Chet’s Cabinets in Marysville has what most marketing departments would pay big bucks for: relationships with its customers that span generations.
The company has been around since 1957 and it’s not unusual for customers to come in and say, “Hey, my grandfather told me to come here.” Or, “We were referred by some friends of ours.”
Today the business is owned by Mark Jensen, who started running it in 1987, but it was established 30 years before by his father, Chet, who mainly built doors, windows and cabinets. Jensen worked with his dad for 16 years, learning the business before he took the helm.
You might say building and working with wood is in his blood because, according to Jensen, since his grandfather was also a well-respected builder in the area who built Arlington city hall.
You can hear the pride of ownership in Jensen’s voice when he talks about how he is inspired by the beauty of wood and the craftsmanship that goes into his work. Some jobs also involve restoring old pieces of furniture.
“Trying to match an old chair with colors that you need to come up with can be difficult, but when you do, it feels good,” he said.
The sign in front of Chet’s Cabinets says, “custom cabinets, millwork and pre-finishing.” It’s a little understated because the business does much more than that.
“You name it, we’ve made it over the years,” Jensen said, noting that the company recently finished a cedar outdoor television cabinet. A while back it was hired to build a ladder for a wooden dock in Lake Washington.
“If grandma’s rocker is broken, we’ll fix it,” said Mike Wetzel, sales manager and designer for the business.
Wetzel has worked at Chet’s Cabinets for 27 years. His commitment to his customers and the relationships he has built throughout the years is a mainstay in the business.
“The number one thing is making their dreams come true,” he said.
Wetzel is in charge of designing and drawing schematics tailor-made for his customers. He also helps them choose hardware and other accessories.
Jensen credits Mike’s customer relations for much of the company’s success. “Mike’s held it together,” Jensen said.
Custom wood cabinets made from scratch for kitchens, bathroom vanities, entertainment centers and bookshelves sustain the business. Most of the work is done in-house with very little outsourced. Jensen does all of the finishing work.
Building quality pieces gives these cabinet makers an advantage over others. “We still build three-quarter-inch plywood boxes,” Wetzel said. Others have gone to particle board or thinner pieces of wood, he said.
If customers ask for nine-foot three-inch cabinets, that’s what they’ll get. At some retails outlets they might get nine-foot cabinets with three inches of filler, Jensen said.
Chet’s Cabinets finishes its jobs by installing all cabinet orders for customers, rather than dropping them off in the garage.
“The quality of the work is controlled by having them installed correctly,” Jensen said.
“We’ve been fortunate that we haven’t had to go out and get customers,” Wetzel said. But, with economic times being a little slow lately in the building industry, he said the company has been doing “a lot more bidding, and a lot less getting.”
The building slump has made his business field much more competitive, Wetzel said, and their back log is smaller than usual.
On average, he said most jobs take about six to eight weeks, depending on the size. The business still has a handful of home builders and remodelers that it works with regularly, too. The rest of the business’ customers are mostly referrals and repeat orders.
Because Chet’s Cabinets have been in business so long, Wetzel said it’s not unusual to get a job replacing outdated — but still in good shape — cabinets that were originally built and installed by the company.
The company’s market area is primarily in Snohomish and Island counties, but occasionally jobs have been out of the area, including Hawaii where an order of cabinets was built for time-share hotels.
“We carry on the tradition of working with people and becoming friends, and making sure they are happy,” Wetzel said.
Chet’s Cabinets is located at 7728 47th Ave. NE in Marysville. For more information contact Jensen at 360-659-7500.
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