Page 3 - Demo

Slippery rock Gazette
Stone Studio
Continued from page 2
July 2020|3
Bar and engraved panel with the word “Formation,” for the Dallas Cowboys Football Club, at the Star in Frisco, Texas. Right: This 3/4 slab mitered quartzite top showcases
Stone Studio’s mastery of fabrication skills.
Many of Stone Studio’s clients are obtained through word of mouth, said Dustin, however, he is not one to sit and wait when it comes to acquiring new work, he explained. “For residential, we invest heavily in Facebook, Instagram, Houzz and Google. On the commercial side, we network with all the local contractors, where one thing leads to another, especially with their estimators. We will work with a company in one location, and when they move to another, they bring us with them. We’ve worked as far as Miami, Florida, San Francisco, California and Denver, Colorado. As for our residential side, we will travel as far as one hundred miles from Texarkana.
“We want to sell an experience when people buy here, and not just make a sale that’s based on price. We offer seven-day turn- around if their material is in stock, and if they are ready for us to in- stall. We also survey our residen- tial clients after the installation, to know if we are doing our job.”
As for Stone Studio’s show- room, it features large for- mat samples displayed like art throughout the 6,000 square foot space, said Dustin, adding, “I went to Brazil in 2017, when we had opened our showroom. Everything we stocked it with at that time was bought from Brazil. Lately, though, much of the gran- ite, marble and quartz we buy is
from a local company called the Triton Stone Group. However, we do import the higher-end quartz- ites from Brazil.”
Dustin’s Take on Porcelain
“Victor, our shop manager who also does the programming, has given me a lot of perspective on large format porcelain, so when- ever I talk to distributors and ask what percentage their customers are doing with porcelain com- pared to three years ago, they tell me that it’s growing in pop- ularity. We are actually looking at our first porcelain job now, because we are putting together a tile package on a commercial project, and in their bathrooms, they want porcelain slabs. We are also going to do our bathroom here with it, just to get our feet wet. We’ve talked to a couple of guys out west that do really well with porcelain, and we are either going to send our guys out there to train on it, or have them come here. Porcelain has a lot of draw- backs, but if the customer wants it, I want to give them what they want, especially when no one else in this area wants to. It’s a good opportunity.”
“What has helped us make this company a success is our deter- mination and innovation. It’s also from going to trade shows and seeing what’s new or what’s changing, and talking to industry people three or four times a year
Above: Video from the Stone Studio Facebook page with a tour of the Brazilian slab layout in their showroom. These beautiful slabs are the stars and focal point of this part of the showroom.
Right: Granite vanity top, leathered finish to accentuate the grain.
to learn from each other. It’s also being an open book, and asking for help when there’s something we don’t know.
“As for the future, we have a vi- sion. We want to expand our oper- ation, and put showrooms like we have here in different parts of the country as far away as five hours drive time. Additionally, we will continue to stay on the edge of the latest and greatest technology with the most value. We are not afraid to take on a challenge.
“There’s a famous quote that goes, ‘In business, always stay uncomfortable.’ Well, I’ve been uncomfortable a lot lately. But it’s a good uncomfortable.”
Stone Studio is a member of the Stone Fabricators Alliance and the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce, and regularly volun- teers for local charities.
For more information visit www.ccimill.com and visit them on facebook.com/cci .