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Lowe’s vs Home Depot

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Vyara in Blog, Misc.

For a long time, I wasn’t sure of the difference between Lowe’s and Home Depot.

I knew they were different stores of course, but had no idea if one was definitively better than the other. (Don’t get scared – I handle the online initiatives at Granite Leaders – I’m not installing your granite countertops.)

Figuring neither would answer direct questions about their competitors on Twitter, I went ahead and checked Google.

As you can see, Home Depot gets the nod. While not an exact science, I think this is pretty close to good science, or at the very least an irreverent exercise in search engine technology.

Where do you go for your hardware and construction needs?

Who’s Been to Granite Quarry, USA?

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Vyara in Blog, Google

As I’m prone to do, I went searching on Google again for granite-related news and information, and came back with something I didn’t know before.

For example, did you know that searching for “granite quarry” will bring back almost nothing in the News section except for links to things about Granite Quarry, North Carolina?

I knew nothing about this place before this, so went to their home page to learn more, and especially to see if the name of the town is telling the truth, i.e. there’s a granite quarry there.

Despite a page touting “town history”, there’s no such information there. It actually used to be called Woodville, so maybe their local economy is based on lumber. In any case, there’s your granite-related history for the week.

Why is New Hampshire the Granite State?

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Vyara in Blog, Google

I was perusing Facebook a bit and came across the Granite State Lunchbox – one of my friends mentioned they’d eaten there.

If you’ve visited this blog before, you know that sent me on a rampant search for whether there was such a thing as the “granite state”, ala the “buckeye state” for ohio, etc.

Hello, New Hampshire.

The state’s nickname, “The Granite State”, refers to its geology and its tradition of self-sufficiency.

I’m not sure how granite relates to self-sufficiency – I suppose that it doesn’t degenerate and is easy to clean?

Whatever the case, this is my favorite discovery of 2012 so far, and will fuel at least 15 more blog posts, to be sure.

Granite Christmas Ornaments

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Vyara in Blog

While my fantasy of granite Christmas tree stands remains just that, it turns out that granite Christmas tree ornaments are already a true reality.

Just check out this page for granite Christmas ornaments over on zazzle.com.

This is good work, and I expect they can do custom jobs, as well. Putting this on the “things to suggest we produce ourselves” list for the higher-ups at granite leaders.

I love granite countertops and all, but I favor granite holidays that much more.

Granite Christmas Tree Stands

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Vyara in Blog

Kitchen design, bathroom design, granite countertops, blah, blah, blah.

What I really wish our company did was stone-based holiday accessories.

Specifically, something like a granite-cut Christmas tree stand would be wonderful. It could somehow look like the mat pictured, except it would look better, be made of granite, and have the part that holds the tree attached in a more substantial way.

I’m emailing this post to everyone that works here, so hopefully next holiday season these exist. For now, all you Chicago friends with have to be satisfied with granite countertops.

granite christmas tree stands

Now on Google Plus

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Vyara in Blog, Google

We’re now up on Google Plus, which is something we wondered about some months ago.

You may or may not remember when we begged for Google Plus for Businesses, and here it is.

Our profile is right here – it’s tied into our Maps page, so hopefully at some point that becomes useful.

As for now, it fulfills an old wish once had by a blog author, and that will have to do.

(For real, it has some powerful photo powers, so we’ll likely have some exclusive uploads over there.)

Hanging Granite Countertops

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Vyara in Blog

I was doing a little research for a friend who wanted to know if there was such a thing as hanging granite countertops and found the thread linked up right here in this sentence.

I think what my friend wants is countertops that actually hang from the ceiling – it’s for a bar she’s thinking about opening. Cool concept, but I don’t know how feasible it would be based on the below.

Has anybody out there dealt with this problem? I have an island countertop that extends out over a 6″ pony wall. It makes a table with chairs on 3 sides. I want to support the 16″ overhang of granite. The countertop guy said to use 1/2″ steel that is screwed to the 6″ pony wall and extends back to screw to the top of the island. It will sit under the lip of the granite so there is no apron showing.

They’re concerned with steel support on an overhang. I can’t imagine it’s possible to hang something so heavy – and take into account all the weight-bearing it’ll need – from a ceiling.

Considering where I work, I should probably just ask, eh? I will, and post my results/answer.

Is the Kindle Fire Better Than the iPad?

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Vyara in Blog, Misc.

I’ve had an iPad for some time and love it, but I have to admit the Kindle Fire has me intrigued.

There’s nothing like a nice slick piece of new technology to put on top of your granite countertops, and I want to make sure our showroom is equipped with the latest and best.

From what I can tell, the iPad is bigger, more powerful and versatile, and has more apps available. (That last thing might fall under “more versatile”, but you get the point.)

The Kindle Fire has a definite price advantage, and if you’re a heavy user of their various services, you get that type of integration.

The iPad 2 is also a more handsome device, and by far. The real test will be which one the waterjet will cut better. That remains to be seen, and I’m going see if we can do that very fun test.

What Kind of Stone is the Great Wall of China Made Of?

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Vyara in Blog, Misc.

Sometimes it’s worth the trouble to venture outside the world of kitchen counters and Chicago skylines and even granite.

As such, today I look to China, to wonder aloud about what kind of stone the Great Wall is made of.

I stopped wondering this as soon as I went to Wikipedia and found out there are rumors you can see the Wall from the Moon.

Hours later – after looking across the internet for any verification this could be true – I remembered this post, and came back to writing it.

I never did find the answer, but I imagine if you check Google, it’s there somewhere.

Band Names Using Granite Countertops

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Vyara in Blog, Google, Misc.

The Search Engine Optimization game is a tough one, and in an industry like granite countertops, it’s even tougher.

There are a lot of companies and a lot of websites around, and especially in Chicago.

What’s one to do, but continue to come up with the most original content based around granite countertops on the planet, and try to nail those sub-niches that nobody has even thought of yet, such as the title of this post.

By my estimation, not only will I be the number one Google result for this by tonight, but I should be the only one.

Just so the information is actually here, the only band I could think up that sounded plausible was Granite Countertop Spaceship.

(I thought up the idea for this post while searching for “granite spaceship” on Google – it was a reaction to last week’s post about granite houses.)

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