DATE: Saturday, August 2, 1997              TAG: 9708020224

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D2   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Briefs 

                                            LENGTH:   52 lines

LOCAL SCENE

HAMPTON ROADS

HOME SALES DECLINE: Home sales in South Hampton Roads and the Peninsula are down for June compared to sales last June, 15.48 percent and 7.59 percent respectively, according to a survey by the Virginia Association of Realtors. Sales in the state are down 6.39 percent in June, but the number of homes sold so far this year still is ahead of the same time period in 1996. On the Southside, 1,310 homes were sold in June for an average price of $121,308, and on the Peninsula, 402 homes were sold for an average of $123,585.

COAL SHIPMENTS SLIP 10 PERCENT IN JUNE: After several months of growth, shipments of coal through the port of Hampton Roads fell in June. The region's three coal terminals loaded 4.2 million tons of coal in June, down from 4.6 million tons last June, according to the Hampton Roads Maritime Association. In the first half of 1997, the terminals shipped 26.8 million tons, 4,000 tons fewer than the first half of 1996. Coal shipments fell at all three terminals. The region's largest, Norfolk Southern's Pier 6 at Lamberts Point in Norfolk, saw shipments slide 5.2 percent to 2.6 million tons.

NORFOLK

COLOR TILE CLOSING STORE: Color Tile, once the nation's largest floor-covering retailer, is closing its doors under pressure from lenders and sliding sales. A Norfolk store, located off Virginia Beach Boulevard, planned to close after liquidation sales. No exact closing date was available. The company had been trying to reorganize its finances since filing for Chapter 11 protection in January 1996, citing liabilities of $526.7 million and assets totaling $381.4 million.The Color Tile store in Hampton closed Thursday.

ANTIQUE TRADER BOOKS PUBLISHES DOLL IDENTIFICATION GUIDE: ``Modern Doll Rarities,'' a new doll identification guide for collectors, has been published by Antique Trader Books. The 208-page book, written by Carla Marie Cross, describes and illustrates the rarest and most sought-after dolls produced from the 1950s to now. Antique Trader Books is a division of Landmark Communications. The book is available for $24.95. For more information or to order a copy, call 1(800) 334-7165.

ZUIDEMA NAMED PRESIDENT OF MMM DESIGN GROUP: George L. Zuidema Jr. was named president of MMM Design Group, a corporation offering architectural, engineering and planning services. Zuidema has served the firm for 29 years in various design and management positions in the Norfolk headquarters and, formerly, as managing director of the firm's European offices in Ireland. MEMO: To submit an item, send it to Local Scene, The Virginian-Pilot

Business News Department, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23510.

Photos are welcome. Or fax your submission to 446-2531. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Zuidema

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu