Video transcript:
Washington Marble Works & Castle Perk Coffee
[00:00:00] Jim Clifford: HI, this is Jim Clifford with Washington Realty Group, and I’m here today to do an interview with Kristy Pistilli from Washington Marble Works, Castle Perk Coffee. Kristy, can you give me a quick description for both of your companies?
[00:00:28] Kristy Pistilli: Sure. I work mainly with Washington Marble Works and we do kitchen countertops. We also work a lot with office buildings and so we do counters in office buildings, hospitals, and houses. We specialize in natural stone and quartz and the hot new product on the market is porcelain. So we work with that as well. And then we have Castle Perk Espresso next door, which is was my mom’s pet project. She takes care of that one. But it’s been there for, I think around 20 years almost, but they serve really good coffee and great snacks
[00:01:03] Jim Clifford: Well neat! Who are your main customers and where are you located physically, if somebody wanted to get ahold of you, how would they get ahold of you?
[00:01:12] Kristy Pistilli: We are in downtown Sumner, just on the corner of Fryer and Zehnder street. Most people, when I say we’re just North of McClendon’s Hardware, they know right where to find us. When I tell them next door to the post office, they’re not quite, as you know, it’s not quite as common for people to know where that is.
[00:01:33] Jim Clifford: What’s the best way to get ahold of you?
[00:01:36]Kristy Pistilli: Well for Washington Marble Works, you can call our phone number. (253) 891-1823 or our website, Washingtonmarbleworks.com. Castle Perk Espresso they have phone. They obviously just pull on up and get some coffee. It’s a nice drive through their pretty quick over there. And the drinks are great. They’re also on Instagram and Facebook.
[00:02:01]Jim Clifford: Well cool. So you do, you’re now doing mostly commercial buildings, and then you said countertops and that kind of work.
[00:02:08] Kristy Pistilli: Yes. We do a lot of doctor’s offices and reception desks for the commercial side of things. And then lots and lots of kitchens for the residential side. And that’s kind of the fun part of what we do. The commercial you’re looking at black and white paper. And for residential, you get to help people build their dream kitchen. So that’s fun.
[00:02:28] Jim Clifford: Well, that is fun. So if somebody was going to do a remodel for a kitchen. Let’s say where in the process of doing the remodel, should they get ahold of you?
[00:02:40] Kristy Pistilli: You know it’s always nice to start early with the countertops it kind of goes hand in hand with your cabinets. If you’re having cabinets done, you’ll want to order countertops right around the same time, because we will have to work together with the cabinet company for coordinating the schedule. I always recommend to people to build your kitchen around your ideal countertop surface, because that’s the most use surface in the kitchen. I’m sure the cabinet guys and lighting guys would also say the same thing. So it really depends on, on what your most prominent feature or is most important to you for your house. But usually countertops are pretty high priority for people.
[00:03:19] Jim Clifford: Yeah, the kitchen is considered the most expensive per square foot. Room in the home, obviously that has to do with appliances and stuff, but the countertops and cabinets are a big part of that. What do you feel that people are hesitant about the idea of using stone on countertops?
[00:03:44] Kristy Pistilli: I think they used to be a lot more hesitant about it, but with the quartz and stone products becoming so popular, I find that most people are interested in those services for their kitchen. And it’s really worth the investment because the return on investment is great if you’re planning to sell really soon. But if you’re planning on living in the house and actually using the countertop surfaces, You’re going to want something that’s a high quality. And nearly, I wouldn’t say indestructible, but I would say pretty tough surface to, to damage. So most people prefer that. Also we used to compete with tile for countertops or laminate. Laminate. people still might want to go with, but the tile nowadays you can find quartz or granite options that are pretty inexpensive. So it gets a little more competitive with that.
[00:04:36]Jim Clifford: Well good! What are your, you know, with quartz, what are your variety of colors and stuff that you can work with?
[00:04:46] Kristy Pistilli: Well, the fun thing about quartz is you can use with, with natural stone. You’re kind of stuck with this certain pattern or style for granite. And of course, I think fairly popular, but the look of quartz, you can mimic just about anything. So they’re really hot item has been marble countertops or the white marble look. And most people don’t want to use marble in their kitchens because it’s stains and it actually does. And there are all sorts of problems. So with quartz, you’re able to copy that look and get the marble, look in your kitchen with the qualities. Of course. The other thing they do, that’s been really popular lately is the darker looks and the concrete look. So you can have concrete look countertops without the concrete on there, and then stuff that, well,
[00:05:38] Jim Clifford: It wouldn’t be nearly as porous. I wouldn’t think it was, you know, cause most people don’t know that concrete outpour set really is.
[00:05:45] Kristy Pistilli: It is and a lot of maintenance.
[00:05:48] Jim Clifford: So you’re a second generation owner.
[00:05:53] Kristy Pistilli: Right?
[00:05:54] Jim Clifford: So how, how was it working with your mom and dad to take [00:06:00] over a business?
[00:06:01] Kristy Pistilli: It’s been great. My parents are really, they’ve been very supportive and they’re great teachers and have helped my brother and I. Work together and, and build things into what we have. Now. My dad’s been officially retired for a couple of years and my mom’s still working, but she’s mostly retired now as well. But the nice thing is they’re both around all the time. They still have offices upstairs and they show up a couple of times a week when they’re around or in town. So we can always consult with them and get their opinions and advice. But they’re just really supportive of us and helping us grow the business and the way we want to.
[00:06:39] Jim Clifford: Oh, that’s neat. Well, I know your dad’s a good teacher. We coached baseball together when your brother was 12 years old and same age. So going back a few years since they’re in their forties now. So let’s talk [00:07:00] about the coffee business. Your mom runs that mostly,
[00:07:04]Kristy Pistilli: Yes! Yeah. She’s got a great management team over there now that takes care of the day-to-day and getting the supplies. And so she gets to just go in and visit with them and make sure kind of like she does for us here. She checks in with them, make sure everything’s going okay. And gives them all the support that they need, but she gets to go on vacations and spend more of her time at the golf course.
[00:07:26]Jim Clifford: Oh, good. That’s really good so what was it like, you know, when you were kind of coming up and your mom and dad were running both businesses, those are two really different business models. How did that work out?
[00:07:44] Kristy Pistilli: Yeah, I think they helped each other. It’s it’s different to see the way that the business structure is always typically the same as far as the accounting goes. But the money coming in and going out for a coffee stand with a $2 per item sale or $5 nowadays, but you know that those are many smaller transactions where here at Washington Marble, we have. Fewer larger transactions. So it, it is really interesting to see how they work together and, or just the differences in them. And for the most part, though, the coffee stand, my mom was just doing, she does the Accounting or the books for both, or she was, so bookkeeping is bookkeeping for her, all that good stuff. But yeah. Definitely different businesses.
[00:08:33] Jim Clifford: Okay. So do you think being in Sumner is this a good location for you guys?
[00:08:40] Kristy Pistilli: Yeah, this has been a great location. When we first started out, we were in Lakewood and yeah, many years ago, we’re actually celebrating 25 years this year in business for Washington Marble. And we moved from Lakewood to Pacific. And when we moved here 14 years ago, we really felt the community [00:09:00] of Sumner come together. We are so supported by so many people in the community that come by that walk by and see our sign come in and are really really good about working with local businesses. It’s been very nice and refreshing.
[00:09:14]Jim Clifford: So most of your is most of your, are your customers, most of them you know, homeowners or remodeling, or are most of them new construction?
[00:09:28] Kristy Pistilli: We do a lot of remodels in the residential side, we work with a lot of remodel customers that just come to us directly and a lot of word of mouth business, which is really nice. But we also do work with builders and we also work with kitchen and bath dealer accounts and flooring companies. So we can be kind of more of a wholesale model for them, but it, we like working with the homeowners so much that it’s hard to turn people away and say, no, we’re only doing wholesaling commercial now. So we keep our [00:10:00] showroom open for that.
[00:10:01] Jim Clifford: Well, that’s good because I know you guys do great work. You Done some work in, in our house. So I I’m well aware of how good your work is. So, yeah. Okay. So once again, how does somebody get ahold of you and what are your hours?
[00:10:17]Kristy Pistilli: We’re here 8:00 to 4:30 Monday through Friday. You can access our [email protected] to see color samples and Ideas and design ideas and all of that great stuff. And you can also call in 253-891-1823, and with COVID we are asking people to make appointments before they come into the showroom, but other than that, we’re here all the time for Castle Perk. Drive on through 1008 Zehander Street
[00:10:47] Jim Clifford: OKay, great. Well, this is Jim Clifford again, if you’re thinking about buying or selling a home, give me a call. If you’re going to remodel and want really good work, give Kristy a call.
[00:10:59] So , talk to you soon, Kristy. Thanks.
[00:11:02] Kristy Pistilli: Thanks, Jim. .
Kristy Pistilli – VP of Sales and Marketing
Washington Marble Works
1016 Zehnder St, Sumner, WA 98390
253-466-7497
https://www.facebook.com/CastlePerkEspresso/
Espresso stand serving Martin Henry Coffee Roasters along with breakfast, lunch, and pastries to the lovely Sumner community!
Washington Marble Works
In 1984, John Pistilli and his wife Carla purchased Lakewood Masonry Supply where they provided a variety of masonry products in South Pierce County. Over the years, many people would come in requesting marble and granite. While continuing to offer masonry products, John began fabricating stone for various applications including granite countertops, and custom fireplaces. The fabricating business took off and Washington Marble Works was formed making them the first marble and granite fabricator in Pierce County.
Washington Marble Works offers countertops, backsplash and tile. We specialize in Granite, Quartz, and Natural Stone. We offer countertops to Pierce County, King County, Thurston County, and Kitsap County. Washington Marble Works, Inc. fabricates and installs natural stone products including granite, marble, limestone, and travertine for countertops, floors, fireplaces, showers and tubs, tile floors, tile walls, tile backsplashes, and much more. Providing services to Pierce County, King County, Thurston County, and Kitsap County areas.
Washington Marble Works continues to fabricate and install countertops out of natural stone and have added engineered quartz and various porcelain products. We serve a broad market ranging from residential remodels to commercial office interiors.
The company is now located in the beautiful city of Sumner with a stunning showroom in a historic house on Zehnder Street. While they are still involved in the business, both of John and Carla’s children now work for the company. Kristy and David began working for the company in 1998 and now handle the daily operations. Kristy is the VP of Sales and Marketing and David is the VP of Production.