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Dick Dame was not a woodworker by trade. However, after he retired a few years ago, he started making furniture in his free time. After building a master bedroom closet for a log house from solid and sheet maple, Dame expanded his new hobby and opened Premier Closets, a company that designs and installs custom closets in Jasper, Ga.
"After we installed it I decided it was OK, but way too expensive," Dame says. "I got on the Internet and came across a website for a large closet company soliciting dealers. I called them and enrolled in their one week long 'closet college.' I learned the basics of design and installation of their products."
The manufacturer didn't make custom pieces, Dame says, but custom is what the customers wanted.
"That forced me to make custom parts in my shop; not a good idea. I wanted a manufacturer to do that, so I changed suppliers. My current panel processor will make anything I can design. Now I can offer anything the client wants. That's more like a furniture maker than a 'closet guy.' "
Premier Closets doesn't stop at just closets though; the company is there to take care of all of its customers' organizational needs from closets to pantries to the office space.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Although Premier Closets doesn't do the panel processing, it does design and assemble all of the closets. Instead of having the customer come to him, Dame goes to the customers' home, laptop in hand, and works with them to design the closet.
Dame puts a strong focus on customer service, often sitting with clients for hours to design the closet that is perfect for them. The time between getting the order and installation can vary, he says.
"If you buy product 'by the job,' a manufacturer's backlog is the dealer's lead time," Dame explains. "Lead time of two weeks doesn't seem to be a problem. Even the largest jobs can be installed by an experienced crew in a few days. Rarely is there a 'call back' to fix or adjust anything." Dame typically oversees all of the installs.
All the materials Premier Closets uses are of the highest quality solid and veneered hardwoods, or long-lasting thermofused wood grain melamine laminate, Dame says.
Premier Closets uses a proprietary design software developed by the manufacturer it works with, which has the ability to generate a bill of materials as well as a retail price for the product, Dame says.
The manufacturer allows Premier Closets to order by truckload, boxed quantities or by the job. The price of the product depends on the quantity you order, Dame says.
"Since he [the manufacturer] doesn't stock any cut pieces, the way you order only affects your discount, not delivery time."
FROM WOODWORKER TO CLOSET INSTALLER
Although Dame has done work as both a woodworker and a closet designer and installer, he says the differences between the two are significant.
"A woodworker can take raw wood and turn it into something beautiful. A closet installer assembles a finished product similar to the way you would make something from an Erector set," he says. "Both are craftsmen; however, the woodworker has to use much more time and skill to complete a job. It would be fair to say that a woodworker could easily move into closet installation. A closet installer would need a lot of training before he could make a chair."
Much of the panel processing involved in closet fabrication is similar to that done in cabinet fabrication.
"I submit that a woodworker with design experience could substitute melamine laminate for some projects and complete a job more quickly, sell it for less and make more money," Dame says. "It wouldn't have the depth and beauty of real wood, but there are more cost-conscious customers than there are customers willing to pay the price for high-quality furniture."
Dame is not sure what lies ahead for Premier Closets, but for the time being he intends to keep doing what he does best: designing and installing custom closets that keep his customers happy.
author: By Kim Kaiser