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| Woodcrafter’s Custom Cabinets celebrates 20 years in business |
By Kymm Griffin
Staff Writer - Flipping through the pages of your favorite remodeling magazine, you spot it. That’s the one! That’s the kitchen you must have. But where can you take this picture of your dream and give it professionals who know how to make it reality? Woodcrafters Custom Cabinets.
Woodcrafter’s Custom Cabinets is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. Bob Liebig, who started the business when he was 19, now owns one of the only manufacturing and showroom sites for custom cabinetry. |
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| Bob Liebig, owner of Woodcrafter’s Custom Cabinets, demonstrates the creative options available at his kitchen and bathroom showroom, located off of Collier Road. |
The business is easy to find by taking the Collier Road exit heading south on Highway 99.
“I was born and raised here in Galt,” said Liebig. “It’s kind of hard for a lot of businesses to succeed here in Galt, unless you start off as a big business. But to basically start from nothing and work your way up (now I have about 6,000 square feet), it’s kind of unique.”
While attending Galt High School, he took woodworking shop classes with Tom Champion. After graduating he attended Delta College’s two year cabinet making and millwork program. The business that started in the corner of his dad’s barn has grown steadily over the years. After spending many years working from his own workshop off Harvey Road, in 2002 Liebig was able to buy the property off Highway 99 and open his own showroom and manufacturing site.
Liebig’s business has grown every year. He encourages customers to bring in pictures of what they want, and he helps them go over design options.
“We find out what they want. Then we draw it all up on the computer so they can see what their kitchen would look like before it’s built, and then we can make all kinds of changes,” explains Liebig. “Basically it’s completely custom. We make the cabinets to fit their plans.”
The growth of the area has created a demand for custom kitchens, and keeping up with big box retail has not been a problem.
“Lowe’s and Home Depot have done my business a lot of good,” said Liebig. “Their prices, for what they are selling, are outrageous. I can compete with them all day long and turn out better products than them.”
To overcome the common misconception that large retailers are less expensive that custom shops, Liebig encourages customers to get quotes from the other guys and compare quality.
“Usually they come back and they’re frustrated because the guy didn’t know a thing about cabinets,” adds Liebig. “And here, they deal with me. I have got 20 years (of experience) working with all different kinds of cabinets. I’ve seen it all, so I can design their kitchen in a way that’s going to work.”
Woodcrafter’s Custom Cabinets partners with a countertop company called Counter Tec. Their shared showroom allows customers to view many different design options at the same time.
Liebig makes a point of keeping up with the latest trends. He has seen the coloring change through the ’80s and ’90s. Now people are ordering cabinets that resemble furniture pieces. He is able to recreate that old world look while adding the modern amenities like a pull-down top shelf for easy access.
Woodcrafter’s Custom Cabinets is a family run business. Dawn, Bob’s wife of 17 years, writes estimates and does the accounting. Dawn says that, by working on separate parts of the business, both she and Bob are able to concentrate on their strengths. Their niece, Kyrié, also works there at the front desk.
Woodcrafter’s also does commercial cabinetry. Some of the clients include hotels, automotive dealers, and banks. Liebig has experienced, when the residential market slows, that the commercial market tends to increase. This pattern has helped his business grow steadily over the years.
Woodcrafter’s Custom Cabinetry is located off of Collier Road on southbound Highway 99. Their business hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
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| Woodcrafters Custom Cabinetry featured in March 2005 issue of "This Old House". |
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