FOUND: My very own tile guru!

I've been searching, and searching, for tile that matches the front entryway. Yes, I know I mentioned one option found online -- but the color (brownish) and material (travertine) didn't match the original.

I've driven to more far-flung tile showrooms than I care to remember, and shown countless people a photo of our entryway tile, as if it were a lost child. And I've been met with blank stares, rueful head shakes, and suggestions to check with architectural salvage places (which I already have, in Des Moines and Chicago).

Finally, a salesman at a remote Flooring Gallery somewhere between here and Minneapolis took pity on me and my "Have You Seen This Floor?" photo. Maybe I looked wild-eyed and desperate, or maybe I bolstered my karma by donating those anti-viral wipes to Anna's school. Anyway, the salesman looked me in the eye and said, "I don't know. But I know who does know. You need to talk to Mike. He works for our parent company, and he knows everything about tile."

Later that same day, as if by magic, Mike the Tile Guru appeared at my front door for an in-person tile consultation. It took him all of sixty seconds to tell me what company made our tile, what it's made of (clay, also known as quarry tile), what minerals were used to create the brick-red color, and where I could find a near-exact replica--within my budget.

It was like a tile miracle, or Tile Santa, or something. It was so astonishing that part of me is worried he was a remodeling-induced hallucination. What if I call Flooring Gallery back and they say, "Mike? Mike who? We don't know anything about an omniscient tile guru named Mike!"

If that does happen, I have bigger issues than where to find the right tile.