Cleveland Stone Companies' rock-solid plan

VERMILION — A longstanding company laid the foundation to make its Vermilion location bigger and better for customers. Cleveland Stone Companies, in operation since 1820, recently announced expansion plans for its relatively new store, known as The Shop at Cleveland Stone Companies, at 850 W. River Road near Vermilion's boat launch property. At its core, Cleveland Stone Companies "is a quarry and a stone fabricator," said owner Zachary Carpenter, noting Cleveland Stone gets its sandstone from the quarry it owns near Wakeman about 10 miles away. Other stones it receives — like bluestone, limestone and granite — get sourced from all over the world. "We use that stone for commercial, residential and institutional uses all across the nation," said Carpenter, noting his company has worked on many recognizable projects, such as the Michigan State Capitol building along with many U.S.-based courthouses and college campuses. This past fall, Cleveland Stone Companies opened up its shop on West River Road in Vermilion. It primarily features home decor items made from these very stones. "What we have here, you won't find anything exactly like it anywhere else," said Carpenter, referencing the shop's furnishings, candles, dishes, lighting, lamps, gifts, bags, clocks and more. "Having a store like this gives us more awareness of our company and ties into what Vermilion is offering," Carpenter said. "Vermilion has a lot of really cool shops, so we wanted to contribute what we could to this town." Come springtime, The Shop plans to expand, opening a retail stone yard at the West River Road location. "Anything someone would need for their house on the outside, we will provide," said Carpenter, adding how it'll stock stone to decorate gardens, patios, walkways and landscaping. "It's something we've had a lot of demand for, and it's not readily available anywhere else in the area." People can visit The Shop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. "Come see what The Shop has to offer," Carpenter said. "We'd like to see people from all over the area, including Sandusky, stop in."