Sinan Izer got creative after he saw the market for selling granite and marble products was saturated and would yield low profits. In the midst of his market research, Mr. Izer said he discovered no one was distributing aquarium stones.

"It became my niche," he said.

And his niche has become a booming and profitable company. When he started Artemis Stone in 2006 his aquarium products were available in 19 stores. Now, customers can find Mr. Izer's stones in more than 1,500 pet stores throughout Canada. His products are imported from Europe and Mr. Izer said he does not import products from any country that uses child labour or extracts stones using harmful chemicals.

The company stays environmentally friendly by packing the aquarium stones in reclaimed cardboard boxes, Mr. Izer said.

Artemis has just started introducing specialty stones for the landscaping market.

"We attended the Landscape Ontario Show in January of this year and were very excited with the feedback we received from garden centres, nurseries, landscapers, landscape architects and other professionals in the industry," Mr. Izer said. "Common feedback was that our products are different from anything currently found on the Canadian market."

The company's mission is to change perceptions about landscaping rocks, he said.

"I want everybody to see my rocks and to realize the exotic colour and beauty of these stones can bring as much joy and impact to their garden as flowers and plants can."

Among the landscaping collection are stones with exotic names like the dragon eye stone and spider web. There is also butterfly rock, which is multi-coloured and pipe stone which Mr. Izer said resembles coral.

"This is a really unique product, which nobody has in North America," Mr. Izer said.

Like many successful business owners Mr. Izer is looking to the future. One of his biggest goals right now is to have his products available everywhere in Canada and in the U.S. in the next two years.