If you had known the young Smith boys--Dana and Barry--you would have never guessed that they would end up owning a store with what is probably the largest selection of Gargoyles on Planet Earth.
Dana and Barry were typical California boys growing up in Southern California. They swam in their parents pool, went to the ocean to surf and skin dive, and went to the movies with their friends. They both had crew cuts and did their homework on time. They hung out at area malls with their friends. But something must have been stirring in these young boys...something odd...
It didn't manifest itself in the young Smith boys until much later in life. Both boys as young adults worked for major corporations. But they were both drawn to the unusual--the mysterious--side of our human existence. No, they weren't completely happy in their corporate environment, which was now Northern California. Dana lived (and still does) in Silicon Valley -- Barry in Sacramento, California.
They were searching for something else, something different, something unusual to do with their lives.
Approaching mid-life, both Dana and Barry wanted to explore uncharted territory with their remaining years. But it had to be something unusual.
Then one day Dana and Barry were exploring the City by the Bay--San Francisco. Home of cable cars and Alcatraz. While biking through The City, Dana happened to rest against a rusted old lamp post. While he waited for Barry to bring up the rear he chanced to look up. Above him--and the other humans--was a gargoyle! A very cool gargoyle, actually. Dana and Barry were fascinated by this creature guarding the building and all those who passed below.
But Dana was drawn--inspired really--by this creature. Maybe because it was a mysterious beast. Or maybe because the creature reminded him of his brother Barry. But a thought occurred to him--could he and his brother sell these fascinating creatures to others (and maybe make a living at it)?
Dana mentioned his vision to Barry who immediately recognized the possibilities of such a venture. If nothing else, it would be an education and something fun to do. Novus Enterprises -- now called The Stone Griffin -- was launched in December of 1995.
And today, if you visit The Stone Griffin in Campbell, California, you will find a tremendous selection of gargoyles. Along with fountains, art and oddities, it is truly a very impressive collection.
Whenever time has allowed, Dana has traveled back to San Francisco to try to locate that first gargoyle which inspired him to study the origin of this particular grotesque. He has yet to lay eyes on this creature again--what with his terrible sense of direction, It has proved to be an evasive creature. Maybe it will appear again in his life one day. Maybe its cousin, or brother, is at the store, watching over 'his' domain, keeping an eye on all the gargoyles and grotesques at the store. And maybe keeping an eye on Dana as well.
Dana has proven adept at the study of gargoyles and has just recently had the Doctor of Gargoylogy (D.o.G) degree confered upon him by the learned institute of Arcane Science and Mystic Studies located somewhere in the Santa Cruz mountains near where he lives. The rigors of the exam process had left him a bit drained, but the color has returned to his face and he is back at our store wowing all with bits and pieces of trivia about gargoyles.
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