Building combines garage improvement, fireplace showrooms

Aug. 1, 2018

Garage Living and Fireplace Gallery & Design are settling into their new home on West 41st Street.

The businesses started remodeling the former Dakota Stained Glass building a year ago and started moving operations in as the work was being done, said Tera Stough, who owns them with her husband.

The showrooms were completed earlier this year. Customers can see the 38 fireplace choices that Fireplace Gallery sells and the polyaspartic floors and steel cabinetry that Garage Living installs. There’s even a classic car hoisted on a vehicle lift, which is another product the business offers.

The exterior also draws attention at night, with six “fireplace columns” burning.

The couple started with the fireplace business but added the Garage Living franchise after Stough’s husband was at a trade show looking at garage flooring for their home and discovered the company.

“He called and said, ‘I found what I want, and I’m buying the franchise.’”

The polyaspartic floor coverings are superior to ones created with epoxy because they include a patented product that’s made in conjunction with Rhino Linings, which does pickup bedliners, Stough said.

“Concrete tends to shift over time, and natural cracks in garages will appear if they’re just painted with epoxy,” she said. Garage Living’s product “has flex and gives just like the liner in the back of the pickup.”

Polyaspartic floors can be done in temperatures that are 25 degrees below zero, while epoxy installers typically stop at 40 degrees, Stough said. If customers want to order a floor as a Christmas present, they won’t have to wait until spring to have it done.

They’re also “98 percent odor-free” when they’re installed, so they can be used in hospitals, other businesses and homes.

Garage Living’s cabinetry also is very durable and comes with a lifetime warranty against rust, she said.

Having a visible location in a growing community is a plus, but the business is building through its word-of-mouth reputation, Stough said.

“We’re super busy. We’re booked out until October.”

Both Garage Living and Fireplace Gallery do their projects without hiring subcontractors. They have a total staff of nine.

In addition to fireplaces that range from woodburning to gas and electric, the showroom for Fireplace Gallery includes samples of brick and tile, custom mantles, lighting fixtures and home decor. “We do everything from start to finish. … Everything on the showroom floor is for sale,” Stough said.

From her own experience, she said she knows how time-consuming it can be to travel from shop to shop.

The showrooms at 1312 W. 41st St. are still tweaking their hours, but for now they’re open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

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Building combines garage improvement, fireplace showrooms

Garage Living and Fireplace Gallery & Design are settling into their new home on West 41st Street.

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