Closets-N-More, located in Sioux Falls, SD, consolidated its operations under one roof and upgraded its showroom for maximum impact.

Closets-N-More’s showroom features both a basic white closet system and the upgraded one pictured above, which features accessories such as shoe cubbies, a corner unit, valet rods and ironing kits.

Showrooms are a critical part of the success of any home storage and organization business, so it is essential that they reflect the company’s product lines and highlight upgrade options, such as accessories and colors. One company that decided to maximize its space and create a “showroom that sells” is Closets -N- More, located in Sioux Falls, SD.

Closets-N-More is a division of JMJ Caseworks, a commercial casework company. According to Rich Braley, product development/sales, the company’s operations had been in separate locations. “We had our manufacturing up north — uptown. Our sales and our display room were located on East Sycamore,” he says. In January of this year, manufacturing, sales and the showroom were consolidated into one location near the airport.

Not only did the move allow the company to upgrade its displays, it also provided a cost savings, Braley says.

The size of the new facility is 40,000 square feet. Approximately 2,000 square feet is dedicated to the showroom, which is located near the front of the office. Displays include a basic, as well as an upgraded closet system, pantry, garage, home office and a Murphy bed.

The Murphy bed is a new addition to the product line, Braley says. “We manufacture and sell our own Murphy beds as part of the closets division. We’ve just taken that on about a year ago and it has been very popular with the twin home/office/third bedroom.” Braley adds that the Murphy bed line has been a successful addition to the product mix.

Brandy Warne, a designer, agrees. She also says that there are two driving factors for developing the new display space. “We want to show the most basic white reach-in, because it is going to cater to the majority of our customers. But we also want to show the fancier upgraded version that people can use,” she says.

Creating a “selling” showroom can be directly related to how various amenity options are showcased. Warne says that the upgraded master closet display is used quite frequently, adding that accessories are easy upgrades. “We use [that system] a lot to showcase hinges and drawer pulls. It is a huge up-sale for us.”

Some of the other amenities included in the upgraded closet system are various color options, raised panels, columns and even a gun cabinet. Although some may find that addition unusual, the design was based on the request of a customer.

“We had a gentleman who needed a place to store [his guns] safely,” says Warne. “He needed the gun rack, but he really didn’t want people to know where it was.”

Murphy beds have become increasingly popular, says Rich Braley of Closets-N-More. The company has been manufacturing and selling Murphy beds for more than a year.

Trends

Along with the Murphy bed, Warne says that she has seen a rise in the popularity of pantries. Closets-N-More displayed a pantry unit at a local home show and was able to sell a lot of options off of it.

Other trends include upgrades to drawer units as an alternative to using dressers.

“That’s more of the trend I’ve seen,” says Warne. “[Customers] want to get rid of as much furniture that stores clothing as they can in the bedroom.”
Another growing design trend is the use of multi-functional rooms.

“Multi-use is really popular,” she adds. “We’re finding that the first thing that gets cut in houses, if you don’t have enough room, is the closet.”

An example of a multi-use room the company recently worked on was a pantry that was also an office space. The client was involved with the music department at her church and she used the pantry/office space to store her keyboard. It was placed at a height where she could play it and there was also space added to store her music.

A little bit of history

Bill Peters, owner of JMJ Caseworks and Closets-N-More, started in his garage building worktops for credit card companies like Citibank. Initially, he worked part-time and was a full-time firefighter for the Sioux Falls fire department for 23 years.

In July of 2000, Peters says that he moved into commercial casework because he saw an opportunity in the market.

“We did a few schools and then we started developing relationships with contractors,” he says.

By 2003, Peters was discovering other market opportunities, mainly in the closets industry. In 2005, he retired from the fire department and worked his burgeoning business full-time. The idea for the closets business developed when the company participated in a local Parade of Homes. While observing what was being done with the closet areas, Peters realized that he was basically doing the same thing with cabinets and he asked himself, “Why can’t I do that?”

“I went to Home Depot and bought a closet organizing system — just one box basically,” he says.

After taking that system apart, Peters then had a person who had installed his Cabnetware build the system for him with the software.

”He started putting together a parametric 32mm system,” Peters explains. ”It had doors and drawers and it was modular. That’s how it all started.”

Home offices, like the one pictured above, continue to be a popular product offered by Closets-N-More.

The Economy

Despite the downward spiraling economy, business has been good for the Midwest company. Both Braley and Peters echo the fact that the company’s location provides it some respite from the struggling housing market.

”We’re very fortunate in Sioux Falls. The Midwest is a little slower when it comes to catching up with the economy,” Braley says. ”Right now, housing starts are down like the national average, but the closet business has been very good.”

Peters says that the company’s total volume, for casework and closets, has doubled from last year to $6 million. However, he does acknowledge that business is starting to soften. He says that he plans to counter the market slowdown by continuing to offer better service and to purchase new equipment to drive productivity.

Shop equipment includes a Holzma HPP 350 saw, a Komo VR 512 router, a Weeke machining center and an Altendorf F45 sliding table saw.

”We’re probably one of the most modern shops in this part of the country, as far as commercial goes,” he says.