Love your closet. That has been Closet Craft’s tagline and modus operandi since it opened a quarter of a century ago.

But, this highly respected Goshen, Indiana, closet company’s start was something of a surprise.

“I started Closet Craft in 1999, and the funny thing is before that, I had no idea this industry existed,” said Rolando Ortiz, better known as Rolo, who is the founder, owner, and chief designer of the company. “I was working as an architectural rep for the company, and I just had this feeling that I want to do my own thing.”

But, what? 

Exposed to the closet industry through his work as an architectural representative, he discovered that he had a natural affinity for closets. 

For a brief time, he worked for a closet company but found the company limiting. Plus, he still wanted to start his “own thing,” and with the encouragement of friends, he did just that.

And, the timing of launching Closet Craft in the Goshen market could not have been better. 

“The housing market here was starting to boom at that time,” he said. “I mean, there were builders building homes here, 80, 120 homes a year back then.”

Within the first three months, he hired his first employees and bought equipment that allowed him to have the creative freedom to make the closets he wanted to make and not be limited by what the market had available.

This creative freedom afforded him good standing as trends and consumer tastes changed.

In the beginning, wire shelving and double hang shelves were the primary components, but then Ortiz integrated melamine products that wowed his customers, and eventually, his closet designs evolved into something more, something unique, something that tapped into the creative freedom that he desired and what the market came to want.

“Closets have become a vital space in home,” he said. “They have become a retreat.”

While utility is still important­ — closets still need to be the place to hang clothes and store belongings — these retreats tap into Ortiz’s design skills, such as how to integrate sofas and wine coolers, 55-inch TVs, mini-fridges, and coffee makers. 

One customer wanted an island, but not of the sandy beach kind. More of a flat surface that could double as a workstation. 
Another customer loved her vintage Louis Vuitton purse and wanted a closet to match the handbag that for collectors is the pinnacle of designer luxury, produced with the highest quality craftsmanship. 

“In the 25 years that I’ve been in business, I’ve done thousands of closets from simple closets to bougie, elegant, over-the-top closets.”

Whether plebeian or haute couture, how does Ortiz come up with these custom-to-the-consumer closet designs? 

Ortiz often begins the process with a “need’s discovery.” What are their interests, what are their desires, what are their hopes for this space? That is a start, but part of his job, Ortiz said, is not to regurgitate what they say or present them with all the potential offerings that can range into the hundreds or thousands of options but to whittle those choices down to what he believes, as the design professional, is the best design.

Thrilled customers have had “little parties” to show off their new closets and their proud collections featured in them. “We strive to make closets that present themselves in a manner that people who see it will come into our shop and say, ‘You just finished my friend’s closet that is beautiful. Do you think you can help me?”

Flexibility
Creating these often one-of-a-kind spaces requires flexibility of production. While Closet Craft does outsource some of its components, such as the high-end dovetail drawers it purchases from Amish Custom Woodworx, most of the parts Ortiz uses to construct his closets are made in-house. 

This means that Ortiz can make design changes on the fly, do one-offs as needed, and just experiment with an idea.

“I’ll develop the colors I want; I’ll make the shelves and drawers in whatever depth and height I want. Whatever makes sense to me, and whatever makes the best sense for the design.”

Making its own components means that the raw materials, in-house produced parts, outsourced components, hardware, and other items must be ready on time, as needed, to meet the installation deadline.

Sheet goods are purchased from local suppliers that one vendor can supply daily, or a second vendor can deliver on a twice-a-week basis. The choice can change per job, per week, as needed.

Software with vision
Ortiz uses CabinetVision software to optimize the job by generating cutlists and bill of materials, material optimization, and in other ways, improve manufacturing processes, increase productivity, and eliminate costly mistakes.

“We input all our materials and designs, and it will optimize the job. When it goes through engineering, it will make sure that the job will be done right. It will make sure that a grain pattern is going in the right direction, the panels are the right size and in stock.”

A Homag panel saw cuts down the sheets into right-sized shelves, sides, backs, and all of the components that will go into the job.

Ortiz said that all vertical panels are run on an SCM Cyflex F900 CNC-machining center with an almost upright machine table that drills assembly holes, hinge holes, and essentially all of the holes required for the job. 

A single-sided Brandt edgebander from Homag will band panels and utilize a return conveyor to band a second side as needed. 
While these machines are older units, and Ortiz plans to retool the shop in a few years, the current machines still do the job. It helps that the workers are cross-trained on the different machines.

Some closet shops find deciding on purchasing production equipment to be a difficult choice for a variety of reasons from initial investment to ongoing maintenance costs, worker hiring and retention costs, or just simply wanting to focus on sales and installation. 

Ortiz, while cognizant of these types of issues, is glad he made the choice for a variety of reasons. 

If Ortiz outsourced the production of these jobs, he concluded, how important would my job be? How long would it take for them to turn around my job? 

Having the ability to make parts in-house also allows the company to produce a single part in case one of their customers has a problem.  

“That is something that they love, they can call us up and tell us something got damaged, and I can tell them that we will cut a new part for them and then send it over right away.

Why does he do that? Because service is what counts at Closet Craft. Taking care of the customer’s problems, resolving their mistakes, fixing any damage, is one of the reasons that generations of family keep coming back. 

Most importantly, producing their own parts allows Ortiz to take a walk down the hall, open a door into the shop floor, and let his imagination run wild.

Learn more at closetcraft.com.