By Matt Smith
If you’re like most people in the county or beyond, what you presumably look for most in a business is quality customer service: the ability of an employee to be attentive to your needs, and to get the job done in the best way possible. Luckily, for your woodworking needs, “customer support is unequaled” at All*Star Woodworking, according to Jim Doherty, its Design and Sales Associate.
“There’s never any question about anything [here],” he continues. “If something needs attention, they do it. And that’s just the way Peter built the company.”
Owned by Peter Cuneo since 1986, All*Star Woodworking operates out of a 12,000-square-foot factory in Thornwood. Offering customers a variety of different wood, color and style options, Doherty stresses that the company, which specializes in cabinetry, is truly custom in every sense of the word. “We don’t sell a line of cabinetry,” he explains. “We make custom cabinets from design and manufacture to delivery and installation.”
The process begins with a free consultation, either in the client’s home or at the All*Star Showroom, during which the client and designer jointly develop a proposal. These consultations may vary in terms of length depending on the requirements of a specific project, or an individual customer’s needs or requests. (“Some even bring architectural plans,” notes Cuneo). Once a proposal is accepted, “We create CAD [computer-aided design] drawings,” says Doherty, “which are reviewed and approved by the customer before we start production.” The drawings are then put into a state-of-the-art CNC wood router, which will accurately cut the wood pieces to 1/1000 of an inch, and “produce many of the parts that will be assembled to form a cabinet.”
But only after the finished drawing gets final approval from the customer — that’s the All*Star guarantee. “No job is designed, manufactured or installed without customer approval at each step,” Doherty reiterates.
Additionally, unlike many competitors, “We do not sub jobs out,” he continues. “Every aspect of the job is done by All*Star employees, who live, work, and shop locally.” Lead times for jobs take only eight to ten weeks to manufacture and install, as opposed to the standard 12-plus week lead time of most stock cabinetry competitors. In addition, All*Star cabinetry comes with a 10-year warranty to repair or replace any defective materials.
Naturally, the quality of the final product is unmatched. Doherty points to a drawer box for a current project as an example, noting how the joinery is intricate and smooth, reflecting expert craftsmanship. He says, too, that each job is unique, and to that end, Cuneo will even travel as far North as Massachusetts to find the proper wood for a job to then strip it down himself in house to create the necessary pieces, all with no questions asked.
It’s qualities like these which have allowed the company to stay in business and successfully grow for the better part of three decades. “We don’t do a lot of advertising,” Doherty adds, on the subject. “We follow Peter’s philosophy: treat each job as a showcase for future business and gain referrals from satisfied customers. [We get business] mostly by word of mouth.”
Still, it doesn’t hurt that the company is active within the community, making appearances at local home shows, both at the County Center and Pace University, as well as the annual Pleasantville
Music
Festival. “We have completed projects for schools, public libraries and local hospitals,” Doherty adds, including the Children’s Rehabilitation Center in White Plains, for which they recently
completed a job at a reduced price. Both community involvement and the word of mouth approach seem to be working out well for the company, as customers are flocking in not only from Westchester,
but from Southern Connecticut and New York City as well. “And, we have multi-generations of customers coming back,” notes Doherty. “People tell us, ‘You built a kitchen for my parents. Now, I’ve moved back into the area, and I want you to build my kitchen.’”
In addition to kitchens–and with Father’s Day on the horizon–All*Star can also build you a bar, entertainment unit, or home office. With so many options to choose from, it’s clear, as Cuneo has often said, “There’s a lot of hard work involved in this business.” But, he continues, “the results are often very special for both us and for our clients.” “We’re not just selling cabinets,” Doherty adds. “We’re asking, ‘What is your vision?’ That’s what we start with. [We say], ‘Tell us what you’re hoping to accomplish,’ and we go from there.”
Indeed, since opening in 1978, All*Star has been Westchester’s premier cabinetmaker and refacing contractor, and continues to remain as such. But Cuneo is quick to note he doesn’t let the praise and adulation go to his head, stating, “At the end of the day, we are simply committed to quality and perfection.” He continues, “No high-pressure sales tactics, or gimmicky financing schemes…just quality workmanship from a company with over 30 years’ worth of knowledge and experience.” And that’s the truth. You don’t even have to knock on wood.
All*Star Woodworking is located at 401 Claremont Avenue, Thornwood, behind the Safe Guard Self Storage Facility, opposite ShopRite on Broadway. For more information, call (914) 769-9161 or visit www.allstarwoodworking.com.
Matt Smith is a freelance writer based in Chappaqua. For more information, visit www.mattsmiththeatre.com.
