Family carves a business

Jun 12 2007 By Karen Mclauchlan, The Journal

A family-run firm, with more than 20 years' experience in the stone industry, is carving out a strong future after opening a new North-East showroom. Karen McLauchlan meets the team at Natural Stone Interiors.

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Years spent working on wintry windswept sites persuaded father and son Vince and Andrew McKay it was finally time to come in from the cold. And thanks to more than £400,000 of investment they have opened a 100% natural stone showroom in the heart of the Tees Valley.

Sited on Old Station Road, near South Bank, the new venture is very much a family affair.

Vince and Andrew are fellow directors. Andrew's sister Alison the general manager and his son Matthew, 17, is showing an interest in taking forward the granite side of the business.

With more than 20 years' experience as stonemasons, Andrew and Vince have carved out an impressive reputation with a roll of honour including the Channel Four building, the Lanesbrough Hotel, Hyde Park, the Standard Life building in Edinburgh, Zara at the MetroCentre, Gateshead, and Psyche in Middlesbrough, as well as the Corrour Shooting Lodge in Scotland, described as one of the few examples of world-class 20th Century architecture in Scotland.

Self-taught, the 41-year-old and his father confess that had it not been for fate and having the sheer brass neck to put themselves forward, things could have been very different.

A chance remark at a family wedding saw Andrew and Vince, who were then working as bricklayers in London, head off to the new BP building in Hemel Hempstead which they heard was under construction and being built in stone rather than brick.

"There was a lot more money to be made in stonework at the time," says Andrew. "Once we heard they were building, we thought we'd take a chance and try our luck at getting a job.

"We hung around for a while, watching the stone workers and to be honest it didn't look that hard. We already had the building skills so we asked the foreman if there was anything on offer."

They were politely asked to "sling their hooks" due to their lack of stonemasonry experience but Andrew wasn't prepared to give up quite so easily.

"I asked the foreman if he would be prepared to sell us the tools and we would work for free for a week," recalls Andrew.

"If he didn't like our work we'd give him back the tools and he wouldn't have to pay us a penny - but if the work was good then we wanted a job."

The gamble paid off and having completed their task ahead of schedule, they were given a £40,000 contract to finish off one of the largest sections of wall in the building.

"Within six months we had become the highest earning subcontractors in the company. We stayed with them for the next 15 years and from then on we've never looked back," says Andrew.

Their new venture is a 3,000sqft showroom, a testament to their skills with an impressive assortment of stones from all over the world in a spectacular range of colours and textures.

"We have stone from Israel, Brazil, Turkey, India and Africa.

"In fact there are very few regions of the world that aren't a source of stone," explains Andrew.

The showroom is set out over two floors, with stunning kitchen and bathrooms displays, a striking stone staircase and an entrance reminiscent of a Mediterranean villa.

"Seeing the different layouts of tiles in the showroom people can interpret what the stone will look like in their own house," explains Andrew.

There is a massive selection, including natural stone, limestone, sandstone, slate, marble or granite, in blocks, slabs or tiles, for exteriors or interiors, walling, roofing or hard landscaping, floors, staircases, shower trays and endless possibilities of stone products.

"Demand is growing week by week and we have had quite a few inquiries from developers of new build and barn conversion jobs. In fact a lot of contractors are now using stone as the standard fitting in their developments," he says.

"We can sell anything from two to three metres right up to 1,000 metres for large developments and all the adhesives, grouts and sealants in one complete package delivered to site.

"A lot of people are swayed once they see the quality of the stone and the prices which are very competitive. It's a product that is completely unique. It can be turned into any shape, no two pieces are the same and of course it's all 100% natural."

Currently employing six people, the company is set for further expansion with a new factory unit due to open soon for the production of bespoke fitted granite worktops and staircases.

"It's a big investment for the company and it will mean employing extra staff, but the demand for high quality natural products is growing," says Andrew.

"Our reputation is building day by day through word of mouth and business is increasing rapidly. Everyone who works for our company has a thorough knowledge of all the stock and if we can't find what a customer wants straight away, then we will always try our best to source it for them."

For more information visit www.naturalstoneinteriors.co.uk