Repurposed Stone As Salve For Community Woes: Kingdom of Stonia in Mamaroneck

Nestled in the old Brigit shop on 323 Mamaroneck Ave., Kingdom of Stonia stands out on the bustling street both for its unusual looking, artistic stone renderings on display and its lanky owner, Larchmont psychiatrist Dr. Martin Korn.

Dr. Korn's philosophy for his social enterprise business is simple: He just wants to make enough money to cover his costs, with the rest to be donated to benefit local social and environmental causes.

Though he has no formal artistic training, Dr. Korn describes his creative process as very fluid: "A lot of it is very Zen—wherever it takes me, it takes me," he said.

His workers—he employs 10 at two locations, one in New Rochelle called Stones on 5th—refer to themselves as "part of the Stone family," rendering tables, jewelry and objets d'art out of repurposed marble and granite scraps.

Prices range from $20 to several thousand for pieces of furniture.  Dr. Korn will begin offering free computer and jewelry classes at his Mamaroneck location. (though he has said he will charge a nickel for participation.)