BRISTOL BOROUGH, PA — It started as an idea to make a showroom event more engaging.
That idea has evolved into an original competition series that is debuting on YouTube on Tuesday for Onur Marble & Granite, the family-owned Bristol stone fabricator celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
On Tuesday, Onur will debut "The Onur Showroom Challenge: Season One — Earth Day Edition" with a red-carpet premiere at the historic Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville.
The invitation-only event will bring together members of the region's design and building community for a cocktail reception, theatrical screening and after-party, along with a first look at Season Two, currently in development for 2027.
The Showroom Challenge was never originally intended to become a series.
While planning an Earth Day networking event at the Onur showroom earlier this year, Owner Yasemin Akgun wanted to create an activity that would encourage guests to actually interact.
"For our 20th anniversary, I want people to understand that Onur is about more than countertops," Akgun said. "We want people to experience the entire stone journey — the material, the craftsmanship, the people behind it and the relationships we build along the way."
Inspired by the energy of televised design competitions, the team developed a two-hour design-and-build challenge.
On April 22, 12 professionals representing the design, construction, surfaces, cabinetry, appliance and real-estate industries were randomly divided into four teams and challenged to design and construct a house for Garfield, a neighborhood stray cat known around the Onur showroom.
Teams worked from a bank of recycled and repurposed items, with each contestant also contributing an item of their own, before presenting their creations for judging based on stability and structure, unique design and overall presentation.
"When I look at what the Showroom Challenge has become since that first networking event, what excites me most are the opportunities we're creating as we continue growing our network of industry professionals," said Akgun, creator and executive producer of The Onur Showroom Challenge. "It gives people who may normally work alongside one another —or even compete with one another — a completely different way to connect, collaborate, and have fun."
The premiere arrives as Onur Marble & Granite celebrates its 20th year in business.
Founded in 2006 by Ibrahim Memis and Sukru Ersoy, the company today operates from a 25,000-square-foot showroom and fabrication facility in Bristol under the leadership of Yasemin Akgun, Okan Memis and Ersoy.
Onur provides in-house fabrication and installation of marble, granite, quartzite, quartz and ultra-compact and sintered surfaces for homeowners, designers, architects, builders and commercial clients throughout the tri-state region and Delaware. Learn more at onurmarblegranite.com.
Season One will make its public online debut on Tuesday on YouTube and onurmarblegranite.com.
(Rebecca Turner)
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