The Beginning
The natural stone products that Thorntree purveys were formed in nature millions of years ago. While we haven’t been around nearly that long, founder Stuart Rae is no newcomer– he’s accumulated over 35 years of stone knowledge. Stuart and his dad, Clive, set up shop in 1980, shortly after the Rae family arrived in Texas from South Africa (listen to Stuart’s accent). Their first shop was a small office and adjoining warehouse on West 34th Street. From there, they primarily sold slate roof tiles to a small but forward-thinking group of custom home builders. Father and son then went on to calling on architects (from the big book known back then as the Houston Yellow Pages), showing Thorntree’s first line of natural slate flooring in five colors, imported from South Africa. Eventually, in the early 90’s they opened a small showroom in Highland Village, near the Galleria, which introduced Thorntree’s name and unique slate products into the retail Houston market. This showroom space was managed by Stuart’s mom, Berry Rae, who was instrumental in the early success of Thorntree, spending 15 years working tirelessly building the design and builder clientele that would be key in the company’s early and growing success. Since the early days as a natural stone company, Thorntree has evolved into a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional entity, supplying some of the most highly celebrated commercial and residential projects throughout the nation with refined glass, hand-painted tiles, and the world’s finest porcelain. 35 years later, Thorntree now has two Houston locations, both have full service showroom galleries.
