Kitchen Cabinet Help
We are in the process of replacing the kitchen in the Victorian home we bought. With the 203K loan we obtained, there is only a finite amount of $$ and it is getting used up REAL quick. My question: we had alloted an amount of money for kitchen cabinets that is being eaten away by…
We are in the process of replacing the kitchen in the Victorian home we bought. With the 203K loan we obtained, there is only a finite amount of $$ and it is getting used up REAL quick. My question: we had alloted an amount of money for kitchen cabinets that is being eaten away by other problems that have emerged (surprise). I had intended on a flat-front shaken maple from Kraft-Maid, but I had heard mention of a place in the Slope that makes the same quality cabinets for less (I think I heard an “about 20% less”) Clock is ticking and we need to get order placed so we can get in the house soon….but before I placed the order I wanted to query Brownstoners to see if anyone might know such a place.
I also welcome any other cabinet suggestions….but I have to say, I do not love Ikea cabinets. I tried to….I love the price….but I just cannot work up the enthusiasm for them.
Thank you to anyone in advance
To Slopefarm and Denton: I just finished posting here then checked in with my local listserv….this is what was there in a posting:
” Dear neighbors:
Several folks in Park Slope and surrounding neighborhoods have dealt with Brian Ackerman at Brooklyn Kitchens (formerly known as Garfield Kitchens, Garfield and 5th Avenue) for their kitchen cabinets, bathrooms, and similar items. While through the years (as evidenced by many local blogs, mailing lists, etc.), he has been a nightmare to deal with, lately, with the downturn in the economy, it appears he is acting in a fraudulent manner.
In the past it appears he has used deposits received from new customers to satisfy the orders for prior customers. There’s a phrase for that–it’s called a Ponzi scheme. And as we know, when the money stops coming in, the scheme collapses. With the recent downturn in the economy, the money stopped coming in.
A number of local residents have given Brooklyn Kitchens large sums of money, up into the high five figures, and he has failed to deliver product. Some of those customers are attorneys. Several of these customers have obtained judgments against him in court. Some new lawsuits have been filed against him as recently as this week.
I had a close call with Brooklyn Kitchens myself. I ordered everything I needed for a gut rehab of our South Slope townhome, at the end of 2007, and just barely got it all. The last item, glass shower doors, took six months to be delivered.
I started a website to alert my neighbors to my experiences. It can be found at http://whybrooklynkitchens.com
It has been instrumental in bring a number of aggrieved customers together. Don’t miss the email section:
http://whybrooklynkitchens.com/emails.html
Today I attended a meeting in the office of a Manhattan law firm with the attorneys of a number of defrauded clients. The attorneys will be meeting with the Attorney General in the next couple of weeks. The objective will be to press criminal charges against Mr. Ackerman, not just civil charges.
It appears Brooklyn Kitchens may be out of business. Reports indicate the store has been closed for a week or more.
Your neighbors are asking for your help in building a case against him. If you have had any bad experiences, particularly bad experiences that resulted in a financial loss, we are interested in hearing from you, and if desired, you may be added to the list of plaintiffs to which any settlement could be distributed.
Please email me, denton@speakeasy.net with comments or experiences.
Regards,
Denton Taylor
I did go to Park Slope Kitchen Gallery–the Medallion line was what Glen (the rep there) suggested–not sure about Plain and Fancy. When I say we are on tight budget….way under 10K. The kitchen we drew up today came in close to where I want it to with a few customizations–Medallion looks to be about the same as Kraft-Maid, maybe a little thinner box? Or that could be my imagination.
Not sure if it is proper to shop the drawings around for other prices or not; I will probably go back there and order.
I strongly suggest Kitchens by Mittman. Joel Mittman, who owns the store, is also a general contractor; he did our apartment, and gave us a GORGEOUS kitchen, working with us every step of the way on design, price, etc. He uses Wood Mode, both their higher and lower priced cabinets. They’re gorgeous, and he is so professional and responsive. Here’s the link to his website. We recommend him heartily and can’t say enough good things about his taste, work, and professionalism.
http://www.kitchensbymittman.com/
-Rachel Halper
I order my cabinets from the Lumber Yard on Coney Island right after Ave U, across from Sahara restaurant.
They have a kitchen store there. Two brothers own it, they are really nice, he came to my house and worked with my father on the design and layout. Cabinets took about 2 1/2 week to come in, Kartfmaid takes 10 weeks.
We got nice maple cabinets.
The cabinets are from Merillat.
We’re going to look into the Plain and Fancy line at the Park Slope Kitchen Gallery. We went in and browsed before we were ready to have a real nuts and bolts conversation and the rep there was very helpful. May be out of our $$ range (have to fix a roof leak and boiler is on its last legs!) — great to know about these other options too.
park slope kitchen gallery is fine – they carry medallion cabinets, which are decent customizable stock cabinets, with solid plywood boxes as opposed to particle board boxes which will let go of the screws holding the doors and once they do the it’s all over.
Slopefarm, I think we did it! Brooklyn Kitchens has been closed for over a week I hear. More later.
If you’re open to second hand, you can get well made cabinets for the price of Home Depot crap. Try Build it Green in Queens or Green Demolitions in CT.
We ordered a simple shaker cabinet from HD (Thornton) and used Ronelia (she’s amazing!). We have had great service from HD and Kraftmaid. One of the uppers paint was a little off and the rep came and they sent us a whole new cabinet plus extra molding. I wouldn’t skimp on cabinets.