Stone Cold Genius

Here’s how James Justice, owner of Justice and Company, uses granite and stone to set a new standard of creative excellence in home construction and remodeling.

By: Ken McEntee
Date: 04/22/2009
Justice and Company is the Big Apple among home remodelers: If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. That’s because owner James Justice is as particular about his craftsmen as he is about the elegant granite and natural stone his company is famous for.

“I am very selective about who I hire,” James says. “Before you can work here you have to have experience, pass a drug test and a written test to show your knowledge of the business, and you have to have the right attitude. Attitude is very important. When our workers come into your home, they are representing my company and I’m proud that so many customers have commented about how respectful our guys are.”

And there have been plenty of comments about their quality of work as well.

“Their work is just fantastic,” says David Grubb, whose kitchen has been transformed into a showplace, with custom-made solid cherry cabinets and granite countertops. “People walk in and all they can say is, ‘Wow.’”
David and his wife Dina, of Westlake, were among James’s first customers when he started the company 22 years ago.

James was installing an underground electrical line for a neighbor when David first noticed the fastidious attention to detail that Justice and Company has now become known for. David asked James for an estimate on a family room addition that became the first of many projects that David would hire James for.
“The precision was incredible and you knew it was built to last. Now that our kitchen is finished, we have them redoing all of our bathrooms,” David says.

Justice and Company offers turnkey design and installation for any project in your home, including kitchens and baths, basement remodels, shower systems, wine rooms and libraries. The company’s unique work and product selection is brought to life in its dazzling showroom and design center in Medina. Hundreds of slabs of granite from places like Italy, Brazil, India and Pakistan are on display on the site.

“People have driven in from out of state to see our showroom,” James says. “We have close to 60,000 square feet of granite onsite, with more than 200 varieties, including a lot of translucent onyx that can be beautifully back lit. We specialize in the unique pieces that you’re not going to find anywhere else. Suppliers know that I am always looking for something unique and exotic.”

Granite emits such beauty that an ordinary granite countertop can lend a distinct touch of class to an otherwise lackluster kitchen. So imagine what a countertop fashioned from extraordinarily exotic granite, like you’ll find at Justice and Company, will do for your home.

That’s why when LeBron James’ design team wanted granite countertops and other decorative stone pieces installed throughout his new 35,000 square foot mansion, the choice of Justice and Company was a slam dunk.
Along with its stunning inventory of exotic granite, the company also has a wood and cabinet shop, an iron and metal shop, and a cast stone shop—right on site.

“We’re proud of our cabinetry,” James says. “We carry major lines like Schrock, Door Components, Dura Supreme and Kabinart along with our custom-built cabinets. We have cabinets to meet any budget, from low to high. And our craftsmen are the finest around. They do whatever it takes to get the job done. If you can imagine it, we’ll find a way to construct it.”

Ingenuity is as important to James as quality. The showroom, which was converted from an old dairy barn, contains numerous examples of innovative applications from what might be considered by many people to be discarded junk—old barn support beams shaved into luxurious inserts for a circular hardwood floor medallion, for example. Or an old tree trunk that grew around barbed wired that now supports a bathroom basin.
James says he may soon get the chance to share some of his creativity with a national television audience. Upon inspecting an old Valley City home he recently purchased at an auction, James discovered that the house had been built around a log cabin.

The HGTV home and garden cable network may feature James’s complete restoration of the cabin, from design to completion.

“This is an exciting project,” James smiles. “We get to make all of the decisions ourselves and we really get to be creative.”

One of the fastest growing products at Justice and Company is its line of handcrafted cast stone products that are used as decorative features for moldings, fireplaces, mantles and hearths.

Justice and Company can create a mold from just about anything and reproduce it in molded stone, making a bold and upscale accent to a room.

“The cast stone is getting more popular all the time,” James says. “It is a proven investment in your home and it offers a great value versus the cost.”

James often scouts antique shops for pieces that can be molded and replicated in stone—like intricately carved wooden frames, or the giant three-dimensional stone playing cards that will accent a customer’s game room. James invites you to bring in antiques of your own. Justice and Company will make a mold and reproduce them.

As his company continues to grow, James said he is appreciative of the support he has received from the community.

“In a struggling economy, we just hired three new craftsman, which I think is a testament to the quality of our work,” he says. “I’m thankful to our customers who are responsible for our success.”

You can take a virtual video tour of the Justice and Company showroom by visiting www.justiceandcompany.net. But it’s far more amazing to see it in person, at 2462 Pearl Road, in Medina, six miles south of Strongsville. The showroom is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The phone number is 330-225-6000.

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