The remodeling for the new showroom is underway and scheduled to be completed by the planned June 22 grand opening celebration. Getting to this point, however, has been almost five years in the making, according to the owners.

Heritage Design and Stone started in 2019 when owners Dustin and Stephanie Sotka wanted quartz countertops in their own home but could not afford to hire a contractor. So they started a company to be able to buy the quartz and Dustin Sotka taught himself how to cut and install it.

Sotka is from the Coleman, Wis., area and has more than 15 years experience in the building trades. He graduated from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in 2015 with a degree in mechanical design.

After graduation, he did mechanical drawing for four years. When he moved to the Iron Mountain area, he worked for a time on residential drawing at Dickinson Homes.

HERITAGE DESIGN AND STONE, 450 North Blvd. in Kingsford, will have the grand opening for its new showroom June 22. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)

But Sotka decided that working with stone was what he enjoyed.

“My wife and I have been remodeling together ever since we met,” Sotka said. “It has just been a natural progression for us — we got these skills and are decent remodelers. Now we needed to find a niche and this is the niche we decided to carve.”

Up until now, Heritage Design and Stone operated out of leased shop space.

“I did not have anything to show people when they wanted to come and look,” Sotka said. “I do not think that we lost any sales but we certainly did not get some that I would have if I would have been able to bring somebody in and tell them to have a look around.”

The Sotkas recently purchased the former Smith Castings foundry building that has sat empty in recent years after a fire damaged a part of the structure.

Sotka said that they have been busy cleaning up the property and will tear down the part of the building with the fire damage. They plan to offer space they don’t need to another business for rent.

The overhead cranes left behind in the shop have proven valuable for moving the heavy materials, he said.

Heritage Design and Stone fabricates and installs products such as soapstone, marble, quartz, quartzite and granite for countertops, showers, granite fireplaces and more. Among the vendors Heritage Design and Stone works with are Trends in Quartz.

Heritage Design and Stone also is set to be able to handle Dekton, made by combining quartz, porcelain and glass, then compressing it under intense pressure.

It has many advantages over quartz, including being heat and moisture resistant, Sotka said, adding he sees Dekton as the wave of the future.

Sotka takes pride in the fact that Heritage Design and Stone is locally owned and operated, with the only competition coming from Escanaba, Negaunee or Suamico, Wis.

Aside from being local, Sotka says another advantage is the customer will dealing with him every step of the way — from sale to design and measurements to the installation, he is involved and stands behind his work.

“First of all, the materials all have excellent warranties and then, of course, our workmanship — we have that written up for five years right now,” Sotka said. “If you called me up and said there is a problem, I would probably be there before we hung up the phone.”

With the new shop and showroom comes his first full-time employee. Sotka said he looks forward to attending training seminars along with the new hire.

The grand opening for Heritage Design and Stone’s showroom will be 2 to 5 p.m. June 22 and will feature food, games and giveaways. A local radio station will be broadcasting from the event.

When open, the showroom can be viewed by appointment only.

Heritage Design and Stone can be reached at 906-239-7367 or by email at Stephanie@heritagedesignandstone.com.