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Please be sure to review our FAQs for important information
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need an appointment?
No. We have a large showroom with multiple seating areas to keep everyone safely distanced.
Q: What is the process for a new headstone?
A: The process is mostly paperwork.
- First, the headstone must be ordered and all paperwork completed.
- The second step is for the order to be processed, for the files to be created and the cemetery rules and regulations to be confirmed.
- We will then create and send you a drawing of the headstone.
- When you confirm that the drawing is correct and return it back to us we will review the drawing for errors and confirm that the stock is available or on order.
- We will prepare the application and send it to the cemetery with any required payments for their approval.
- The cemetery will (hopefully) approve the application and provide us with a permit to go on their property.
- The order will be reviewed once more for any issues and errors prior to the first cut into the stone.
- Once the stock is available we will issue the work to the shop.
- New headstones will then return from the shop completed for a final inspection by you. At that time the balance will be due.
- The new headstone will be placed on the headstone at our earliest availability.
- You will receive a phone call or a postcard to notify you of completion.
We do 90% of the paperwork behind the scenes and most customers have no idea that after the order is placed we will spend a total of 3 hours (sometimes more) just checking over the order and handling the details most customers do not even know exist. When there are hundreds of orders at any given time, you can imagine that it slows things down a little bit.
Q: Will I see a layout of my order before it is completed?
A: Yes! We will provide a computer drawn diagram for headstone orders before the work is started. Inscriptions will receive a hand drawn layout only, because we will match the existing font and style.
Q: What is my part in keeping things moving?
A: Your job is to make sure that whatever paperwork we send you is properly checked over and executed in a timely manner. If you have any changes please let us know right away and if something must be notarized we have one here for you.
Q: What are the X's on my drawing?
A: They are place holders for the future inscriptions to be inscribed on the headstone.
Q: What if I cannot come in during business hours?
A: We do our best to make ourselves available for after hours appointments. Some are easy to fulfill while others may need special attention, but you never know if you don't ask. Email is the best way to make an appointment.
Q: Can I pay extra to get my job expedited?
A: No. Many monument dealers will offer to rush your order for an additional fee. We found that many people were getting sidelined for those who chose to pay more, so we have not accepted rush orders since the early 1970's.
Q: I sent an email and left a message, how long do I wait for a response?
A: As long as you left contact information we will always return your message. Our industry is highly impacted since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are doing the best we can to respond but sometimes we take longer than anyone would prefer.
Q: How long does a new headstone take?
A: This is the most common question and can be the very hardest to answer. Many monument dealers will promise you a short wait but neglect to tell you that it does not include the cemetery application time period which depending on what cemetery can be anywhere from 1 week to 6 months for the most basic work. Other dealers will also give you a shorter timeframe to get your order and then simply not fulfill that promise. We will never do that to you.
Before COVID-19, an average headstone or inscription was completed in an average of 2-4 months. Since the pandemic however, we have seen delays in every single area adding up to and sometimes over a year.
- The cemeteries are taking longer to approve applications due to the influx of loss and short hands during the pandemic. During our lockdown the cemeteries were not even accepting the paperwork to start work on.
- The quarries are delayed and in some instances still locked down from COVID-19 (as of July 2021)
- The shipping line is interrupted due to lack of truckers, containers and ships to import the stock. The Suez Canal incident even had an impact on us.
- The shops, setters and inscribers are all overwhelmed with work.
- The 3M factory closed to make ventilators during the peak of the pandemic. 3M makes the Scotch stencil that is required when a stone is blasted. Without this the sand blasting can not be done at all. In October of 2021, 3M announced that they will no longer be producing the stencils at all. there are only 2 other companies that make a good quality product and they were not ready for the influx amid all of the rubber and other raw material shortages.
- The nozzles that attach to the sandblasting hoses are also in short supply.
- See the links below for more details:
https://nypost.com/2021/09/25/granite-supply-shortages-cause-grave-delays-for-grieving-families/
https://www.npr.org/2021/04/23/990088408/multiple-factors-spark-surge-in-sales-of-headstone
https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2022/03/07/3m-decision-stencils-tombstones.html
https://catholicreview.org/supply-chain-delays-dramatically-affect-cemetery-headstone-industry/