The slab of emerald-hued granite that the client loves is gorgeous, but there’s just not enough for their big kitchen remodel. Or that blue-veined marble would really pop in the bathroom, but the material isn’t right for the client’s lifestyle. These are problems that can give designers and fabricators heartburn, but for KLZ Stone they are opportunities to shine with its huge selection and unique expertise.
“A lot of fabricators are looking to us for equipment and expertise on cut stone,” says Maggie Addison, director of sales, engineered division. She explains that KLZ Stone started in 2003 as a supplier of granite fabrication tools and equipment and then expanded in 2009 to supply granite, marble, quartzite, travertine, onyx and limestone.
“Coming from that expertise, we’re able to help determine how a material fits a customer’s lifestyle,” she says. “We actually understand what is in the stone and what is required for its maintenance and care. Very few on this street have the ability to make that claim.”
The street she refers to is Zodiac Lane, well known in northwest Dallas for its lineup of large stone suppliers. Among them, KLZ Stone boasts the largest inventory in the region.
“Where another supplier might have one to three slabs of a stone variety, we have 300,” says Addison. “We’re the only supplier that brings stone to this market in block form rather than slab. We have 250 blocks landed and 40,000 slabs landed.”
The 30-ton blocks are imported from quarries around the world and shipped to a facility that KLZ Stone opened in Commerce, Texas, in early 2017. There, the granite and marble blocks are cut, resined, polished and textured.
“We can do whatever the customer’s heart desires,” says Addison. And because they’re working with blocks, those customers can have commercial projects, such as offices and hotels, which need large quantities of matching stone.
Buying in blocks also allows KLZ Stone to keep the price low and do more custom cutting.
“We’re experts at slabs. We can cut stone as thin as one centimeter, which isn’t usually done,” says Addison. “As long as our blades and saws can do it, we’ll make it happen.”
While KLZ Stone is a wholesaler to designers, fabricators, builders and architects, homeowners are welcome to come in and browse. Ultimately, they and their designer or builder will get the full KLZ Stone customer treatment.
“We’re not order takers,” says Addison. “Every customer works with a customer service specialist who helps them determine their needs and finds suitable options. We spoil our customers.”
And nobody knows the products better than Addison, who was a stone fabricator for 10 years before joining KLZ. “That was my college education,” she says. “That’s where I got the expertise I needed and wanted for a career that will last a lifetime.”
While there are a lot of different products in the market today, KLZ Stone doesn’t jump into fads because it “invests by the millions rather than by the bundles,” says Addison. The company does watch trends and is keenly aware that customer preferences change. For instance, while Corian was popular for a time, granite came back strong, and now engineered stone is making more of a presence.
“The market is headed toward a balance,” says Addison. “Quartzite is keeping natural stone in play right now.”
She says that engineered products are coming that will be more durable than ever, and that development is driven by customer preferences. “Generations X, Y and Z want beauty and aesthetics, but they want more functionality,” Addison says. ”People are purchasing function now. It’s what our generation wants.”
Whatever the market demands, KLZ Stone will keep supplying the finest products in the greatest quantities from Zodiac Lane.
Jeff Hampton is a freelance writer based in Garland, Texas. Find out more at jeffhamptonwriter.com.
