Todd Baker, owner of Baker's Marble
For more than 30 years, Baker’s Marble operated at 5718 Merriam Drive, crafting high-quality marble, granite, and quartz products for homes and commercial spaces. In 2024, the City of Merriam purchased the property to prepare for floodplain mitigation projects.
Tell us about Baker's Marble history and time in Merriam.
Merriam has always felt like home to me. It’s hard for me to admit being a Missouri native. Baker's Marble moved to Merriam in 1993. With the help of Larry and Gail Swanson, who owned the property at the time, we were able to grow our family-owned business from three employees to, at one point, 17 employees. In 2003, we purchased the properties at 5718 and 5700 Merriam Drive. There’s no way we could have done that without the support of the Swansons and the neighboring businesses.
What has your location meant to you over the years?
It didn’t take long before we built relationships with customers and surrounding businesses. For instance, Ray and Cindy Masters, owners of Merriam Hardware, were like family and would always lend a hand. Midwest Mechanical would fix our vehicles, weld broken equipment, and loan us tools. Lindan Auto helped us repair a vehicle that we needed to keep business flowing. Dan Carr of ETI helped us greatly with electrical technology. You should be able to see a common thread. Everyone mentioned here, and many more, helped create our success. They were often our cheerleaders and biggest fans. To me, they are our family.
How has the City worked with you through the transition?
When Merriam sent out letters inquiring about the purchase of our property, my first reaction was “Here we go, how is this going to work out?” This was my life’s work. I was nervous and skeptical. What happened was the best thing at the best time in my life and the life of my family. I was able to financially support my 8 children (6 boys and 2 girls) for many years of business in Merriam. The City Attorney was a pleasure to work with and wasn’t one sided. The City of Merriam has always been very fair to work with as a business owner, and a resident for 28 years.
Any advice you’d share with other businesses as Merriam continues to grow?
Sometimes change sucks. It is disheartening to drive by the property that supported my family for so many years; however, I have always recognized that change is needed in many areas of our lives. I read a book many years ago called “Who Moved My Cheese?” It changed my perspective of change and how it happens whether we want it to or not. In my situation, the City of Merriam was fair to the Baker family and Baker’s Marble Inc.