Kitchen Cubes LLC has come a long way since opening as a small storefront along Highway 50 in Kenosha.
Brothers Jake and Zach Molgaard founded the business in 2008 and have worked to grow it into a cabinet and countertop producer that now runs a manufacturing and retail operation out of its newly renovated 85,000-square-foot facility in Bristol.
The fast-growing company’s revenue has grown 32% since 2016, and it now has 53 employees.
Kitchen Cubes’ recent renovation project, which was completed in early 2019, added six offices and a small showroom to the company’s existing warehouse, condensing both arms of the business into one location.
“Growing into a uniform company under one roof was a lot better strategically just communication-wise for getting everyone on the same page,” said KatiRose Haney, store manager.
She said the move allowed the company to devote full attention to its wholesale operation, which currently makes up about 70% of its business, while retail comprises the other 30%.
Kitchen Cubes is also focused on expanding its manufacturing capacity beyond laminate countertops. The company started manufacturing those products at its Bristol facility in 2012.
It plans to do the same for its line of cabinets within the next year, Haney said, which would require the addition of more manufacturing employees.
Kitchen Cubes markets its wholesale cabinet line, countertops and kitchen hardware to property management companies, apartment complexes and dealers across the southern half of Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
Its products are largely purchased for remodels, but the company is trying to tap further into the fast-growing new build market, Haney said.
There is plenty of demand on both fronts.
“There are a lot of buildings that are definitely remodeling to keep up with everything else going up, to keep a competitive edge and not necessarily lose business or renters,” Haney said.
On the retail side, foot traffic has slightly slowed since Kitchen Cubes’ storefront moved from Kenosha to Bristol. The new showroom is open Monday through Friday, but not on weekends.
With five small product displays and one larger full kitchen display, the space is designed for customer ease. There are fewer products on display, but they are the store’s most popular and cost-effective items, Haney said.
“They can have a little bit more focus instead of having so many different options to look at and getting overwhelmed,” she said. “We’ve simplified it to help our customers make quicker decisions and not be too flustered with the whole process.”
Kitchen Cubes has always relied solely on word of mouth to attract its customers and generate foot traffic for retail. As a family-owned business, that hasn’t posed a challenge.
“In this area people really value family-owned and local business,” Haney said. “People trust the name. They know what Kitchen Cubes is, who we are and what we do for our customers. We don’t want them to be unhappy. They know that we go the extra mile with customer service and we know that if we didn’t treat our customers with that respect, we wouldn’t be in the position we are currently.”Â
Kitchen Cubes LLC
8601 200th Ave., Bristol
Industry: Retail and manufacturing
Employees: 53
kitchencubes.com
