Two Saturday’s ago on November 6^th, I realized while doing paperwork here in my office that it was the 42nd anniversary of my business. 

I can still remember that day like it was yesterday. I walked out into my mother’s garage, which I had turned into a cabinet shop, stared at the new tools that I had set up and thought to myself, “wow, is it clean in here”. Not sure why that thought came to me first, but it did. My second thought was, “where am I going to get my wood from?” It’s one of those business thoughts that make the pit of your stomach ache. I had orders already to fill and didn’t have a clue where I would find a place that sold wood at a wholesale rate.

Thank God I had someone who would guide me.  I called my old carpentry teacher, Mr. Plante, and he referred me to a couple of places. Pine was the most popular wood for kitchens back then, but an occasional cherry or oak kitchen popped up here and there.

I don’t think many people knew at the time that I was also making van furniture for B&M Van World, which specialized in custom vans. Vans were the rave at that time, and they kept me busy making the furniture that went into them, everything from hutches to snack trays. I had run their small cabinet shop a year earlier. They shut the shop down and started buying the furniture from me. I look back at all of the different kinds of projects that we worked on back then and smile. Being a small shop, we were able to take on a variety of projects.

When we moved from my mother’s yard in November of 1985, we were able to add more and larger machines. That is when we became more of a production shop, producing two kitchens a week, on average, with only four people in the shop.

As I look back over the past 42 years, there were definitely ups and downs. The construction trade has a way of keeping someone humble. Recessions were always the hardest, but I evolved over time and accepted the lessons that they taught me.

I am thankful for those lessons, and for all of you, our clients. The friendships that we have all made will last a lifetime. I think as we all age, we cherish relationships more and more. Our main focus here at Wood Palace has always been to make sure that we take care of each and every client, and hopefully make their lives at home that much more special. We hope that we have accomplished that with all of you!

I want to thank you all for your many years of patronage, and hope that we made it the time of your lives. You surely have done that for all of us here.

Happy Thanksgiving my friends! Keep making those family memories!

Tim (Food A Holick)

This entry was posted in Kitchen Design on November 17, 2021 by wpalace.