By SHELLY STRAUTZ-SPRINGBORN
Michigan Correspondent

STANTON, Mich. — Casting tons of cement by hand is a heavy job, but Linda Stewart doesn’t let it bog her down.

The 47-year-old Stanton woman has spent the last 18 years building her business, Concrete Lawn Décor & More, at her home with the help of her husband, Rick, and their children, Ricky, Chad, Anna and Phillip.

What started as a small buy-sell business for Stewart has grown over the years to include casting between 7,000-8,000 items annually, as well as buying large items from as far away as a wholesaler in Kentucky and hauling them nearly 500 miles to her West Michigan shop. Her interest in concrete decorations was sparked when her brother, who was stationed at a military base in Kentucky, brought cement items home to Michigan as gifts for his family.

“I liked them,” she said. “I went down there and looked and thought, ‘I could do that.’”

After hauling back her first load of cement decorations, Stewart set up shop on a small patch of stones in front of her rural Stanton home. She also took her wares on the road, attending a variety of shows and outdoor markets throughout Michigan.

“We used to stop at Shipshewana and sold down there on our way back from Kentucky, too,” Stewart said.

Although she stopped traveling to shows a couple of years ago, she credits those efforts with helping to establish her business.

“We have customers from all over – Saginaw, Midland, Detroit. Every couple of years we have a couple stop by who are from Portland, Oregon,” Stewart said. “We handed out hundreds of business cards at the shows.

“We have a lot of people we have gotten to know over the years. It’s amazing how many items some people have bought from us.”
Today, much of her yard is landscaped with areas that display thousands of items. In addition, a former horse barn next to her home has been converted into a retail shop that is open daily April through December.

While Stewart continues to purchase some of her larger concrete lawn décor from out-of-state wholesalers, it wasn’t long after she embarked on her business that she began molding her own items.
She initially purchased two goose molds and a turtle mold; her collection now totals more than 200, down from at least 300 a few years ago.

Stewart uses an electric drill with a paddle on it to mix cement in a five-gallon bucket. She uses a combination of regular cement, crushed rock and sand, mixing it to a thinner consistency than regular cement, which allows her to bring out the detail in her pieces. She uses a coffee can to dip the cement out of the pail and pour it into the molds. One part-time employee assists her.

“It’s easier to keep the consistency this way” than in a big cement mixer, Stewart said. “Usually you can pull a piece out every 24 hours, in the right climate conditions.”

Some of her most popular items include angels, gargoyles, memorial plaques, urns, fisher boys, Dutch boys and girls, fountains, firemen, military items and flags. In addition, she has a variety of animals ranging from cows and pigs to cats and dogs, as well as racecars, benches and much more.

“I get so excited when I buy a new mold and take the first one out of it. It’s fun,” she said.

Stewart also offers large items such as a 2,000-pound moose – which she has sold a few of over the years – as well as a large gorilla, large and small giraffes, bears, horses and more.

“I don’t pour anything that weighs more than 100 pounds,” she said. “I buy the large stuff down South to get a bigger variety of items.

“Most people are looking for something different for their yards. The giraffes have been a big thing and gargoyles are, too. You either like them or hate them.”

So, what’s her favorite?

“I like the gorilla, giraffe and grizzly bear. I have them in my yard,” she said.

“I like the unusual stuff, too. I like to have stuff in my yard that nobody else could get a hold of,” she added.

Concrete Lawn Décor & More is more than just pouring the cement into a mold, letting it set for 24 hours and selling it. There’s also the painting – an art Stewart said she had to learn.

“I learned my painting technique from one of the wholesale places I go to in Indiana,” she said. “It’s called dry brushing.”

Stewart explained once they are cast, the cement ornaments have to cure for at least 30 days before being painted. Then they are primed with a coat of black or gray paint.

“We usually spray on the base coat and then dry-brush over it,” Stewart said. “It’s almost like reverse antiquing. You can pull out a lot of detail. I’m not a painter, but you don’t have to be.”

For more information about Concrete Lawn Décor & More, visit the website at www.concretelawndecor.com or call Stewart at 989-831-5635.