Business Spotlight: Vermont Soapstone

Glenn Bowman has been the owner of Vermont Soapstone for 32 years, a company that managed to stay in business since 1856.

www.vermontjournal.com

Business Spotlight: Vermont Soapstone September 27, 2018 Vermont Soapstone 248 Stoughton Pond Road Perkinsville, Vt. 05151 802-263-5404 sales@vermontsoapstone.com www.vermontsoapstone.com You might say Glenn Bowman, owner of Vermont Soapstone for these last 32 years, is a history buff. At least his appreciation of history and his fascination with a soapstone company that had managed to stay in business since 1856, is what brought him to the small town of Perkinsville, quite a distance from his then home in California. Vermont Soapstone A carpenter who grew up in the hotel business on the west coast, Bowman happened upon an article from The Rutland Herald about a company called Vermont Soapstone in Perkinsville, which was the oldest soapstone company in America. At the end of the article, the reporter mentioned that the owner was looking to retire. According to Bowman, he picked up the phone and the rest is, as Bowman would appreciate, history. Although he had never worked with soapstone before, the owner stuck around to teach him the business along with one of his craftsman. And thankfully that employee has stuck around ever since. Now with a team of “about a dozen,” Vermont Soapstone is best known for their custom architectural work: sinks, countertops, fireplace hearths, and tiling. According to Bowman, it’s all about the aesthetic. “My customers love that it instantly looks like it’s been there 100 years. The matte finish, the consistent dark gray color, and veining that is unique to each piece, are all part of it.” Vermont Soapstone Vermont Soapstone has two crews that travel up and down the east coast and custom install on site. Although primarily traveling in New England, New York state, and northern New Jersey, they’ve installed further afield as needed. And they’ll ship completed pieces across the country as well. As an offshoot to the architectural work, the company has also become a producer of whisky stones for the company Teraforma. Soapstone has temperature retention properties that make it ideal to retain either heat or cold. In 1856, soapstone bed warmers were a primary product for the company. Now, the same properties of the stone make it ideal as whisky stones. The small cubes, once cold, keep a fine whisky chilled without watering it down. Soapstone quarries are small and can become depleted in just five years and so a big part of Bowman’s job is prospecting and looking for new quality stone. Some of the local quarries have closed or are in the permitting process so Bowman currently travels to Brazil for the best stone. He’s so confident of his quality, he guarantees the stone forever. For a history buff like Bowman, that’s a long time. For more information on Vermont Soapstone, including requesting a quote, visit www.vermontsoapstone.com.