Moscone Tile and the Magnificent Mile

Carrying a resonance reflected by the depth of the Noir Saint Laurent marble table where the speakerphone is resting, Vince Moscone’s voice captures the essence of tile interior design: “We make the ordinary into the extraordinary.” Seated at the boardroom table, his sister Anna Moscone nods in agreement.

Vince, the president of Moscone Tile, is on a conference call from Sardinia, the ancient Italian island anchored in the Mediterranean, its landscape scattered with 500-million-year-old rock. A walk around Moscone’s sprawling head office, Tile Showroom and Stone Gallery is like a tour of an art gallery. A Denyse Thomasos painting greets you just before you walk through breathtaking aisles of glimmering glass and stainless-steel mosaics, crystal-studded ceramics, impressive stones ranging from the man-made “ice” to natural onyx, dazzling intricate damask weaves set in tile, high-demand porcelains and rare fossils etched in freshly cut marble. “On a daily basis, we are working with materials that are millions of years old, and we’re creating something – something that has you surrounded with beauty, from the minute you wake up and step into your gorgeous bathroom, furnished with porcelain or natural stone. It just makes your day fuller,” says president of Moscone Marble, Anthony Marrese, while seated in his office overlooking a one-of-a-kind stone-cutting and manufacturing plant. “Wherever there is a mountain, Moscone is there,” adds Anthony, who looks to Italy, Spain, Brazil and Canada as major sources. His days are filled with research on the latest innovations and newest technologies from across the world, before purchasing new materials for luxury-savvy customers.

The man behind the name and founder of the company, Benny Moscone, started this story in 1952. Benny first began operations from his home with the help of his young bride. “Since we were kids, we listened to shoptalk about the business as it grew,” explains Anna. For 35 years, Vince and Anna, and eventually sisters Laura Moscone and Nina Marrese, and her husband, Anthony, have broken new ground in the industry. Today, Moscone Tile and Marble boasts an impressive location on Jane Street in Vaughan, Ont. “I call this the ‘Magnificent Mile,’” says Anna, alluding to the legendary Chicago thoroughfare. “Practically everyone in this industry is here.” Anna, the executive director, brought her Mad Men-esque background to transform the offices with nautical precision. “We’re a unified team,” Anna explains, “we’re always on the same page, same paragraph, same sentence. “We’re the second generation but we’ve upheld our father’s core values and strive to maintain his standards of service and quality workmanship with every project.”

As a one-stop-shop, the establishment houses the Tile Showroom and Stone Gallery with on-site manufacturing, enabling Moscone to continue to deliver the highest calibre of services to its dedicated contractual clientele, now extending these standards to the retail sector. The company moved to the new location in 2007, where in the fresh facility, “clients can actually see their entire chosen slab instead of the typical way of just looking at a tiny piece of it,” says Anthony.

A leader in the industry, Moscone sets the professional standard for tile and marble installation in luxury condominiums, newly developed subdivisions, and interior renovations. With its stunning portfolio of products offered with the expertise of trained interior design consultants amidst the grandeur and ambience of a lounge-like showroom, –  complete with a complimentary coffee bar – Moscone has now brought the luxury and style of the downtown Designers Walk to the City Above Toronto.

Since 1952, surviving three recessions, Moscone has mastered the balance of the old and the new. With the most cutting-edge precision technology culling ancient treasures from the world’s richest mountains, sensitivity towards the environment and a strong family work ethic, the company continuously adapts to the demands of today’s marketplace.

At the moment, Moscone is working on over 50 various projects around Toronto and southern Ontario. Past collaborations include Kilgour Estates, the Pure Spirit Condos of the Distillery District, New York Towers of Bayview, the Prince Arthur in Yorkville, and West Harbour City on the Harbourfront. “We have great relationships with our customers,” says Anna, “and every project is overseen by a family member,” quips Laura, director of material control. “It’s exciting to see blueprints in the estimating stage come to life once a building is erected with our tiles and stonework,” adds Nina, director of contracts and estimating. “It’s a very creative process that takes hundreds of artists and craftsmen to complete.”

With the delicate balance of ancient materials alongside innovative methods and the latest trends, Moscone has made its name. Originating as a family company, it continues to thrive, now weaving a third generation of Moscones into its history. Says Vince of the experience: “We work well together and we each have our specialized strengths. This is our company – this is our passion.”

www.mosconetile.com
www.mosconemarble.com

MOSCONE TILE AND MARBLE
8830 Jane Street, Vaughan, Ont.
Tile Office: 416.741.7385
Marble Office: 905.856.8400