The Finishing Touch Co-Owner Julio Gaytan holds up some of the Saltillo tile his store now sells and shows off a sample of the marble The Finishing Touch will soon sell. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Last year saw businesses hit hard due to the pandemic and The Finishing Touch, 170 Central Park Square, was no exception.
Co-Owner Julio Gaytan pointed out he and Co-Owner Marcelo Ruano had just opened a new Finishing Touch store in Santa Fe and were wondering what would happen.
But while others may have seen obstacles, Gaytan said they saw opportunities.
He explained the pandemic has caused back orders and supply shortages, so they decided to cut out the middlemen and deal with the manufacturers directly.
For instance, Gaytan said starting in July 2020 they formed a business partnership with a Saltillo tile manufacturer in Chihuahua, Mexico. As a result, The Finishing Touch now produces and sells its own Saltillo tiles.
“The response has been great,” he said.
Additionally, just this month The Finishing Touch cemented a partnership with a marble manufacturer in Puebla, Mexico. Gaytan said in two to three months the store will receive its first shipment of 120 marble slabs.
The Finishing Touch is not only making these products available in Los Alamos and Santa Fe but the entire U.S., he said.
“We can distribute anywhere in the U.S.,” Gaytan said.
It doesn’t stop there. Gaytan said they will travel to Valencia, Spain to talk to manufacturers of ceramic and porcelain and will attend the CERSAIE convention for ceramic and bathroom furnishings in Bologna, Italy.
“We are going to see about building up relationships with manufacturers to get the best quality and best price possible,” Gaytan said. “We are going to be able to offer a great quality product at a very affordable price.”
“That’s always been our goal since we took over the Finishing Touch in 2017,” he added.
Gaytan emphasized they wouldn’t be able to do this without the community’s support.
“…We are really thankful for the support of our community,” he said; adding, “Marcelo and (I) love Los Alamos and are really happy and grateful for all the support.”
It also is important to continuously look for new opportunities and keep an optimistic perspective, Gaytan added.
“We always look for the bright-side – the opportunity,” he said. “We try to find other options and we have to be diverse.”
Finishing Touch has grown ever since Gaytan and Ruano bought the business.
Gaytan pointed out it started out just being himself and Ruano and now the business encompasses 16 families.
“It’s great to see how we’ve been growing because of the support of the community,” he said.
When a business grows – it benefits everyone, Gaytan explained. The consumers get more choices, and the local and state municipalities gain more tax revenue.
“I think (local businesses) are important for small towns, or just in general, because they are so important to the economy,” he said. “Especially nowadays it is so important to help each other.”
There is no stopping or slowing down for Finishing Touch; Gaytan said they will continue to look for opportunities to grow and expand.
“We are thankful for the community and thankful for the opportunity and we’re going to keep working to bring products and services of the best quality,” he said.
For more information about The Finishing Touch, call 505.662.3388 or visit https://tftnm.com/.
A scene from the Saltillo tile factory in Chihuahua, Mexico, that the Finishing Touch recently formed a business partnership with to produce and sell its tiles. Courtesy/The Finishing Touch
A scene from a marble manufacturer in Puebla, Mexico that the Finishing Touch recently formed a business partnership with. Courtesy photo/The Finishing Touch.
