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GraniteWorks is a full-service retail store supplying granite memorials, cemetery monuments, granite countertops, and fine cabinetry. Visit us today to see what we can do for you.

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New Showroom in Byron "Corners" the Granite Market

Byron, IL – August 11, 2009 – The next time you take a stroll through downtown Byron, you might notice a new store on the corner of Walnut and Second Streets. Recently, the long-vacant space was leased to GraniteWorks, a retail store specializing in all things granite.

GraniteWorks was founded in 2005 when owner Dan Johns and fabricator Rick Marshall opened a retail showroom and fabrication shop in Dixon, IL. Johns has an education in funeral services and mortuary sciences, and Marshall has spent over 17 years fabricating granite monuments and memorials in the cemetery industry. Johns and Marshall originally envisioned GraniteWorks as a retail location selling cemetery monuments, as well as granite and bronze memorials. However, as time went on, they branched out into granite countertops as well.

"People were calling and asked if we did countertops too," Johns recalls. "With a name like GraniteWorks, it seemed like the next logical step for us to take."

With so many customers contacting GraniteWorks from areas like Byron, Rockford, Mt. Morris, Freeport, and beyond, Johns and Marshall started tossing around the idea of opening a second store in the Byron area.

"We found a perfect location right on the corner. Byron's downtown really has an old-time feel. We're very excited about being a part of it," says Johns.

Once a location was determined, work began on the design and layout of the store. Johns contacted his friend Ryan Neumann, who had spent six years working in a retail custom kitchen design showroom in Sterling. Neumann and Johns spent several days determining the layout of the store, figuring out the best locations for the cemetery monuments, the numerous memorials, and the countertop displays.

"That is where we hit a brick wall," says Neumann. "We really wanted to showcase the granite countertops, and the display racks just weren't doing them justice."

That is when they decided that the best way to display granite is to show it on a kitchen cabinet display.

"So we committed the store to displaying and selling fine cabinetry as well," Neumann said. "Again, it seemed like the next logical step for GraniteWorks to take."

Neumann is still hard at work getting the numerous displays designed and installed, but they are already open for business.

"We're eager to show the public all the services we plan to offer," agreed Neumann and Johns.

GraniteWorks is located at 135 West Second Street, Byron -- store hours are 9 am to 4:30 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call 815-234-4333.