Metal Amore shapes its success
By: KATHRYN GILLICK - For the North County Times (February 2006) ESCONDIDO ---- The old-world look of wrought iron has long been popular in North County home and business decor. But Metal Amore in Escondido takes the look one step further, carrying bits and parts that customers can put together to create custom pieces.
The company's showroom doubles as a quasi-art studio where customers can design their creation from the bins of stairway balusters, rosettes, section scrolls and more. "A lot of it is just being creative," said Bob Petronella, who owns Metal Amore with business partner Marc Corwin.
There are books and examples on hand to give customers ideas, although many times, Corwin said, customers don't need the help. "We learn from them all the time," he said. And for those feeling a little less artistic, there is a book of designs that includes a list of parts needed to build each one. Customers can also choose one of a variety of finishes, from a glossy color coat to a rusty, aged look. Once the project is designed, the company refers clients to fabricators and coaters who can put the whole thing together.
Almost 90 percent of the company's products are made by Indital, a forged metal company about 30 miles north of Venice, Italy.
The rest come from a variety of American, Mexican and Chinese manufacturers. In all, the company stocks more than 15,000 components, Corwin said. It provides delivery service throughout Southern California six days per week. Metal Amore sprang almost accidentally out of Escondido Metal Supply.
Originally, Petronella and Corwin started carrying Indital products as part of its regular stock of metal supplies for that company, which they also own. Sales grew so quickly that in fall 2002, only a few months after they started carrying the products, the two decided to gut their front office and turn it into the present-day showroom.
Now, Metal Amore is one of the largest suppliers of Indital products on the West Coast.
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"Demographically, Southern California is one of the largest markets for wrought iron," Corwin said. He projects that the high number of new housing developments and home remodels will continue to fuel Metal Amore's growth. The men expect that Metal Amore will gross between $750,000 and $1 million in 2006.
Metal Amore is still a division of Escondido Metal Supply. The two businesses share a 2-acre site in an industrial area of Escondido, and Escondido Metal Supply's 17 employees often help Metal Amore's one full-time staffer.
The freedom to create custom pieces ---- be it a stairwell, gate, fence or garden furniture ---- draws a mix of customers, from individual homeowners to architects to fabricators, Petronella said. In addition to homes, the company's products have been used in several commercial buildings, including vineyards in Temecula and the Cal State San Marcos Library.
"People want something different," Petronella said. "They don't want cookie-cutter."
Contact freelance writer Kathryn Gillick at kgillick@gmail.com . |
