Marble showroom and slab yard
Stock marble slabs and tiles in a small showroom and yard where contractors and homeowners can pick their stone.
- $40k-150k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Estimates for a small start in the US, not guarantees.
Official data
3,736 US businesses with employees in this field, +0.4% in a year
NAICS 423320 “Brick, stone, and related construction material merchant wholesalers”. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
What it is
You rent a small warehouse or yard with a display area. You hold a range of marble slabs and tiles, let customers see and choose the exact pieces, and arrange pickup or local delivery. You may also refer customers to fabricators and installers.
Your first three steps
- Build a local list of fabricators, remodelers and designers, and find out what stone they buy and where they get it
- Open trade accounts with a few importers and price a starter inventory of popular marbles
- Look at warehouse or yard space with loading access, and check zoning with your city or county before signing a lease
Who pays
Kitchen fitters, masons, builders and fabricators who buy regularly, plus homeowners and designers choosing stone for a project.
How it makes money
You sell slabs and tiles at a markup over what you pay importers. Delivery fees and sales of sealers and setting materials add some extra income.
Skills that help
- Knowledge of marble and other natural stone
- Inventory buying and cash management
- Customer service and sales
Watch out for
- Slabs are very heavy, so check what equipment you need, such as a forklift or slab racks, and the training that goes with it
- Check OSHA guidance on safe handling, and on silica dust if any cutting happens on site
- Inventory ties up a lot of cash, and slow-moving stone can sit for months
- Check your state's sales tax registration, and your local business license and zoning rules
- Get general liability and property insurance, and workers' compensation once you hire
Deep research report · US
Everything you need to start: marble showroom and slab yard
Researched with live web search for United States: real startup prices, the licences and rules, what others charge, a break-even example, how to find your first customers and a 30-day launch plan. With sources.
- Startup costs with real prices
- Licences, registration and rules
- Pricing: what others charge
- Break-even example
- Finding your first customers
- 30-day launch plan
- Risks and how to reduce them
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