Business name: Shrewsbury Marble & Granite
Address: 620 Boston Turnpike (Rt. 9), Shrewsbury
Owner: Majid Goharzadeh
Contact Information: 508-842-9800
www.shrewsburymarbleandgranite.com
By Nancy Brumback, Contributing Writer
How large a selection of stone countertop materials do you have?
“We have the largest selection of marble and granite of any fabrication shop in New England. We have about 300 colors in actual slabs to select from. It’s not like selecting from a 6×6-inch sample,” said Majid Goharzadeh, owner of Shrewsbury Marble & Granite on Route 9.
“People pick out the actual piece of granite that will be used. Since we have such a large selection, it’s often a one-stop shop. They come, they find, they like, they buy here.” There are products for kitchen countertops, bathroom vanities, fireplace surrounds and other projects.
Shrewsbury Marble has a large showroom with samples of finished countertops so customers can see a variety of ideas. There is an outdoor stone yard where slabs of stone are stored, so that customers can see the natural variations that occur in stone and pick out the exact slab they want.
What types of stone do you offer?
“We have many colors of granite, the most beautiful Italian marble, soapstone, and exotic stones. We also sell quartz, which is a solid-surface, man-made product.” The quartz countertops are made from ground quartz combined with polyester resins and pigments for color, and can be solid color or veined to look like natural stone. The quartz product is very durable and does not need to be sealed.
“Most of the marble and granite comes from Brazil and India, but we have stone from Italy, Spain, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, many countries,” he said.
Do you install the countertops as well?
“We do everything from helping the customer select colors and materials, work on design with them, fabricate and install. I estimate every job personally. Our prices are more than fair; it’s a very competitive market. And we have good quality and good workmanship.
“We fabricate the countertops in-house—cutting and finishing the stone, doing the sink cutouts. Then we install the countertops so we have full control of the process.
“I’m involved in every part of the project from the beginning to the end. We work with customers directly, with contractors and with kitchen cabinet people.
“We are a member of the Better Business Bureau with an A plus rating.”
What materials and colors do you recommend?
“We always ask people what they want, what colors they like, what’s the purpose of the project, so we can recommend the best possible selection for them. We tell customers the pros and cons of the products because they depend on our experience to make that selection.
“For kitchen counters, people are choosing granite and quartz. White or gray marbles are very fashionable. In the past, people often didn’t choose marble because they were afraid of stains or damage, but there are very good sealers on the market today that protect marble. In Europe, homes all have marble rather than granite. Marble has been used since the time of Alexander the Great.”
How long have you been doing this?
“I’ve been in this business 29 years. I’m a civil and mechanical engineer by training,” Goharzadeh said. He worked as a buyer for one of the largest granite distributors in New England, before starting a kitchen cabinet business. Shrewsbury Marble & Granite has been in operation at this location for 10 years.
Shrewsbury Marble & Granite is open six days a week, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.