Amid his sadness over the death of Fluff, his 17-year-old
Maine Coon cat, Dan Grover had to deal with a different kind
of unpleasant situation.
"I wanted to get a headstone and when I priced one,
it was sticker shock," Grover said of learning that it
would cost $350 for a small marker. "I thought there
had to be a more economical way."
Grover's experience led him to start a business that
helps others looking for a way to memorialize, without
breaking the bank, a cherished pet. The resulting stone
engraving business, Distinct Impressions, was among the
first of its kind advertising on the Internet and has tapped
into the growing market of people willing to spend money on
their pets.
And, like many small businesses, Grover's company
provides an income to him for doing work that he loves.
At its core, Distinct Impressions is rooted in Grover's
interest in stained glass. He began making stained glass
pieces about five or six years ago and enjoyed it, but
didn't feel he had the skills to make a go of it
commercially.
So, he moved into a related area, etched glass. After
taking a few courses, he decided to apply some of the
techniques used to etch glass to stone, where his business
concept and personal interest met.
Grover uses a computer to design his etchings. The
computer is hooked to a cutter, which is similar to a
printer but equipped with a blade instead of a stylus. The
cutter makes a stencil of his design from thin vinyl.
The stencil can then be applied to a stone, and using a
precise sandblaster, Grover is able to etch the design onto
the stone, usually tumbled blue stone.
Most people choose a stone about the size of a sheet of
paper, which goes for $79.95. There's typically enough room
for a name, the pet's year of birth and death, and a small
phrase, such as "in loving memory."
A smaller option that has about enough room for a pet's
name runs $44.95, Grover said. He offers some additional
choices to further personalize the stone, such as a
selection of fonts, but most people just go with the
standard typeface and other features, said Grover, who
understands why.
"Most people are in no mood to choose fonts"
after the death of a pet, he said.
Grover said he finds that most of the customers he talks
to want to share stories of their pet.
To help those customers who wanted more than a headstone,
Grover added a free section to his Web site where people can
put in a remembrance of a beloved dog, cat, hamster, fish or
whatever their pet was, and a picture, if they like. So far,
dozens have.
Memorializing pets is a growing business, although it's
hard to put numbers to it, said Robert Fells, the general
counsel of the International Cemetery and Funeral
Association.
Fells, a dog owner, said he just received a catalog of
pet products that included a section with granite memorials.
"Some people are so devoted to their pets that
they're willing to spend some bucks to pay tribute to their
faithful dog, or cat, or horse," he said. "People
feel like they have more of a relationship with their
animals."
Fells said some of his association's members have set up
separate pet cemeteries for customers who want to be near
their pets after they die.
"Pet cemeteries have always had a niche
market," he said.
Grover said he's expanded his line of products beyond
headstones. He also offers engraved stones for other uses,
such as a child's name as a gift, a favorite saying or a
stone that welcomes visitors to a garden.
He once made a stone for a customer who planned to take
his girlfriend to a park where he'd leave the stone earlier
in the day. The customer said he was going to suggest that
his girlfriend turn the stone over and she would find it
engraved with his marriage proposal.
Grover made the stone and sent it off, but never heard
back. He's not sure whether that's a good sign or not.
Grover and his son designed the original Web site in
1999, and he found most of his business through it. At the
time, only four competitors making pet headstones with
Internet sites. At last check, Grover said, he saw more than
170.
Then, in addition to the leap in competition, Internet
search engines started charging fees for prime listing
spots. Grover decided that was a little rich for his small
company, and he's come to rely increasingly on other methods
such as the phone and fax machine for customer
communication.
"I started this business on a shoestring with two
laces broke," he said. "It was just getting too
expensive."
The Web site remains and Grover is unconcerned if it's
down on the list of results in search engines. It still
steers customers to Distinct Impressions, but Grover said
only about 10 percent of his clients actually order online.
Another 5 percent send their orders by fax and the rest call
him to place an order.
That gives him a chance to make sure the order is correct
- and lend a shoulder to a bereaved customer.
"One guy was so upset, he could barely talk,"
Grover said.
Grover said each headstone takes him about 2 1/2 hours to
complete and he's sold about a thousand so far. The cash may
not be rolling into his old farmhouse in Bar Mills, but
Grover makes enough to live on and said he's satisfied with
simply doing a job well.
"It's a struggling business, but I'd rather keep the
quality high than start charging higher prices," he
said.
And there are advantages to working at home, said Grover,
who was a salesman for trucking companies for 30 years.
"There's something to be said about working at home
with three dogs in an old farmhouse," he said. "I
may not be making as much money, but my frame of mind is
much better."
Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at
791-6465 or at:
emurphy@pressherald.com