Tile seller runs business on solid footing

Public Record, The, Nov 30, 2004 by Kleinschmidt, Janice

Carpeting may take precedence in colder climes, but in the desert, residents often want something less furry underfoot. Thus, you'll find numerous tile and stone sellers in the Coachella Valley. Most are concentrated along Perez Road in Cathedral City and in business parks along Cook Street in Palm Desert.

Todd Estenson, however, has carved his niche in a small (1,500-square-foot) storefront in Desert Hot Springs. Since 1999, he has offered personalized service at Desert Springs Tile Stone & Supply on Palm Drive.

Although he only graduated from high school in 1983, Estenson says he decided to open a tile store and "leave [installation] to the younger guys."

After growing up in San Marcos and graduating from high school there, Estenson followed his parents to the Coachella Valley. "I enjoyed the weather here," he says, echoing a common refrain. It was 1983 and, he recalls, there was a "boom" in construction, including hotels. "I enjoyed working with my hands, so I wanted to do something like woodwork," he says.

Instead, he discovered there was a lot of money to be had in tile work. He started by working in the warehouse at Daltile in Cathedral City and used the time to learn about the products. Before long, he was applying his newfound knowledge working in the field.

After three to four years, Estenson decided to branch out on his own as a tile installer. Once he got his contractor's license, he was able to contract jobs out and, after somewhere between eight and 10 years, decided to open a retail store.

"It was new to me," he says. "That's why I am in this small location." However, he adds, he expects to triple his size by taking over the space next door and is "in the midst" of buying a Desert Hot Springs lot on which he can build a future business location.

Expanding isn't just about Estenson's ability to increase his bottom line. Like many small entrepreneurs, he considers how he can best serve his customers. "More warehouse space means better buys," he says. "The more I buy, the more I can save my clients."

He also wants more display room. In addition to tile, stone, marble, and granite, Estenson carries a variety of products to glue down or hold the "hardware" in place, grouts, sealers, cleaners, wet saws, mixer guns, installation tools - even bucket heaters to prevent having to dip hands in cold water.

For Estenson, the bottom line is about quality and using the fight product for the job. "If you don't know what you are buying, you can get into a lot of problems," he says. In particular, a lot of glass tiles and porcelain available these days are denser and need a higher-grade "glue." Estenson found Laticrete, a manufacturer headquartered in Connecticut with a manufacturing plant in Corona, that "addressed almost every issue," he says. He also carries "regular" grout, but wants to make sure people are fully aware of their options. "I think that's important," he says.

Estenson has attended courses at Laticrete to learn about their products and how to use them and has hosted hands-on classes given by Laticrete representatives for customers at his store.

"A part of my business that I feel good about is a good product and a company backing me up," Estenson says. As a tile installer, he wasn't always satisfied with the products he was able to purchase. In particular, he says, "I wanted to get better products to glue and grout." Laticrete makes a grout that doesn't need a sealer and doesn't stain. The company also offers grouts that sparkle and glow in the dark. Estenson carries them all - and grouts in every color. He says a lot of stores can order products, but he prides himself in stocking them.

In addition to the courses, Estenson keeps up with the latest techniques and ANSI standards, subscribes to Stone World Magazine, and attends industry trade shows in Las Vegas and Los Angeles every year. He knows the difference between stone products that come from deeper within a quarry and those from closer to the surface.

Although Estenson concentrates his efforts in the retail portion of his business and refers installation work to tile contractors, customers sometimes ask if he can do the installation himself. In those cases, he will bid the job himself and offer referrals.

Then again, thanks to the proliferation of home improvement/home makeover shows on television, people often want to do projects themselves, says Estenson. "And they can. A little guidance is all people need."

Guidance is Estenson's modus operandbased on his own experiences and the comments he gets from customers. People get frustrated going to other stores, he says. "They don't feel important. When they come here, they are. Everybody is."