proclaiming that Qwik Blinds filed for bankruptcy protection last May. The ad, which ran late last month in more than 1 million copies of the Pennysaver, the Orange County Register and all editions of The Los Angeles Times, warned shoppers about falling "victim to their (Qwik Blinds') problems." "It's your money.

Randy Yeager is the new president and chief operating officer of Anaheim-based 3 Day Blinds Inc., a manufacturer and retailer of window coverings. He was formerly president and chief executive of Ralston Enterprises in Tustin, and before that was director of retail stores for the Eddie Bauer company. * Cheryl Isen has been named vice president of corporate communications for VitalCom Inc. in Tustin. She joined the company last year as senior director of corporate communications.

Randy Yeager is the new president and chief operating officer of Anaheim-based 3 Day Blinds Inc., a manufacturer and retailer of window coverings. He was formerly president and chief executive of Ralston Enterprises in Tustin, and before that was director of retail stores for the Eddie Bauer company. * Cheryl Isen has been named vice president of corporate communications for VitalCom Inc. in Tustin. She joined the company last year as senior director of corporate communications.

The second Target store in Irvine will open Wednesday at the Marketplace Irvine, marking the grand opening of the shopping center's third addition. The Marketplace, a multiplex of shops, restaurants and cinemas, is on both sides of Jamboree Road just north of the Santa Ana Freeway. The third phase, on Jamboree between Bryan Avenue and Irvine Boulevard, will house about 20 stores filling 427,000 square feet of space. About 80% of the new complex is already leased, said Jeff Dodd, Irvine Co.

Michael Patrick has been appointed vice president of Datum Inc. and president of Datum-Irvine. He had been Datum-Irvine's executive vice president of operations. Patrick joined Datum in May 1998 as vice president of operations. Before that, he was vice president of operations at Interstate Electronics Corp. * Jon Engleking has been named chief operating officer of E-Commerce Exchange in Irvine. He had been executive vice president.

Two forms of relief were set up last week in Southwest Los Angeles to aid individuals and businesses still in need after the Jan. 17 earthquake. West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Jefferson Park joined forces with the Salvation Army to set up a disaster relief center for displaced individuals and families at the church-owned 20th Century Plastics building at 3628 Crenshaw Blvd. West Angeles communications director James Thomas said the timing of the joint venture could not have been better.

The value of venture capital deals in Southern California doubled in the first quarter as the surging economy drew investors to promising communications, software, biotechnology, retail and Internet-related companies, a survey found. Venture capital firms invested $231.5 million in businesses in the Los Angeles-Orange counties region in the first three months of the year, up from $113.

Question: We recently bought a home with a beautiful polished-oak staircase. We love looking at it, but we have a problem walking on it. It's very slippery when you have dress shoes, and my wife and I have had several near accidents when walking downstairs. Would it be a good idea to refinish the staircase with a top coat that wouldn't be so slippery? T.L.

An acrimonious legal battle between two competing Southland window blind makers has escalated after 3 Day Blinds placed ads in major regional publications proclaiming that Qwik Blinds filed for bankruptcy protection last May. The ad, which ran late last month in more than 1 million copies of the Pennysaver, the Orange County Register and all editions of The Los Angeles Times, warned shoppers about falling "victim to their (Qwik Blinds') problems." "It's your money.

The value of venture capital deals in Southern California doubled in the first quarter as the surging economy drew investors to promising communications, software, biotechnology, retail and Internet-related companies, a survey found. Venture capital firms invested $231.5 million in businesses in the Los Angeles and Orange County region in the first three months of the year, up from $113.

With a backdrop of palm trees and crashing surf, dozens of tiny but powerful race karts roared around a Huntington Beach parking lot Saturday, sounding like a platoon of lawn mowers. Surfers and sunbathers watched as would-be Mario Andrettis, stuffed into the low-slung, high-tech karts, 'participated in the first "3 Day Blinds Sprint Kart Grand Prix," which enthusiasts hope becomes an annual event in Huntington Beach.