As if running a local fitness center and gym, and establishing an entire football league wasn’t enough, Lewes native and Cape Henlopen High School grad Tony Hall has brought a local business to West Fenwick Island that is unique to the area.
Coastal Point • SHAUN M. LAMBERT:
Curb Scapes owner Tony Hall does some touch-up to a curb before stamping in some creases and painting the curb, at a Salt Pond home owned by John and Josie Salovich.
His new company, Curb Scapes, which utilizes the aesthetics of landscaping with the practicality of edging, is quickly catching on in the community, from local homeowners to commercial establishments.
Why is word about this business catching on so quickly?
“There’s nobody around here who does this,” he said.
As founder and CEO of the Diamond Football League — an Atlantic Coast premier spring full-contact league — Hall has kept himself occupied, traveling from New Jersey to Florida, and everywhere in between.
It was during those visits to the Sunshine State that he started noticing the detail of the edging, curbing and landscape borders around homes and offices. “It was a nice touch,” he said, “but it was only popular [in the South]. It wasn’t anything that anyone tried up here.”
With some help and research from wife Gina, Tony Hall was trained in the techniques and quickly got started.
“Ever since we put it out there,” he said, “we’ve been busy every single day. We have more and more calls coming in about it all the time.”
Everyone seems to want to get in on these visually pleasing additions to their property. By combining fibers and concrete with 2,500 pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure, Hall and his crew can create almost any style and profile of edging, with 26 different stamps to choose from, in almost any color. Continuous concrete trim can be fashioned to resemble slate, flagstone, cobblestone, river stone, or their popular brick design, for seemingly endless possibilities.
Before the final result is complete, sod is cut out from the desired area, the ground is then tamped down, and then the mixture of fiber and concrete is spread. A sealant is put on last, to give the curbing a finishing touch. One job can usually be finished in the course of a day by a crew of four to five workers.
From appealing tree rings or outlining flower beds to circling an entire border around a home, Hall said, the Curb Scapes borders are capable of increasing property value and simplifying yard maintenance, providing a mower-friendly edge that prevents grass from creeping.
“It gives lawns a much cleaner look to them,” said Hall, who’s no stranger to yard care and home upkeep. He has experience moving firewood, power washing homes and decks, painting interiors, and laying driveways.
“A lot of people like it because it’s something different and it looks nice,” he added. “Most of the time, all you have is that thin piece of rubber that curls up, which can be a pain to install. Our edging is top-of-the-line. It’s there for life — it’s not going to deteriorate, it’s not going anywhere. You can’t beat it.”
Hall’s Curb Scapes business works out of American Health and Fitness in West Fenwick Station, the gym that he and his father, Bob, established in 1989 and moved to their current location 10 years ago.
With warmer weather approaching, Curb Scapes is becoming more and more popular. Business will continue through the summer and into late fall, perhaps even early December. “As long as it’s not freezing out,” he said, “we’ll do it. When the weather breaks again around March, we’ll start back up again.”
As far as advertising goes, Curb Scapes’ finished product practically speaks for itself.
“We’ve done one money-mailer,” Hall said. “All it really took was for us to do one job, and then everyone started noticing it. Brochures are going out faster than we can put them out. People around here just haven’t seen it before, unless they frequently travel to Florida.”
In addition to work at his own home, Hall’s team has installed concrete edging in front of Fenwick Shoals and The Blind Factory along Route 54. Projects can start at as little as $4.80 per foot, promising an affordable price.
“It’s a very affordable service,” said Hall. “Most of the time, you can’t even buy pavers that cheap. When we leave a job, [the edging] looks like it’s been in there for years, and after we’re gone, it looks like we haven’t even been there. There’s no dirt in the yard — we do very, very clean work.”
Hall can’t seem to work enough, keeping busy with the family gym and football league, and he almost seems to have the Midas touch.
Coastal Point • SHAUN M. LAMBERT:
Hall explains to Salovich what he'll be doing when he gets to stamping and painting the concrete curb.
He earned a degree in exercise physiology, which has helped the fitness center flourish. Hall is president and co-commissioner (with his father) of the Diamond Football League, now in its ninth year. The league has even been named “The Best League in the Nation for 2003-2004-2005” by Minor League Football News.
Hall, who has played and coached in the Mason-Dixon League, was also inducted into the Minor League Football Hall of Fame in 2004. “I really love working with the teams,” he said. “Football is my life, but it’s also great to see something like [Curb Scapes] really take off.”
For more information or free estimates, call Curb Scapes at (302) 436-5254.