First-time visitors to Texas Counter Fitters showroom in Richardson are often surprised to find a museum-like space, where natural stone slabs are showcased alongside diverse styles of artwork.

“People are surprised by the beauty,” Community Engagement Officer Diana Einstein said. “I've invited people here and they wear sneakers and sweatpants because they expect it to be dusty and cold. They walk in and say, ‘I should have dressed up, this is like an art gallery.’”

Chris Blackburn and Andrew Gilbert opened Texas Counter Fitters in 2010 followed by the Richardson showroom in 2020.

The set up

Sandwiched between two indoor showrooms is an outside showroom. Each area features a variety of stone slabs sourced from around the world including Italy, Brazil, Turkey, Cambodia and more.


Blackburn said Texas Counter Fitters focuses on exotic stones.

“We specialize in unique [stones] whereas some distributors in town flood their inventory with what's popular,” Blackburn said. “We buy stuff that's one-off and unique. We might sit on it—we might have one or two bundles of it—we just wait for that person or designer to come in and go, ‘That's the one!’”

Interspersed throughout the showrooms are unique pieces of art many of which have stone components. Blackburn said the artwork helps customers and designers conceptualize what the stone will look like in a home.

“Everybody says, ‘Hanging art on the stone—that's genius, that's so new,’” Blackburn said. “They've been doing that for as long as stone goes back in our past. This isn’t new, but nobody's seen it here.”


Digging deeper

Blackburn has visited a variety of stone quarries and explains a bit of the mining process.

“The white marbles come from ... Calcutta, Italy. There are specific regions that are white marble,” Blackburn said. “Quartzites come from inside the earth. Sometimes you get good blocks, sometimes you get bad blocks. You don't know until you're cutting into it. Sometimes there is a void in the middle of it, or it could be a really beautiful color.”

What else?


Throughout the year, Texas Counter Fitters hosts events, including nonprofit fundraising events, educational seminars and more.

Blackburn measures success by the impact of their community involvement such as supporting initiatives like funding an art therapy center and installing natural quartzite countertops to enhance the kitchen at Dallas ISD’s After8toEducate, a shelter for DISD students.

The background

Armed with years of industry experience, Blackburn and Gilbert started out in a small space in east Dallas that had a tendency to attract unwelcome four-legged guests. In the ensuing years, the business has grown from a two-person operation to over 100 employees with their Richardson showroom encompassing 4.5 acres.


“Our shop was against a levy and there were wild dogs. We had to scare the wild dogs off to have designers come out to make their selections,” Blackburn said of the early days. “We started with nothing, We built this company on a lot of trust, gumption, dumb luck and grace of God.”