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The Beacon of the Stone Industry www.slipperyrockgazette.net Fabrication in Paradise
October 2024 Vol. 30-10
Just a stone’s throw off the coast of Washington state, in the Puget Sound, is a cluster of islands. Within them lies Whidbey Island. Located 30 miles north of Seattle, the 168 square-mile island is abundant with hills, forests, farmland and beaches, and is accessible from the mainland by two ferries and one bridge.
According to history, the first mention of Whidbey Island was during the 1790 Spanish Expedition of Manuel Quimper and Gonzalo Lopez de Haro. Already inhabited by several Native American tribes, the island was fully explored in 1792 by British Royal
by Peter J. Marcucci
Photos Courtesy NorthWest Granite & Flooring LLC
Navy Officer George Vancouver and soon after, fully mapped by Royal Navy Officer Joseph Whidbey.
Known for being the longest island in the United States, Whidbey Island is dotted with year-round residential communities both modest and high-end. The island is geared for tourism, offering an abundance of taste- ful cafes, charming boutiques and galleries, and cozy lodging. It is also home to U.S.
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, a base constructed in 1942 to defend the Northwest pacific coast against foreign intruders during WWII. NorthWest Granite & Flooring serves this diverse market, initially offering custom flooring. After a change in management, and seeing an opportunity in the market, custom stone fabrication was soon added. The com- pany is co-owned by Jeremey Jackson and wife Suzette. According to Jeremey, who, by the way, is a 27-year reader of the Slippery Rock Gazette, the company has seen a few changes, he recalled.
“When I started with the company in 2001, it was called NorthWest Cabinets &
Flooring. It was owned by three people, and I was just an employee. Then, just six months later, two of the three partners pulled out, and I bought half of the company. Then, in 2004, my wife Suzette and I bought the last owner out, and we changed the name to NorthWest Granite & Flooring LLC.” By 2006, business had increased to the point we purchased property and built our own 8,000 square foot shop and showroom.” The now state-of-the-art facility also boasts a whole-building water recirculation system designed and installed by Jeremey. No city water is used for fabrication or shop clean- ing. It’s a closed-loop system that earned Whidbey’s Green Seal.
The Nuts, Bolts and Moving Parts
With 90% of the company’s work located on Whidbey Island as well as the neigh- boring San Juan Islands, an average of 200 slabs are kept in stock. Visitors looking to embellish their homes with NorthWest Granite & Flooring’s finest materials need not go to the mainland. This is very import- ant, explained Jeremey. “Most of our work used to be builders, but now is also walk-in style retail with repeat clients and through referrals. Many of our clients are Navy per- sonnel, and it’s important that slabs are in stock because their off-time is limited. Once a week, I’m in Seattle purchasing materials, and I’ve gone through six different vehicles and over a dozen trailers hauling slabs back and forth over the years. We do get deliv-
eries, but sometimes the cost outweighs the fact that I can pick up more materials in one shot rather than just have a few slabs brought here. Hand selecting slabs is also important for quality custom work.”
NorthWest Granite & Flooring specializes in custom
slab work, both new construction for builder clients and remodels, and often uses exotic materials for their jobs, with stunning results. Jeremey Jackson: “One of our jobs was located in Anacortes, an Oxford Blue quartzite slab shower, bench and curb. The shower was on the second story of the house, so we had to use a special lift in order to reach the second level of the home.”
Bottom right: Family memorial installed at the historic Sunnyside cemetery on Ebey’s Landing (Coupeville), following strict historical society guidelines.
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