Business focus: Montana Stone Gallery a rock-solid business
Post Falls granite installer Kevin Frame used to work long distance with Montana Stone Gallery in Missoula to pick out slabs splashed with splotches of browns and veins of golden hues.
These days, however, he works with the natural-stone distributor nearly in his own backyard.
Montana Stone Gallery, one of the region’s largest importers of granite and marble, recently set up shop in Post Falls.
The wholesale supply and distribution center stocks more than 100 varieties, which are sold to prequalified fabricators who finish and install the slabs.
“I think they’re going to be a great addition to the stone world here,” said Frame, owner of Living Stone in Post Falls.
The Montana company opened in Missoula in fall 2005 and then added a showroom in Kalispell. In early May, owners Roy and Kim Chacon and Tad and Diane Dixon expanded the business to North Idaho.
Customers and fabricators, such as Frame, often had visited the Missoula store to pick from the exotic raw slabs of granite, marble, travertine, limestone and soapstone.
It was natural to bring the supply closer to the demand, said regional manager Rachel Maki.
“They were thrilled that we came over here,” said Maki, who commutes several times a week from Missoula to the Post Falls branch. “There’s definitely a need.”
Although Montana Stone Gallery sells only to preapproved fabricators – the company is working with more than 15 local fabricators – the public is welcome to stop by the store to peruse the selection, Maki said.
Company personnel can help educate customers about the various stones and assist in selection, Maki said. The Post Falls branch has a manager, and the company likely will add sales employees soon, Maki said.
Montana Stone Gallery specializes in exotic, high-quality stone. Granite – the most durable natural stone – is the company’s biggest seller, Maki said.
The business partners bring in stone from Brazil, Italy, Australia and other countries. It comes in 6-foot-by-9-foot slabs that weigh nearly half a ton.
Natural stone can be used for kitchen countertops, commercial counters, conference tables and bathroom vanities.
Each piece of stone is unique, Maki said, with varieties that sport names such as Firewater, Blue in the Night and Wild at Sea. The slabs are speckled, veined and swirled with a color palette full of reds, blues, greens, tans and browns.
Montana Stone Gallery is an exclusive North American importer of a Brazilian stone called Mountain Mocha, which is spotted with browns and golds with a red and cream vein.
“Each piece is so individual,” Maki said. “It’s a one-of-a-kind piece of art.”
The variety of selection is one reason why Frame, the Post Falls fabricator, says he enjoys working with Montana Stone Gallery.
“Every Tom, Dick and Harry has the standard four colors,” Frame said. “But these guys have a lot more to offer.”