Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Schlitzberger-Hall and Kimberly Schlitzberger-Day.
Maria and Kimberly, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My sister and I were raised in the memorial industry. Our father made sure that we knew every aspect of the business from the ground up, literally. We spent many a weekend digging and pouring concrete. Some of our earliest memories are being in the cemetery with our father, or in the shop with our grandpa. We thought the regional association conventions were family reunions. We were taught that this was an industry unlike most others- respect, consideration, empathy, education, and compassion were required. You have to treat people like you would want your own loved ones to be treated. You have to leave a grave space looking like you would want your mother or father’s grave to look after work has been done. I believe that Schlitzberger and Daughters has managed to survive and thrive in the same location for over 56 years because we treat customers with dignity and respect.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
You might think that being a woman owned business in a male dominated industry would be our biggest hurdle. However, our father, having had only girls, made no concession for “being a girl”. We did, as most small business owners do, what needed to be done, regardless of gender. But, like most small family owned businesses the most frequent struggles are the small ones– retaining staff, making payroll taxes during lean times, finding creative ways to stretch our advertising dollar
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We create custom memorials for, mostly, local cemeteries. We also make granite signs, do onsite sandblasting, make name plates, garden art, blast pavers, bricks, walls, etc. We have been so lucky to be a part of numerous civic and war memorials. We have also been able to create numerous monuments dedicated to true heroes- police officers, Medal of Honor recipients, fallen warriors, defenders of our nation and our city.
That is what we are most proud of. We are so, so, so thankful to be a part of Houston’s history and landscape.
We have been an integral part of numerous memorials in the Houston area.
We love Houston and are so happy that our family name will forever be tied to it.
We are probably most well-known for our retail service. Our name is quite identifiable and we have served generations of Houstonians. But, what I wish people thought of when they thought of Schlitzberger and Daughters Monument Company is service.
Serving local families is what we do every day. Unfortunately, there are people in the death care industry that may take advantage of a family/ person at their very worst moment. People tend to have very little information going into the planning of a memorial. We want to educate consumers. We want to help them before they are in a situation that they are unprepared for. We try, with our advertising to reach out to consumers. Call or come by, let us inform you. Let us make a difficult situation as good as it can be.
What were you like growing up?
We were like most sisters. We fought, we made up. We had each other’s backs. Not much has changed.
Pricing:
- Markers start at approximately $600.00
- Monuments start below $2,000.00
Contact Info:
- Address: 6859 Lawndale
Houston, Texas 770232501 Main
La Marque, Texas 77568 - Website: schlitzbergers.com
- Phone: 713-926-1785
- Email: info@schlitzbergers.com
- Facebook: @schlitzberger.daughters
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/schlitzberger-and-daughters-monument-co-inc-houston
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
