ATLANTA, Texas - The first thing you will see when entering Farmers Insurance Group's new offices downtown is the floor.
The epoxied concrete has a colorful design first step in, right at the doorway, which seems to be something from undersea - perhaps made of coral and waiting to be crossed before entering the office.
The office itself is a wide-open space with warm-colored walls, furniture with tabletop lamps and a bit of framed art.
It's just the look desired by insurance agent Kellie Cox.
"We've had people come in just to look and tell us there's hardly anything else quite like it in town," Cox said.
The storefront at 208 N. East St. was once a used-book shop and before that part of the Grogan full block of stores.
Kellie Cox and husband, Kelly Cox, have done most of the work themselves over a two-month period to get the look they wanted after acquiring the building.
After years of being in the sales, customer relations, property and casualty realms of work, Kellie had come to Atlanta from Texarkana to open the Farmers Insurance office on West Main in 2013, which at the time had a name and sign - but no agent.
When the different building became available, Cox said she liked the atmosphere of being downtown and especially the availability of parking.
The couple, along with the help of employee Amber Welborn and others, did extensive remodeling by taking the carpet out and reworking the electricity. They also constructed walls, offices, a kitchenette and the bathrooms.
But it was the addition to the crew of the late Rocky Wood, an epoxy-flooring artist, who helped her create the design and look of granite on the floor.
"Sometimes Rocky was working with Q-tips, sometimes with a spray bottle and three or four different colors, to get the stain look he wanted. It was fun," Cox said.
A native of Hallsville, Texas, Cox said she has a love of sales and customer relations. Of her insurance company's specialty, she said Farmers Insurance has an award-winning claims service and, especially in her case, a goal of empowering agents to build report with customers.