50 years of SCHUBERT STONE - Our history
The creation and development of SCHUBERT STONE (1973-1981)
Nina and engineer Karlheinz Schubert founded a natural stone trading company in Vienna in 1973. As pioneers, they were the first company in the city to sell porphyry and Solnhofen limestone to private builders. Their private house served as a showroom. They delivered the stone slabs to builders in their own car. They presented their products at trade fairs in Vienna, where the focus was on furnishing private building projects and gardens with natural stone.
The company's move to Breitenfurter Strasse 249, 1230 Vienna, in 1978 marked the beginning of a new era. The new premises comprised an office villa and a historic warehouse built in 1906 with additional open space. Thomas Schubert, the son of the founders, also joined the company in 1981. During his studies at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, he recognized the potential of SCHUBERT STONE and left his studies early to drive the company forward. At this time, the family business already had five employees.
International success and product expansion: SCHUBERT STONE in the 1980s (1982-1989)
In the early 1980s, Thomas Schubert established a network of expert installation partners who were always kept up to date with the latest technical developments. For the first time, projects were also realized abroad. Since the company was founded in 1973, more than 20,000 customers have been served and first-class reference projects have been realized. A further milestone was reached in 1989 with the expansion of the product range to include natural stone slabs, which were processed in partner workshops.
The 1990s: Growth and diversity at SCHUBERT STONE (1990-1995)
In 1990, the first vernissage with an artist from Africa was held in the new raw slab hall, where raw slabs of natural stone were presented. At the same time, new supplier relationships were established. For the first time, the company began to purchase natural stone directly from the manufacturers. The main focus was on quality, reasonable prices and fair working conditions. These principles became the guiding criteria for purchasing, and thanks to direct, personal trading relationships with producers, exclusive products could be offered at attractive prices. The natural stone was sourced from producers in Turkey, Spain, Croatia, Germany, France, Portugal and Italy.
In the years that followed, further events helped to raise the profile of SCHUBERT STONE. The former factory hall of a yarn spinning mill was converted into a modern consulting center with offices. A showroom for large slabs and interior floor slabs was created on the first floor.
In 1995, Thomas Schubert, a trained structural engineer and master stonemason, took over the management of the company. The entire company property was also acquired. The acquisition of the entire company property laid the foundation for today's exhibition center with a total of 3,000 m2 of land and 2,000 m2 of historic buildings at Breitenfurter Straße 249.
Expansion and modernization in the late 90s at SCHUBERT STONE (1996-1997)
After an extensive renovation phase, the exhibition center was reopened in 1996. The charming buildings, some with exposed brickwork, and the inner courtyard with old chestnut trees created a unique ambience for the experience exhibition. The stone center now housed a spacious consulting center, modern offices, a large slab display warehouse with 500 tons of fine natural stone large slabs, the indoor floor display warehouse as well as customer parking spaces with various natural stone paving and an open-air display warehouse.
In 1997, the stonemason's workshop was brought up to the latest technical standards. A modern bridge saw and an automatic edging machine were installed. A professional team of stone experts personally lent a hand to create noble masterpieces in stone.
Innovation and diversity: SCHUBERT STONE in the new millennium (2000-2002)
In 2000, the completely redesigned former office villa (built in 1906) was opened as an exhibition villa. With large classic and historic natural stone display areas on the floors and walls, it presented exquisite natural stone floor tiles on two floors. At the same time, the restored and modernly equipped event brick cellar went into operation, which from then on was also rented out in the evenings and at weekends.
The natural stone daylight exhibition in the outdoor area was opened in 2001 to allow interested parties to view natural stone patio slabs in the open air. This allowed potential customers not only to gain a visual impression, but also to walk barefoot over the natural stone patio slabs and directly experience their changes after years of weathering.
The SCHUBERT STONE range was fundamentally expanded in 2002 with the introduction of Techno stone made of porcelain stoneware in a variety of designs, a particularly hard-wearing floor and wall covering. A separate techno stone studio was set up for this innovation. From the very beginning, the technostone was sourced directly from high-quality suppliers in Italy, Spain and Portugal.
From anniversaries to modernizations: The years of success at SCHUBERT STONE (2003-2004)
In 2003, the company celebrated its 30th anniversary. To mark the occasion, an event was organized under the name "STEIN & WEIN" with 900 guests.
The following year, 2004, Thomas Schubert founded the "HOMElinks.at" platform with entrepreneurs from the construction, interior design and gardening sectors. Various products from the HOMElinks.at partners were presented in the exhibition center, including wooden box frame windows, burglar-resistant glass, all-glass elements, style doors, flush doors, wall fillings in various designs, a historic wine cellar with original old bricks, a show garden and historic lanterns.
The evolution of SCHUBERT STONE (2006-2007)
The year 2006 marked a decisive turning point and paved the way for the further development of the company into a holistic point of contact for the complete furnishing of exclusive real estate projects. A parquet trade was integrated into the company as a third pillar, making SCHUBERT STONE a place where visitors could conveniently select and combine natural stone, engineered stone and parquet for all living areas with the same specialist consultant.
In the same year, the exhibition center was further modernized and expanded. The consulting center was completely modernized and a larger techno stone studio was set up. A combined stone and parquet exhibition was installed in the exhibition villa. At the same time, the company was renamed from SCHUBERT STEINZENTRUM to SCHUBERT STONE.
The year 2007 marked another milestone when Thomas Schubert became the sole owner of the company. Under his leadership, a well-coordinated team of consultants, purchasing specialists, technicians and stonemasons developed, turning the former small business into a leading stone and parquet supplier in Vienna. With natural stone, engineered stone and parquet from a single source, SCHUBERT STONE offered its customers a unique shopping experience.
SCHUBERT STONE through the ages: from craftsmanship to digital precision and online innovation (2011-2015)
In 2011, the workshop technology was converted to CAD, and from then on production was carried out using CNC-controlled saws. From this point on, selected large panels were photographed with an accuracy of 1 mm. The photos were then virtually assembled on screen to create visionary kitchens, bathrooms and fireplaces.
An extensive wall and façade exhibition was set up in the outdoor area in 2013, presenting quarry stone walls, system walls and split large slabs for façades. The historical façades were transformed into an impressive gallery that showed various wall facing bricks in use. In addition, a terracing with raised beds illustrated the modern use of walls in garden architecture.
2015 was undoubtedly the year of online innovation. The launch of the new, informative website www.schubertstone.com showcased a wealth of photographic examples illustrating high-quality fittings with natural stone, porcelain stoneware and parquet. Numerous videos, including those of stone expert Thomas Schubert and of customers and their projects, offer impressive insights into the wide range of services offered by SCHUBERT STONE.
Technostein innovation, generational change and digital revolution (2018-2020)
In 2018, the newly designed Technostein exhibition was integrated as a studio in the consultation center, which impressively presented the wide range of possible applications for Technostein. An outdoor Technostein patio exhibition also enabled interested parties to view various patio floors in daylight.
Mathias Schubert, the grandson of the company founders and therefore the third generation, joined the family business in the same year. Together with his father, Thomas Schubert, he geared the company towards a digital and sustainable future. For strategic reasons, the in-house workshop was outsourced to partner workshops in Lower Austria in October 2018 and the trade in natural stone raw slabs was gradually discontinued - since then, stonemasonry work such as kitchen worktops, vanity tops, door stacks and table tops have no longer been actively offered and advertised.
From then on, the company deliberately specialized in an even more diverse collection of floors, walls, terraces, walls, paving and façades. The year 2019 was marked by the digitalization of the company's presence. The new website version of www.schubertstone.com was finalized. It presents itself with online appointment bookings, clear reference projects and mobile-friendly pages.
In the following year, 2020, SCHUBERT STONE expanded its range to include high-quality concrete paving stones for laying in chippings, which were laid as customer parking spaces. Concrete block walls and concrete block wall facing bricks were also introduced. The sale of concrete block led to a further step in the development of the company, which always focuses on innovation and versatility.
SCHUBERT STONE 2022-2023: Where history comes alive in stone and art
The remaining raw slab warehouse was sold to a stonemasonry workshop partner in 2022, creating space for a spacious porcelain stoneware hall. A former warehouse for floor tiles was also converted into a multifunctional event hall called "Gallery" with art by Carina Schubert, Mathias Schubert's sister.
The new Technostein hall opened a year later, in 2023, presenting terrace slabs and large slabs for floors and walls in formats up to 320x160cm. An extended wall facing brick and wall exhibition was installed in the outdoor area at the same time. In addition, Carina Schubert, the family's artist, opened her studio with pastel-colored acrylic paintings on canvas.
From a small natural stone trading company, SCHUBERT STONE has developed into a leading supplier of natural stone, porcelain stoneware and parquet. Today, the company presents Austria's most extensive collection of materials on a 3,000 m2 exhibition area in a historic factory site in Vienna's 23rd district.
SCHUBERT STONE today
With over 30,000 completed construction projects at home and abroad, SCHUBERT STONE has an impressive track record. The highly qualified team of 9 specialists, including employees with part-time and migrant backgrounds, brings diversity and equality to the company. The team's many years of experience and specialist knowledge flow into the individual advice and material selection for customer projects.
SCHUBERT STONE offers:
- Over 2,000 types of natural stone, porcelain stoneware and parquet
- Contacts with over 80 suppliers worldwide
- Long-standing specialist consultants and professional installation partners
- Competent stonemason partner workshops
- Transshipment warehouse in Wiener Neudorf
- Numerous design ideas for construction projects
- Own parking spaces on the premises
- An event location with an inner courtyard, Wilhelminian-style villa and historic factory building