Anniversaries are an important time to reflect and to look forward to future times and, as Art Stone Memorials enters its 14th year in business, head stonemason Alex Burklaka. shares his thoughts.
“I am incredibly proud of where we have come and how we have grown. My wife Tracy and I started the business in 2010 and we then became part of the Wathall’s family in 2018.
Originally from Ukraine, I have always loved making things and learnt the trade from a local stone mason. I wanted to start my own business so I sold my car to buy my own set of tools and set up Art Stone Memorials with the support of the Prince’s Trust.
Based in our workshop in Drakelow, we started by showcasing our memorial stones, graveside ornaments, pet memorials and slate house signs at markets in Burton and Swadlincote before we opened the showroom in Stapenhill.
We have grown steadily since and we now work with Wathall’s and several other funeral directors across the Midlands as well as directly with families to create, update and refurbish gravestones and memorials.
In the past five years alone, we have more than doubled the number of new memorials and others which we have removed, refurbished and then re-fitted.
Our geographical reach has also vastly increased and, thanks to our central location, we have so far worked in 100 different locations. These are mainly in the Midlands but we have also fitted memorials in locations as far afield as Oxford and London.
We are now well established with a good reputation and are already seeing families return – asking us to add inscriptions to memorials we have already created and fitted or creating new memorials and, in the coming years – that repeat custom will hopefully grow.
To ensure that we can keep up with the demand for our services, we are planning to expand our workshop space in the coming months.
Creating, updating and refurbishing memorials is not just combining creativity with attention to detail. There are a wide range of regulations surrounding making and erecting gravestones and memorials to ensure that they remain looking good and solidly in place for many, many years to come.
Each graveyard and cemetery also have its own rules and regulations and that is important so that we can advise families from the outset on things like the size and shape of memorial as well as illustrations.
I am therefore grateful to have a dedicated team around me who share my passion, attention to detail and are determined to do the best job we possibly can on behalf of families.
There have been so many highlights over the past 14 years but some really do stand out such as renovating the war memorial at Repton School, the unveiling of a memorial in Hilton and being involved in the restoration of the memorial to local and international footballer Benjamin Warren.
The best thing about my job is that I am able to make something that will certainly outlive me and still be around for future generations, so we are essentially leaving a footprint in time. My greatest satisfaction is when a family start the journey to order a memorial – unsure about what they wanted but then say how happy they are with the result.
