Stone Creek Studio, currently located in an 18,000-square-foot warehouse and showroom at 3511-136th St. NE in Marysville, offers an impressive selection of natural stone, granite slabs and remnants, slate, porcelain tile, mosaics and trim pieces. The company's showroom displays beautiful stone and tile designs in all price ranges, and its warehouse is like an art gallery filled with the natural beauty of more than 50 varieties of granite and marble slabs.

But while the inventory and the portfolio of the company's work are impressive, co-owner Jose Martinez is most passionate about the philosophy of the family-run business.

"We are serious about the idea of service," said Martinez. "We get involved with our customers, to make sure they are happy with their choices. It's easy to do when that's who you are."

Martinez and his sister Tara Duncanson own and operate Stone Creek Studio, with the support of their respective spouses and loyal employees. It's a friendly company with a simple mission of providing "really great service."

"When we were researching the business before opening, we visited other showrooms and retailers," said Martinez. "Many times, nobody greeted us or said goodbye when we left. There was just no connection."

That's not the case at Stone Creek Studio. Personal attention is at the heart of the company's business model, taking some of the stress off the design and selection process.

"Customers often come in here completely overwhelmed," Martinez explained. "We tell them to take a deep breath and relax; there's no stress or high pressure here."

Martinez and Duncanson encourage clients to not get too hung up on the costs of a project at first. By letting customers just focus on the textures and colors they like, Stone Creek Studio can put together a plan that fits their budget. The team will do a site visit to get a better idea of the project, and Duncanson uses her artistic talent to produce detailed schematic drawings showing options and applications of different materials.

"If a customer likes the look of natural stone for the shower but it doesn't work with their budget, we may suggest porcelain tile for the majority of the surface, with some stone accents to upgrade the look," Martinez said. "If solid copper castings aren't affordable, we can substitute a molded material with a copper finish that's almost indistinguishable."

Stone Creek Studio carries many of the most popular styles on-site for immediate pickup. In addition to more than 200 granite and marble slabs for countertops, the warehouse also contains 10 different colors of slate and travertine tile, along with a large selection of mosaic and trim pieces.

Customers will notice something else that's different about Stone Creek Studio: the prices of materials are openly displayed, even for granite slabs, half-slabs and remnants.

"This makes it simpler for people to shop," Martinez explained. "The pricing for materials is not some deep, dark secret that only the fabricator knows. We give people the price up front, so they can make an informed choice."

Because the color and texture of stone can vary so much from piece to piece, the staff at Stone Creek Studio will open a full crate of materials so customers can inspect each piece, even laying them out for a realistic floor-size preview prior to purchase.

"We will hold materials for seven days with no deposits," Martinez continued, "to give folks a chance to check with a fabricator or installer. Then we'll store the stone here until the project is ready to go." It's another example of the company's dedication to customer service.

The brother and sister also keep up with current trends in design, including "green" products. They have access to a material called Ice Stone, made of crushed shells and glass and recycled concrete, which is similar to granite in its durability and beauty. Like most remanufactured products, it's also more expensive than the natural thing, but Martinez feels it's important to offer the choice to environmentally-conscious customers.

Unlike some other suppliers, Stone Creek Studio never depended on business from big developers building plats of hundreds of houses. Instead, most of their clients are individuals or contractors building custom homes.

The company is planning a big move this month, to a smaller but more comfortable space on the other side of State Avenue at 4001-134th St. NE in Marysville. "We'll have less warehouse space, but more display space," Martinez said. "With better lighting and a more comfortable area for customers, we think it will be an improvement."

Like most other businesses these days, Martinez and Duncanson are also considering the economic payoffs of the move to a smaller space.

"We can save money on the lease, and put a little more into our advertising and product line," said Martinez.

Stone Creek Studio plans to open March 1 at its new location, with a grand opening event planned for later in the spring. Operations will continue at their facility on 136th St. until then, except for February 19-21 when the business will be closed to move the inventory of slabs to the new location. Many of the in-stock materials will be discounted from now until the end of February to save on the cost of moving and restocking items.

No matter where you find them, be assured that the owners and staff at Stone Creek Studio will impress you with their knowledge, friendly and low-stress advice, and inspirational design ideas.

Just like their slogan promises, Stone Creek Studio is passionate about stone. And it shows.