Michael Karmody Helps Mold the Success of Stone Soup Concrete

Stone Soup's Michael Karmody (right) and Michael Paulsen congratulate each other after another successful concrete countertop installation.

Stone Soup Concrete, located in Florence, Mass., is comprised of owners and business partners Michael Karmody and Mike Paulsen, as well as "a unique and unusual group of eight full-time employees plus summer labor" who craft concrete into the most unusual and amazing things.

Located in the heart of Massachusetts´ Pioneer Valley, Stone Soup Concrete serves all of New England, as well as New York, New Jersey, and parts of Pennsylvania. They occupy 14,000 square feet of Northampton´s Arts and Industry Building. Formerly the Pro Brush Factory, the Arts and Industry Building was the first place in the U.S. to employ the use of injection-molded plastics in the service of the production of hair and tooth brushes. After Pro Brush moved into a more modern facility, the old mill became a mixed-use studio building housing painters, inventors, sculptors, woodworkers, glass artists, printmakers, weavers, illustrators, bicycle and skate manufacturing, and an automotive bio-fuel converter.

With a portfolio as varied as the employees themselves, Karmody and crew have created concrete countertops, sinks, fireplaces, vanities, tubs and more. From large, surfboard-inspired concrete countertops, to concrete farm sinks, to acid stained concrete bathtubs, even object d'art, nothing seems to be out of the reach of Stone Soup. Works often include acid stains, inlays, colored glass terrazzo, drain-boards and scribed surfaces, all adding a touch of elegance to concrete countertops and more.

Karmody explains that his interest in concrete harkens back to college, when he became fascinated with the Communist System's use of concrete. After he finished up a Fine Arts degree and became a carpenter 12 years ago, Karmody and Paulsen began working together building (amongst other things) steeples, which eventually triggered their concrete use.

It seems that steeple building was a bit more dangerous than working with concrete, and at the urging of Paulsen's wife, the duo laid down their ladders and hit the concrete.

"We decided to turn the corner and make countertops full time," Karmody adds. "I was enthralled by how concrete moves and what it does, and I fell in love with the material. It's been an interesting, wonderful experience."

Karmody says that steeple building, and the principles behind it, have helped them work with what was at first an unfamiliar material. "We revisit engineering all the time," Karmody says.

Self taught, with the aid of engineering manuals and books, the men are on a quest to see how big they can get—literally.

"Size does matter," laughs Karmody, adding that they always try to add to the previous project's scale when starting anew.

It's a good thing Karmody says he likes "the difficult things" because he's currently facing a pickle of an installation--a 16.5-foot-long countertop weighing 2,000 lbs with railroad tracks embedded in it for a butcher block to travel on and an integral sink in it.

"It's an engineering challenge to install," observes Karmody, who says he relishes the diversity of his work.

"Every day something different happens."

Karmody's appreciation for concrete is clear.

"Concrete will change with the way you use it, and it's almost always more beautiful over time," he says. "But beautiful and concrete were never heard of together 10 years ago."

Looking back, Karmody notes that the market is more receptive to decorative concrete than it ever was before.

"Today, people have actually heard of concrete countertops. There are brand names and a market for it on the West Coast. But here, in New England, things have to work well to prove their worth," observes Karmody. "When we first started, all of our work was in Boston and New York City, and little by little we're getting more local work."

They also take a comforting approach with clients, helping them achieve looks that often can't even be put into worlds.

"Often a client can't articulate what they want so we help them reach their goals," Karmody explains. "We need to educate clients and make sure they are asking the right questions of their contractors. A well-educated client is the best client."

Putting both his degrees in International Relations and Fine Arts to use, Karmody says he's able to bring in the little details that enhance esthetics in projects.

"It's a dance really," he adds. "We fulfill a need that cannot be fulfilled by other material. It's often a question of ease or difficulty, and difficulty equals cost, but often the best design solutions need not be difficult or costly."

As the industry continues to grow and "there are more people producing better stuff," Karmody says that sharing knowledge must come into play. "We were self taught because no one was doing it, and if they were they didn't want to share information," he explains.

Up next for Stone Soup is a new furniture product line involving steel and wood, and featuring bar stools, tables, free-standing vanities, sinks and benches.

As for why the move into retail, Karmody observes, "I'm interested in the possibilities that exist in three dimensions. Furniture gives us that opportunity. We get to work with craftsmen we respect and work with a variety of materials, have things ready for sale immediately, and offer products readily-made, so that if we create an island, we quickly have stools to match. It allows us to read and serve the customer in a better way...And it's fun."

"We're not trying to make concrete for everybody," Karmody admits. "But our biggest enemy is people making stuff badly. We need to make sure people are making it well."

Stone Soup Concrete
Mike Karmody
For inquiries, contact: Mike Paulsen
221 Pine St.
Florence, MA 01062
(413) 582-0783 Office
(413) 582-9129 Fax
info@StoneSoupConcrete.com
http://www.stonesoupconcrete.com