Touch Wood Custom Carpentry
Located near Shelburne, Ontario, Touch Wood Custom Carpentry is your go-to place for custom-built cabinets and kitchens. ‘I consider my company to be a boutique business’, says owner Steve Brown. His is a small business, that started up in 1990. Steve and his team can handle small and large projects, like new home builds and outfitting every room in the house, including kitchen reno’s. Back in the early days, the smaller jobs helped to ‘pay the bills’ and fortunately they would always lead to securing larger projects. As an example, we might work on a little vanity or fix-up a small unit and then business would just ‘snowball’ from there! Over time, we got into renovation work, but eventually the cabinet work grew to the point where we concentrate on it more now. The business continues to come in ebbs and flows though, you have high times where, unfortunately, you have to turn business away and then the quieter periods when the market is down and people aren’t spending money. I have always found though that you just have to be patient and eventually you will get back to the days of being busy once again.”
Steve says that he believes the key to his business’ success is referrals. “When you get a series of referrals, obviously they are people familiar with your work and generally if you were happy with the person who gave you the referral, they are going to turn into a good client as well. Over time I have had many great customers and there needs to be a good fit between myself and the homeowner and vice versa. I have been in business for 38 years and have always aimed to keep my company a small operation. During this time, I have spoken with others in the industry, most of whom have larger shops, and many of them are no longer in business for various reasons. Bigger isn’t always better and staying small has also helped me to be more successful and a lot happier. I can pick and choose which jobs I want to work on. I guess you could say too that over time our business has morphed over to mostly cabinet work, kitchens, vanities and built-ins. However, we also do millwork periodically, like panelling, fine trim carpentry and fireplace mantels. I usually tell my customers, ‘If you can’t find it, show me a picture and I can make it! “
Why the interest in Custom Cabinetry?
“Ever since I was young, I always enjoyed helping my dad out and I was always interested in wood products. For some reason I was really good with my hands and actually, in school, my best marks were in shop. I was always making furniture in high school and when it was time to go to college, I wanted to be a full-blown carpenter and was then offered a job in the woodworking business. I remember my first day, I was pretty much thrown into the fire. It was, ‘Here’s a drawing, I will be back at the end of the day, have it done!’ That is how you learned back then, I wasn’t shown how to figure it out, I had to work it out myself and over time, you just develop a knack for problem solving. With this industry you are constantly learning though. Actually, in 2028 it will be 40 years in business for me.”
You are not a big social media person so how do people find out about you, is it through word of mouth and customer referrals ?
“That’s the way it has worked out. I actually hooked up with a builder in 1991, who was just starting out also and was looking for someone to do all the trim, the cabinetry and the stairs. We started out together and after doing a few jobs with him, other people saw my work and then it becomes word of mouth. Everytime someone refers you its threefold, and it’s kind of cool that I’m actually now doing work for the kids from some of my original clients.
Steve, what areas would you say that you service?
“I basically work from the Greater Toronto area: Etobicoke, Mount Pleasant and Eglinton and then north. I did a cottage near Huntsville last year, I worked in Sauble Beach and you could say everywhere in between. Most of the work has been in the Toronto area though because that’s where I started out. Over the past number of years though I have been working closer to home, in places like Caledon, Erin and Alliston , but I will pretty much go anywhere and do a quality job.
Steve can be reached at twcccabinets@gmail.com or 416-414-0806
WRITTEN BY: LARRY SIMPSON | RESOURCES/PHOTOS: TOUCH WOOD CUSTOM CARPENTRY
