New Stone Concept Gets Second Location

STERLING, Va. – The Charles Luck Stone Center, offering a different model by Richmond, Va.-based Luck Stone Corp. for marketing stone, opened its second location here last month.
The Sterling location, which opened its doors on Nov. 16, follows the initial debut of the Charles Luck Stone Center concept in September in Richmond.
The Charles Luck facilities represent what Luck Stone sees as a new approach to offering stone to users, based on research by the company’s Architectural Stone Division and feedback from customers seeking more of a one-on-one experience.
“Our company first introduced a retail concept to the stone industry in 1976 when we opened the first ‘supermarket for stone,’” said Charles Luck IV, president/CEO of Luck Stone. “Now, the Charles Luck brand is evolving the stone industry again – this time by embracing the history, beauty and allure of stone while creating a unique destination for individuals who appreciate aesthetic design.”
The stone centers feature an approach with at least two distinct areas for each location. The first – the Studio – offers hundreds of stone samples on display, with trained stone experts working with customers to explore various possibilities for any project. The second – the Contractor Yard – services specialty needs of building contractors.
The centers are then supported by a third component – the Workshop – for fabrication of custom projects.
The concept will be expanded to six centers by 2011, with Luck Stone locations going under renovation and rebranding to Charles Luck Stone Centers in Charlotte, N.C.; Charlottesville, Va.; Columbia, Md.; and Raleigh, N.C.
The centers are designed to meet the needs of various natural-stone customers, including architects, builders, homeowners, interior designers, landscapers and masons.
“Because each of our customers is as different as the hundreds of kinds of stones we carry from around the world, we now strive to make the customer experience just as unique,” says Mark Fernandes, president of Charles Luck Stone Centers. “Our new fulfillment processes reflect our desire to adapt to each customer’s needs.”
The surrounds in each of the centers also reflect a change from the standard showroom of stone samples. In Sterling, for example, the center’s Studio feature a bathroom with waterjet-cut stone, and a stone wall running through the facility shows how Pennsylvania sandstone from two quarries can feature veining or a solid look.
The centers also feature three product series: the Foundation Line for readily available material; the Signature Line of exotic stone exclusive to Charles Luck Stone Center; and the Legacy line of rare or historical stone that’s possibly sourced on a custom basis.
The branding of the concept – Charles Luck Stone Center – also reflects a long family involvement with stone, beginning with Charles Luck Jr. opening the Sunnyside Granite Co. quarry near Richmond in 1923. The elder Luck operated his namesake company until 1965; his son, Charles Luck III, then became president of Luck Stone. Charles Luck IV assumed the president/CEO position in 1995.